Holiday cookie meets healthier ingredients in these soft-baked sugar-coated Snickerdoodle Breakfast Cookies. Vegan, gluten-free, and easy to make!
Little puffy, sugar crunch-coated bundles of cinnamon-y sweetness that are the perfect mix of holiday cookie meets healthy ingredients.
If I’m being honest, lots of indecision was involved in naming these cookies. Because yes, they are made with wholesome things like oats and hemp seeds and applesauce. But also yes, they are coated in cinnamon sugar because they wouldn’t be snickerdoodles without that. And yes, I have eaten them for breakfast. But I ‘ve also eaten them for an afternoon need-sweet-motivation-to-get-in-a-few-more-hours-of-work snack. And also for dessert at 1 a.m. with friends and ice cream.
So they should be called Snickerdoodle Perfect Always Cookies. But I think Snickerdoodle Breakfast Cookies sounds better, don’t you?
What qualifies a cookie as a “breakfast cookie”?
To me, there are a few key elements:
- Oats. Must be involved.
- Maple syrup. Because it is the most breakfast-y of all the sweeteners.
- Protein of some kind, nothing crazy.
- Fruit in some form.
- EASY. Because, let’s be real, we are lazy in the mornings.
These cookies check all the boxes: yes, yes, hemp seed and cashew butter, applesauce, done in less than 30 minutes and can be prepped ahead of time. See, they earned the title. But still deceptively delicious enough that you could bring them to a holiday cookie swap. Winning. At. Life.
I don’t think you need me to tell you how good cinnamon sugar is. I mean that is why the cookie part of the snickerdoodle exists, right – to transport the cinnamon sugar to your face? Not only is it perfect and sweet and spiced and cozy and perfect, it also makes the cookie extra crispy on the outside. Which makes the soft inside seem even more pillowy. And makes the first bite a straight up cookie-eating EXPERIENCE. So even though we are going with the whole “breakfast cookie” thing, cinnamon sugar is definitely happening too.
Can you use coconut sugar instead of cane sugar? Yes.
Will it dissolve more while baking and give you less of that marvelous crusty sugar coating thing we love so much? Yes.
Will I be a little sad for you to miss out on that? Most definitely. But it’s up to you!
Snickerdoodle Breakfast Cookies
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 15 minutes
- Total Time: 30 minutes
- Yield: 15 cookies 1x
- Category: cookies
- Method: baking
- Cuisine: american
Description
Holiday cookie meets healthier ingredients in these soft-baked sugar-coated Snickerdoodle Breakfast Cookies. Vegan, gluten-free, and easy to make!
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 cup (150g) rolled oats
- 1 cup (65g) unsweetened coconut (or nuts of choice)
- 1/3 cup (45g) hemp seeds (or seeds of choice)
- 1 tbsp cinnamon
- 1 tsp baking powder
- 1/4 tsp salt
- 1 tbsp ground flax + 2 tbsp water
- 1/4 cup (60g) applesauce
- 1/4 cup (80g) maple syrup
- 1/4 cup (65g) nut/seed butter* (I used cashew butter)
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
Cinnamon Sugar Coating:
- 2 tbsp cane sugar**
- 1 tsp cinnamon
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350F.
- Stir together the ground flax and water. Set aside to thicken.
- Add the oats, coconut, hemp seeds, baking powder, cinnamon, and salt to a food processor. Grind to a fine flour consistency.
- Add the nut/seed butter, applesauce, maple syrup, flax egg, and vanilla. Process to form a sticky dough.
- In a small shallow dish, stir together the cinnamon and sugar.
- Form into balls. Roll to coat in cinnamon sugar mixture.
- Arrange on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper.
- Press to flatten slightly.
- Bake for 12-15 minuets at 350F or until golden around the edges.
- Cool for 5-10 minutes. Enjoy!
- Keep leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge for up to a week, or freeze for longer storage.
Notes
*Preferably NOT super runny.
**You can use coconut sugar instead, but it will dissolve more during baking and give you less of that classic sugar coating.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 cookie
- Calories: 131
- Sugar: 5g
- Fat: 7g
- Saturated Fat: 3g
- Carbohydrates: 14g
- Fiber: 3g
- Protein: 4g
Keywords: vegan, gluten free, christmas, oil free, easy, snack, cinnamon
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Awesome!! Lots of ways to vary the recipe too.
Oh absolutely! All sorts of swaps and yummy additions you could make here🤗 Hope you enjoy!
It must be fate that I have EXACTLY 1/4 c applesauce left from a recipe I made last week and I have been pondering what to do with it. DECISION MADE! Snickerdoodles are my fave holiday cookie and you just made this holiday season much more merry by calling them breakfast! And I can guarantee I won’t be sharing these at any cookie swaps 😉
★★★★★
Whaaaaaa?? Oh yes, mean tot be for sure! I know it’s like a little bit early for christmas cookies…but then again NEVER😜
OMG – these are unbelievably tasty!!! How are they so healthy?? Now I can have cookies for breakfast, every day, for LIFE!
