5-ingredient grain-free, vegan, oil-free and paleo breakfast cookies made with 100% flax (no other flours or meals)! They are crispy, chewy, nutty, and made with ease in a muffin tin. A keto option is available, too!
I was enjoying a stint of green breakfast smoothies to celebrate several sunny mornings (spring comes early to East Texas), but it all came to a screeching halt. The arrival of a cold weather front this week had me pulling out various bins of hot cereals—multigrain, buckwheat, quinoa, and my ubiquitous oats– to fill me up and take away the morning chill.
But shall I tell you what I want, what I really really want? Cookies.
I have no problem justifying an occasional oatmeal cookie at breakfast for myself, but I decided to come up with one that I felt equally at ease serving to my 7-year-old at the start of the day.
I used flaxseed meal as my inspiration because…I just cleaned out the refrigerator and discovered I had three bags-full! Just like bah bah blacksheep, except these have imminent expiration dates. I crafted an all-flax muffin recipe for my muffins cookbook so I threw caution to the wind and figured out an all-flax, nut butter cookie.
They are so good!
You need to make—and eat—a batch asap.
You are in luck, because they are a 1-bowl, super-cinch to make. In a medium bowl, combine all of the ingredients: flaxseed meal, nut butter (I used almond), nondairy milk, maple syrup, and raisins.
Next, divide the batter between 12 greased or sprayed muffin cups and bake in a 325F oven for 19 to 22 minutes, until golden brown. This is the result:
Do not hesitate to savor these cookies, often! You have likely heard all about the health benefits of flax, but there’s nothing wrong with a brief recap: they are high Omega-3 and Omega-6 fats, vitamins E and B, and essential minerals such as iron, potassium, zinc and selenium. It also happens to rival SNL’s colon blow cereal in the fiber department.
But what about the benefit to the cookies? It’s an equally interesting, as well as delicious, area of inquiry. What makes flaxseed meal a welcome variation from flour in these cookies has to do with fat: although the meal has a powdery, flour-like appearance, it is rich in plant oils, all of which translates to a cookie that’s crispy at the edges, but gooey-chewy in the middle. Yes, please!
Last, a quick note to the raisin haters: you can use something else! For example, other dried fruit, chopped nuts or seeds, or chocolate chips. Happy baking!
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100% Flax Breakfast Cookies {grain-free, vegan, oil-free, paleo, keto option}
Description
5-ingredient grain-free, vegan, oil-free and paleo breakfast cookies made with 100% flax (no other flours or meals)! They are crispy, chewy, nutty, and made with ease in a muffin tin. A keto option is available, too!
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup (125 mL) unsweetened natural nut butter (e.g., almond, cashew, peanut)
- 1/3 cup (75 mL) nondairy milk (I used almond milk)
- 1/3 cup (75 mL) maple syrup (see notes for keto)
- Optional: 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- Optional: 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 2/3 cup (80 g) flaxseed meal
- 2/3 cup (100 g) raisins (omit for keto)
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 325°F (160°C). Grease or spray the cups of a 12-cup muffin pan with nonstick cooking spray.
- In a medium bowl, combine the nut butter, maple syrup, milk, optional vanilla and cinnamon, until blended. Stir in the flaxseed meal and raisins until combined.
- Evenly divide batter into prepared muffin cups.
- Bake in preheated oven for 18 to 22 minutes, until golden brown, the surface of the cookies appears dry, and the centers feel just firm to the touch.
- Let cool in pan on a wire rack for 10 minutes. Run knife around edges to loosen, then remove and place on rack to cool completely.
Notes
- Nut-Free Cookies: For nut-free cookies, use an equal amount of creamy seed butter (e.g. sunflower butter or tahini) in place of the nut butter.
- Storage Tip: Store the cooled cookies in an airtight container at room temperature 2 days, the refrigerator for 1 week, or the freezer for up to 6 months.
- Keto Option: Use an equal amount of keto-friendly liquid sweetener in place of the maple syrup. Leave out the raisins.
- Keto macros per cookie: [Calories: 74 / carbohydrates:3.6 g / sugars: 1 g / fiber: 1.9 g]
- Sweetener Option: 1/4 cup coconut sugar, or brown sugar, plus 2 tablespoons water, can be used in place of the maple syrup.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 big cookie
- Calories: 118
- Sugar: 10.4 g
- Sodium: 51 mg
- Fat: 6.1 g
- Saturated Fat: 0.6 g
- Carbohydrates: 15 g
- Fiber: 2.2 g
- Protein: 2.9 g
- Cholesterol: 0 mg
Can we use regular milk instead?
Hi Fifa,
Definitely, use whatever you have and/or suits your needs 🙂
thank you for providing this recipe – can you put the rating stars at thr top? you are u rated on this I believe because it is so far down and less people clock no ratings
★★★★★
where are the raisins in the recipe?
I´ve made it a couple of days ago and it turned out amazing. omited the chocolate
★★★★★
These are AMAZING 👏! So quick & easy to make,
Delicious & healthy too. Have been searching for something like these for ages. I will now have to work my way through all your other recipes too.
Thank you 🙏
You are so welcome, Bronwen!
I doubled the recipe and used dark chocolate chips and they were fantastic! I put them out at a party and was glad I’d made extra so I had some for myself later! Thanks for the awesome recipe!!
I’ve been making this recipe for ages for my kids with mini chocolate chips instead of raisins. It’s always a favorite and so easy to make!
I am thrilled to hear it, Roxanne!
I have these in the oven right now. I had a flax and chia meal with coconut and cocoa hanging around so I used that. The batter tastes like a peanutbutter cup! Looking forward to the baked ones too. Thanks!
