Pumpkin Breakfast Cookies made with good things like oats, chia seeds, coconut, maple syrup, and decadent little chocolate chips. A perfect prep-ahead snack!
I don’t know about you, but I need a little help pretending it’s fall right now. I WANT to embrace non-iced lattes and non-shorts pants and non-cold breakfasts again with open arms. but this 90 degree, sunny, perfect beach weather is canceling out all the cozy. Oh, and the fact that my AC is broken so I’ve been sweating for two days straight…not helping.
Hopefully the NOT fall feels situation isn’t quite as dire where you are, but regardless I have a little baked breakfasty something that will help.
Pumpkin Breakfast Cookies!
Meet your new favorite morning (or afternoon…or midnight) snack. Here’s what makes them so good at helping us pretend it’s fall when it doesn’t feel like it:
- Pumpkin.
- And it’s associated warm spices.
- Make ahead. Because fall mornings are busier than summer ones.
- No flour – just oats, coconut, and chia seeds.
- Maple sweetened.
- Healthier, but taste so so GOOD (no cardboard cookies!)
- Golden crispy edges with a soft chewy middle and just the right about of crumble.
- Have you ever finished eating a bowl of warm oatmeal to realize you are actually sweating? Because I have. But these cookies – all the oaty wholeness, no sweating.
See, much more seasonal than a smoothie bowl. But still easy, and a little something sweet for your morning, and made with real foods too.
This recipe is a pumpkin-y collaboration with my friends at Thrive Market. A.k.a. my favorite place to buy food on the internet because they have all the things I want, but keep me from going broke on nut butter and organic snacks.
Every single ingredient you need for these Pumpkin Breakfast Cookies you can find on Thrive Market for 25-50% less than retail and shipped straight to you. I’ve been ordering from them regularly for almost a year now, and lemme tell you the savings are REAL. Plus they have items I’d have to go to a health food store to find locally, and it’s safer if I avoid those as much as possible.
I’ve been loving their ever expanding line of Thrive Market brand products lately, and guess what just joined the family? Organic pumpkin! If you are anything like me you go through dozens of cans of this stuff between September and November, and $1.99 a can is the cheapest I’ve ever found.
P.S. If you’ve never tried organic pumpkin vs conventional – sooooooo worth it. The flavor and color are both much brighter, the texture is less watery, and its subtly sweeter too.
If you want to give Thrive a try, sign up HERE and get 25% off your first order!
I truly want you to have these cookies in your life, so I kept the effort level very minimal. Made in the food processor so you don’t have to stir. Bake in 15 minutes so you barely have to wait. Easily doubled so you can bake once and have cookies for days (or weeks if you freeze them!)
Oh and if you need just a smidge more convincing, two words: CHOCOLATE CHIPS.
Happy pretending like it’s fall in cookie form to you!
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Pumpkin Breakfast Cookies made with good things like oats, chia seeds, coconut, maple syrup, and decadent little chocolate chips. A perfect prep-ahead fall snack!
Ingredients
- 1 cup (100g) rolled oats
- 1/2 cup (55g) coconut flakes
- 1/4 cup (40g) chia seeds (or flax seeds)
- 1/2 cup (125g) pumpkin puree
- 1/4 cup (80g) maple syrup
- 1/4 cup (75g) nut/seed butter of choice
- 1 tbsp pumpkin pie spice
- 1 tsp baking powder
- 1/4 tsp salt
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 1/4 cup (45g) chocolate chips (or chopped pecans would be good too!)
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350F.
- In a food processor, combine the oats, coconut, and chia seeds. Process until broken down into fine pieces but not quite flour.
- Add the pumpkin, nut butter, maple syrup, spice, baking powder, salt, and vanilla. Process until combined into a sticky dough.
- Add the chocolate chips, and process briefly until just combined.
- Roll into balls (about 1-1.5 tbsp of dough per cookie). Place on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper and press to flatten slightly.
- Bake for 15 minutes at 350F, or until the bottom edges are golden brown.
- Cool for at least 15 minutes.
- Enjoy!