I mean you already could do that, but now just more options🤗 Everything in cookie form, pls and thank you!
What would you get without rolling them in anything and just baking the basic recipe?
They would be a bit bland as there isn’t a lot of sweetener in the actual batter so that coating is really what makes them taste sweet. But still yummy 🙂
i am allergic to oats & eat paleoish. can almond flour or an almond/coconut flour be subbed?
Either of those almond will be too crumbly, you’d need some sort of starch like arrowroot or tapioca to help bind too. You could use a premade paleo blend like the bob’s red mill mix, or try this recipe instead with cinnamon added in and the cinnamon sugar coating to turn them into snickerdoodles: https://www.feastingonfruit.com/almond-flour-chocolate-chip-cookies/#tasty-recipes-14994
Confession: I’ve never had a snickerdoodle before. My mom makes the best chocolate chip cookies ever in the history of the universe, but for some reason I never had a snickerdoodle. I scarcely know what one is. But these I will definitely try!
NO WAY!?!?😳 Well I sincerely hope you change that very soon! They are just the most cinnamon delicious cookies, very worth introducing into your life🤗
Wow. These are amazing. I just made them today, and have discovered three things. Firstly, making cookies in a food processor is so. Incredibly. Easy. It feels like a joke, how quick that was.
Secondly, THANK YOU FOR MAKING MY HOUSE SMELL LIKE CINNAMON! Scented candles are a waste of money when you can just make these, and then you get cookies.
Thirdly, these cookies are just so good. It feels too good to be true how healthy these things are. This is definitely a winner!
My only problem is that these did take ten minutes longer than you said to bake. 🙁 But, it did make my house smell like cinnamon for longer, so even the con has a pro! 😉
★★★★★
Hahaha I love this feedback, especially the candle part😂 AGREED! Now if only that marvelous scent would last longer though. And yes, the food processor is where it’s at…forget bowls and spoons. I’ve been loving it lately too! Hmm so interesting that they took much longer. Ovens do vary, but I may retest and note that in the recipes. Thanks for letting me know 🙂
These cookies and the cookie dough are phenomenal!!! I subbed 16 deglet Noor dates soaked in boiling water and puréed in food processor with some of their soaking water for the applesauce and maple syrup. I added 1/2 t more baking powder to compensate for the additional weight of the dates. They are so so so so nummy. Thank you so much for sharing!!
★★★★★
I am so happy you liked them!! And that’s amazing to know that the dates worked, great idea🤗 Thanks for sharing Rachel!
We just tried the original recipe. I used cashews for the coconut/nut part. I used sesame seeds for the seed part. We used honey instead of maple. Phenomenal. Just the best soft texture and light sweetness. We put date caramel in some and that was super amazing too!!
★★★★★
*date caramel on some.
★★★★★
Woohoo!! Loving the sound of your nut/seed blend and that caramel addition, I am SO happy you guys enjoyed them🤗😋
Love breakfast cookies–my idea of a fun Sunday breakfast, along with sauteed applies in a maple “cream” sauce and a cup of coffee—that’s living large. These have a T of cinnamon in the cookie and then some on top. I do like stuff spicy/flavorful/cinnamon-y. Do you think some additional cinnamon would be too much? Don’t know if you came up with this amount because some people can’t handle too much flavor/spice or whether it perfectly satisfied your cinnamon taste buds? Would you make it more cinnamony if it was just for you?
And how do you think cardamom would do in this? I’m a cardamom junkie—can’t get enough of it. Then they wouldn’t be traditional snickerdoodles, maybe chai snickerddoles?
Mmmm that sounds marvelous, count me in🤗 And as someone who can never have too much cinnamon either, yes I definitely think you could add more! I do tone it down a little since I know not everyone likes it strong, but personally I wouldn’t mind extra spice here too. And I think cardamom alone or all the chai spices would be absolutely amazing here. Love it, now I wanna try all these ideas haha!
Loved the texture, but will definitely need to up the cinnamon or add other spices. Didn’t think they had much flavor. But I’ve never really been into snickerdoodles, so may be best to just stick with your other fabulous cookies…
They look absolutely gorgeous!! I so so so want to try them! 🤤 Do you think it’s ok if I omit the nut/seed butter 😁?
Thank you for sharing this recipe with us ☺️
They will be quite dry without that since there is no oil, so I don’t recommend it. But up to you!