Enjoy, Angi!!! 🙂
I’ve been looking for a recipe like this for ages! Finally! 😀 a quick Q, can I just use regular unsalted butter instead of a but butter? I’m really not keen on it! Thanks in advance 🙂
Hi HOlly,
Alas, no, these will not wirk with butter. You could use tahini or coconut butter (not oil) in place of the nut butter 🙂
What could you substitute for syrup/agave?
I want to make as low carb as possible.
Thanks!
Hi Mary,
There is no direct substitute, but you could try cutting back on the syrup and subbing some applesauce and stevia. I would not get rid of all of the syrup, though.
Delicious! I added 2 ripe bananas, pumpkin seeds, hemp seeds, used coconut milk, used sucanat for sweetener, a combination of almond butter and tahini and omitted raisins. Yummy. I didn’t even taste the flax. Thanks for posting this.
Sounds great, Josie! You are so welcome 🙂
Hi do you grind your own flax seeds into a powder or does this recipe require a flax seed meal ?? Thanks
Hi Sue, I use ready-to-use flaxseed meal (Bobs Red Mill, usually), but you could grind your own, too. Don’t grind it too fine (i.e., not a flour)–stop when it still has some texture. 🙂
Has anyone made these in any other form? I don’t have a muffin tin and wonder if I could bake them like blondie brownies in a 9×9 or something?
Hi Christen,
I would try making them as cookies on a cookie sheet, if you have it. Scoop about 1-2 tbsp and try baking for 8 to 10 minutes, more if needed 🙂
Camilla, thanks for this recipe! I made this for the first time several months ago after eggs and coconut, both staples in my diet, came up on an allergy test! Popping another batch into the oven this morning and can’t wait to have them again 🙂
Yay! I am so glad, Heather! I love your pin boards 🙂
Just made a batch & I love them! always on the prowl for a snack with a low G Index and these fit the bill…ok ok couldn’t help myself-added some semi sweet choc chips…yum!
Wonderful, Vic! Thanks for letting me know 🙂
YES. PERFECT. EXACTLY WHAT I WAS LOOKING FOR!!!
Is it possible to substitute apple butter or apple sauce for the almond butter? & can I omit the raisin?
Yippee! Hmm, I dont think they would work with apple sauce–you need that protein from the almond buter (or some other nut or seed butter). But yes, you can skip the raisins!
You are a life-saver. I have recently been diagnosed with multiple food allergies, and had to give up my regular flaxseed muffins for breakfast due to the egg. I can hardly wait to try these egg free flaxseed cookies. Thank you!
Hi Starla.
So sorry to hear about the egg allergy–that is a rough transition! But hear’s to your feeling better now that the allergies have been diagnosed 🙂 These cookies are still a favorite at our house–even with my picky son–so I hope you like them!
These would be great for diabetics. Very low carb.
If they are cookies why do you instruct to put in muffin cups and not on cookie trays?
It’s just a variation. Some cookies are made in molds, some in pans, etc 🙂
Excellent for a gluten free snack or breakfast.. I added an egg to make them more mufffin-y and a small handful of chia seeds and hemp hearts for added nutrition. Great recipe, thanks for posting!
I am gluten intolerant and am always looking for great breakfast and snack ideas that passify my five and seven year old along with myself-this is officially one of them. Thank you soon much for sharing. I used currents and raisins when I made the recipe along with peanut butter and they turned out fabulous!
Wonderful!!!
I’ve made these several times now. Super yummy and very easy to make. Thanks!
I had been searching for a cookie recipe that uses flaxseed meal as a flour substitute, and I tried these. Super yummy! I replaced the raisins with gluten/dairy – free chocolate chips and they were fabulous! Definitely making these again. Thank you!
So you glad you found me , and the recipe! Yum, I need to make some with chocolate chips asap 🙂
Thank you for this recipe! We just made them for the first time…I doubled it so I won’t have to make breakfast for the next few days 😉
Blessings for a wonderful 2014 –
Natalie
Wonderful, Natalie! And a happy 2014 to you, too!
Oh my goodness, Katie , your daughter is so cute–she looks like a very blonde version of you 🙂 Chocolate chips sound like a most excellent sub–so glad you tried them!!!
Just made this with my 2 year old and they are fabulous. I will admit that we replaced 1/3 cup of raisins with chocolate chips!
I am sooo making these! Yum! Love flax seed meal too!
I wish I was closer to Bton so I could cook some goodies for you while you have your arms full with the sweet new babes! Hope you are getting some rest, Colleen!
Yay! So glad you made and liked them, Rebecca !
I made a batch last night, only I used craisins instead of raisins. YUMMY!
I use it in baking (breads, cookies, etc. I make big batch ‘oatmeal’ – enough for about a weeks breakfast – using steel cut oats, old fash’d oats, etc – and put some in there too; If I’m making meatballs, meatloaf, etc…I add some flax meal and also if I’m ‘breading’ fish or chicken or doing a crumb type topping for a casserole or whatever… some goes in there too. I guess we’re addicted!!!
Shirley! So great to hear from you! Hope you and Alex are well! Ooh! I had not thought of using it in meatballs, that’s brilliant! As is the crumb topping for casseroles–you’ve given me inspiration for future recipes and posts!
Love the colon blow reference 😉 I will have to try these, they would be great for the toddler on my gym mornings…when I never have enough time to get him fed right!
Hi Sarah! It’s one of my favorite SNL skits ever, glad you share the colon blow love 🙂 Yes, these are perfect for feed-the-child-on-the-run-without-giving-myself-a-guilt-trip mornings!