- Keep leftovers in the fridge in an airtight container for up to a week, or freeze for longer storage.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 cookie
- Calories: 145
- Sugar: 7g
- Fat: 7g
- Saturated Fat: 3g
- Carbohydrates: 16g
- Fiber: 4g
- Protein: 3g
Keywords: vegan, gluten-free, snack, pumpkin, fall, baking, easy, oatmeal
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OMG- I made these this morning for my kids (& me) and they were a hit. So so good, and full of nutrition. These will be a staple for us this season, I’m sure. I’m always on the hunt for good homemade snacks that will fill us up- and these definitely fit the bill. Thank you!
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YAY!! I am so happy everyone liked them🤗 Easy healthy snacks are kind of a fridge must for me too, so I’m glad these worked for you (and they freeze pretty well too if you want to double the batch!) Hope you enjoy many more batches to come, Michelle!
Is there anything less carby to substitute for the oatmeal please?
Hmm you could do quinoa flakes, but that isn’t a whole lot less carbs. Maybe try this recipe instead but with pumpkin in place of the banana: https://www.feastingonfruit.com/turmeric-latte-breakfast-cookies/
I want an obnoxious amount of these with a big mug of coffee, and I want em now! I feel there are so many Christmas cookie recipes, yet not nearly enough Fall-inspired cookie recipes and everything about these is calling my name. I may even add a bit of molasses!
Hahaha I feel the same way, and heck yes to the cozy caffeination on the side☕️ Mmm that molasses addition sounds so good, why didn’t I think of that🤔 Thanks for the idea…and excuse to make another batch haha!
They look so good! I love pumpkin spice and oats and chocolate chips and, well, everything in these, haha! They look so hearty and filling and something I can see that would be very hard to stop eating one after another! I love using chia seeds in this manner because they are nice and crunchy. I don’t care for them as ” chia eggs” the flavor is just too powerful to me. I try to sneak them into things and Olivia is never fooled, lol. And you know how. much I love to add coconut to my cookies too, it makes them super chewy without being too overpowering in coconut flavor. I’m all for the oats and carbs too, these are HEALTHY carbs, people don’t need to be scared of them!! They are so full of nutrition, protein and fiber, can’t beat their healthy nutritional profile. Whenever I have an oven again, I’ll have to try them!
Ha nothing not to like, right🎃🍫 That’s funny, I find chia eggs to have less flavor than flax eggs. Although I still prefer starches to either of them, but people seem to prefer the eggs🤷♀️ Lol Olivia is going to have the most refined palate and VERY high food standards by the time she’s an adult, I love it! A world where no one is scared of cookies of any kind is a world I want to live in🤗 I hope life calms down and you can get back in the kitchen soon!
Hey girl hey! ❤️ (Me again 😂 mushroom/avocado hatin’ vegan girl 🤣)I always look forward to seeing what you come up with Natalie! All your recipes are SOOO makeable/bakeable 🤗 thank you so much for continuing to create wheat/gluten free noms. You are so making good on your promise to frequently post up gf pumpkin 🎃 treats. This pumpkiny goodness could not have come at a better time. I JUST opened a can of Trader Joe’s Organic Pumpkin Puree (it really is SUCH a difference from conventional canned pumpkin) to make a batch of pumpkin spice granola so I have plenty of extra pumpkin to make this! I do have a question though (I’m sorry for sending so many questions 🙈) is there something I can sub for the nut or seed butter? 🙂 Sometimes I find they’re a bit too heavy 😫
Haha when it comes to pumpkin sweet stuff, I DEFINITELY follow through😂 I just adore pumpkin treats so much, gotta pack in as many as possible. Oooh yes, the TJs organic is good too. And so so different than like Libby’s, right? Mmmm I gotta do a fall granola soon! But as for the nut/seed butter, you could use more pumpkin although that will make the cookies more mushy and lose those crispy edges without some sort of fat source. You could use 2 tbsp of coconut oil instead though! Whichever you go with, I hope you love them🧡🎃
Ooooh yes. I remember being grossed out by Libby’s as a little girl! I honestly think that’s a big reason why pumpkin pie was SO unappetizing to me when I was a kiddo. It was so jiggly and blegh! I’m not a food blogger by ANY means but if you want to check out my granola recipe on my blog feel free 😉 Thank you SOOOO much for the coconut oil suggestion! Should I keep it solid or melt it?
Either is fine, melted will probably mix in easier 🙂
These look scrumptious, but I’m not a fan of pumpkin. Any substitutes?
You could use mashed banana or applesauce instead!