I love Snickerdoodles and their classic tang that sets them apart! I love how perfect your cookies look and the creative take on using hemp seeds, etc. I would happily eat these cookies breakfast, lunch and dinner….oh and a midnight snack too, haha! I bet these have a nice and different nutty/coconut flavor and they are so healthy (minus the sugar coating lol) that they totally DO pass for breakfast! I’ll still eat cookies for breakfast, even the bad ones, lol. And I’m so with you on the sugar coating too, WAY better than coconut sugar. I mean absolutely love coconut sugar but it doesn’t leave that wonderful crunch like raw sugar does and sometimes you just need the raw sugar. Definitely need to try these Natalie, I bet Olivia would love them so much!
Mmmm midnight snack snickerdoodles might be my favorite kind actually, although this time of year I feel like cookies are fair game at all hours. I mean recipe testing…someone’s gotta do it😆 Yep sometimes you just gotta break out the real sugar, and I love that you aren’t afraid to when it’s truly called for too! This recipe was me trying really hard not to post gingerbread cookies already tbh, but oooooh I cannot wait🤗
How do you think adding cream of tartar would affect the taste? (Isn’t it typically included in the original recipe? ) I am excited to try this healthier version!
It will give them a little bit of tang, so yes feel free to add it! I’ve never made them that way personally idk why, so I didn’t even think of it, but go for it 🙂
Hello,I was wondering if I can swap the maple syrup with honey. Would that still make the cookies as delicious?
Yes absolutely! That will work and be just as delicious😋
these look awesome! what do you think would happen if I used pumpkin puree instead of applesauce?!
I think they would be extra fall-y and delicious! It will work just as well, so enjoy Katie 🙂
thanks so much! 🙂
Ficou fantástico!! Thanks! 😉
So happy you liked them!
Natalie, can chia seeds be used instead of hemp seeds? Hubby 100% cannot have hemp due to military drug testing (boo!). If I do use chia, what differences can I expect in the cookie? Maybe drier?? Sure appreciate you and all you do to bring us yummy treats!!
Pretty sure I already answered you via IG, but just in case…I wouldn’t recommend chia, but try using some sort of nut like almonds or cashews instead. Those will have the same higher fat content as the hemp seeds, but not be as gel-y and binding like chia seeds. Hope that helps!
Yes you did! Gotta love technology! Haha. Thanks again!!
I have everything except the hemp seeds. I do have whole flax seeds, would those be alright, or what would be another substitute?
Yes that would work! You could also use sunflower or pumpkin seeds, or some sort of nuts even😊
This looks really lovely.
I am starting a foodblog myself and I’m really trying to become better at the photography part. I love picture number 2, would you mind sharing how you created that image? I cant seem to figure out how you did it.
Cheers 😀
How exciting! So the image of the ball of dough? I used a 100mm macro lens and just got really close to the subject from about a 90 degree side angle. I did crop it a little bit too, but not too much. Hope that helps, and best of luck to you!
Can I use mashed banana instead of applesauce? Thanks
Yes that will work! Enjoy 🙂
Hi Natalie! can I make this in cake form?
thank you for the amazing recipe! <3
Hmm cookie batters don’t usually translate into cakes well, so I can’t recommend it. It will likely just be very dense and not fluffy at all like a cake. But you could try this cinnamon cake recipe instead: https://www.feastingonfruit.com/cinnamon-swirl-quick-bread/
i just found this recipie and would like to give it a try. However, i don’t have a food processor. Could i just use oat flour and enjoy hte texture of the hemp seeds instead?
Thanks
If you don’t grind up the coconut and hemp seeds I’m afraid they will be too chunky and not hold together. You can try it, but may be very delicate/crumbly. Good luck!
shoot – i did want to try them but i guess they won’t be in my future.
Thanks for getting back to me.
Can I omit the flax? My son is allergic to them.
★★★★★
You could swap in chia instead, or just skip it although they may be a little more crumbly😊
He can’t have chia either. I’ll try without. Many thanks again.
Is it posible to replace maple syrup for liquid stevia or it won’t be the same?
Hmm liquid stevia is not sticky like maple syrup so I worry the dough won’t hold together as well. Could work since its a pretty small amount, but I haven’t tested it to say for sure!
Okay no problem. I have another question, since I can’t find hmp seeds where I live, can I use chia seeds instead? I’m not sure if hemp seeds absorb as much water asa chia seeds… or can I ommit the seeds?
That will probably be too much chia since they are much more stick/absorptive. I’d recommend using chopped nuts in place of the hemp seeds instead!
Thanks so much! I didn’t think about that 🙂 I’ll try
Great recipe! Used a mix of cashews and unsalted peanuts instead of coconut and hemp seeds. Turned out as planned!
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Ooh the peanut flavor in there sounds so good, I love PB + cinnamon! So happy you liked them Eva😊