Thank you for this recipe… It is so delicious 😋 😋…. I used applesauce instead of pumpkin…. I love it
★★★★★
I am so happy you loved these, and great idea on the applesauce swap😊
I am pretty sure I just saw these on ‘Right this Minute’, a minute ago! Awesome! Congrats! I look forward to trying them out~ 🙂
You did indeed! Thanks for the kind words, Summer 🙂
I made these last night! I used sunbutter because my husband is allergic to nuts. They came out great! The texture is really nice, I loved eating these for breakfast. I left out the chocolate chips because I don’t like chocolate, but I can see how they would work really well here.
★★★★★
I am so happy you both liked them! I need to try a version without the chocolate, I bet they are delish just with the spices and coconut/oats. I am in LOVE with SunButter, I just made a batch of these with that actually too. Well thanks for the feedback and enjoy the rest of the batch, Teresa🧡
these look wonderful. is there a substitute for the maple syrup.? it’s not my favorite flavor.
Other liquid sweeteners would work like honey or agave 🙂
Thanks!!
I wanted to like these as these looked so good. I think maybe adding more maple or honey along with some pumpkin spice or cinnamon might help. I just found them bland. I did love all the healthy ingredients though.
★★★
Hmm they are definitely not meant to be a super sweet decadent cookie, but you could certainly try upping the spice or sweetness 🙂
This recipe looks delicious and I can’t wait to make it. My son is celiac and these are only truly gluten free if they are made with certified gluten free oaks. My concern is that someone might make this recipe for someone who is celiac and unknowingly cause a reaction because you have said that these are gluten free.
Thanks for the note, Tristine! I should’ve specified certified GF oats in the recipe. But I hope both you and your son love them!
Can you use steel cut oats?
Hmm that would definitely change the texture, but I think if you process/blend them for a little extra long to get them to more of a flour consistency it should be okay!
Can you sub anything or omit the coconut flakes? I just dont have any right now.
You could try some sort of nut or seed instead like almonds or hemp seeds maybe. I recommend something a little higher in fat that oats though, and you may have to grind/process longer to break them down properly 🙂
Can’t stop eating these pumpkin treasures!Thank you so much for the recipe!😍😊😉
Hahaha YAY! I am so happy you are enjoying them🤗🎃 Thanks for the feedback Diana!
I was wondering what you could sub in for the coconut? My son is allergic to it. Many thanks!
Some sort of nut or seed would work! You just need a dry ingredient that’s higher in fat than oats. And maybe grind the dry ingredients longer if using nuts especially since they are a bit harder than coconut. Hope you enjoy them!
I want to make these! I’m no baker but your recipes are so simple and awesome and healthy and delicious!
I don’t only have ground flax at the moment. Do you think it’d still work?
Thank you for sharing such great recipes!
No chia either? The flax is a binder mostly, so they might be a little more crumbly but should be fine!
What can I use in place of chia seeds?
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Flax seeds would work too!
These are excellent if you like pumpkin spiced inspired treats. I will definitely add them to my healthy treats recipe box. Have you or anyone substituted the pumpkin spice and pumpkin puree for a different flavoured cookie?
★★★★★
I am so happy you liked them Marni! And yes, I’ve had readers make the with banana or applesauce instead of pumpkin too😋
Thought those two substitutions might work too. Thank you. I will give that a try. On my next batch.
Hello, I’m wondering if I could skip the coconut flakes or substitute it with oats? Not a big fan of coconut flakes (sorry)!
Thanks! Love all your recipes!
You could use more oats, although coconut flakes add a lot more moisture because of their higher fat content whereas oats are quite drying so it may make the cookies dry. Nuts would be better if you have a kind you like, like maybe almonds or cashews ground up! Hope that helps 🙂
What could I use in place of chia or flax seeds? No dietary restrictions we just don’t have any. Thanks!
The seeds are there to bind, so you could use an egg (if not vegan) or tapioca/arrowroot/corn starch!
How much arrowroot would you suggest if trying this? I’m just looking for a way to make these a litttttle lower in fat! Any suggestions would be welcome! I adore your recipes so really don’t want to change it but it’s hard sometimes to find recipes that aren’t super high in fat 🙂
Would 1/2 arrowroot starch and 1/2 coconut possibly work?? I like the idea of leaving the coconut in bc I love it!
Oops lol I got confused because I was thinking of ways I could either sub in for the chia or coconut and was reading through all the comments first. It’s early 😂 anywayyyyy if you have any thoughts on how to lower fat slightly and keep the flavor I’m all ears!
Haha no worries, I understand! Okay so you want to decrease coconut and sub in arrowroot for some of the coconut? Are you okay with leaving in the nut butter? Swapping 1/2 the coconut for arrowroot should be fine, I’d use less arrowroot (probably about 2 tbsp and 1/4 cup coconut). If you wanted to swap the nut/seed butter for more pumpkin puree you could try that but you will get a much softer/chewier and less crisp cookie. Hope I understood right and that all makes sense, let me know Samantha 🙂
Yes, I was looking for a sub for either the chia or the coconut! But I will try your suggestion and see how it works.. I like leaving the nut butter in that’s sort of a non-negotiable for me 😂 Thanks!! 💗✨💃🏼
I don’t have a food processor, would a blender work?
Um it won’t blend very easily and you will have to stop and stir it frequently, but yes it will work!
I used a blender to gently pulse the oatmeal and coconut flakes, then took them out and added all the other ingredients into a mixing bowl and just mixed it with a fork. It turned out just fine!
Good to know, thanks for sharing!
Do you use sweetened coconut or unsweetened coconut?
Unsweetened! Always unsweetened when I call for coconut in my recipes 🙂
Hi I don’t have any pumpkin pie spice – what can I substitute instead..? Can’t wait to make this recipe to mark the beginning of fall! 😊
Just cinnamon will still be yummy!
Found this recipe yesterday, made it this morning….YUMMMMM. But one of my girls is allergic to coconut. Could I leave it out? Or sub something else for it? Any suggestions?
Try swapping in any kind of nut or hemp seed instead, that will work just fine! My top recommendations personally would be pecans or hemp seeds, either would be delicious 🙂
Thank you! I was thinking almonds because I have that, but I also have pecans, walnuts and pumpkin seeds. She is also allergic to sunflower 🙁
Almonds would be great! Honestly I don’t think you can mess it up with any of those 🙂
These look awesome! I want to make these today. I have a child with nut allergies so do you think a vegan butter like earth balance could work as a substitute for the nut butter? If not, any suggestions that might work better? Thanks!
Sharleen
Yep that should be fine! Otherwise if you can do coconut, coconut butter would work 🙂
Made these twice, once with flax and chocolate chips, and once with chia and pecans (and a snifter of chocolate may have snuck into the latter, as my son and I made these as pumpkin shapes and y’know, eye holes and all that. Oh and a rogue racing car-shaped cookie required chocolate wheels…) and both versions were AWESOME!! I normally go for flax options over chia, but this and the German Chocolate Cake overnight oats recipe have made me rethink my preference (gasp!) as that second batch were just so dang moreish with a delightful little crunch! Also, they’ve convinced my son that pecans are not squirrel food!
★★★★★
Hahaha I always love hearing about your own version and tweaks and sneaky chocolate additions🤗😂 They sound adorable and both version delicious, but I always love pecans with pumpkin😋 I am very much team chia over flax so I’m happy to hear I am slowly convincing you. I’m glad you guys tried these, I love them and need to experiment with more versions too!
These are so good!
★★★★★
I am so happy you loved them!
Do you think it could work to sub date paste for the maple syrup? I don’t do added sweeteners, apart from fruit. Or maybe I could use your awesome Vegan Peanut Butter Date-Sweetened Cookies recipe as a base and put pumpkin in there?
Date paste instead of maple syrup will make them much more soft/squishy and not give them those crispy edges, but they will still taste delish!
I can’t believe how good this looks. Definitely trying this weekend.
They are so easy and yummy, I hope you tried and loved them!!
These are delicious! Just made a batch with chia seeds. Have some more pumpkin to use so I’m going to try them with flaxseed. Only problem is that I only have the ground flaxseed meal. Can I use that? Do I use less? Thanks for all of your amazing recipes! I know whatever I choose, it will tourn out delicious!!
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I am so happy you liked them! You can try it with flax meal, that will work fine for binding but it has quite a strong flavor which is why I prefer it with the whole seeds. If you don’t mind the flavor though, go for it 🙂 Happy Sunday!