5-ingredient, 100% flax breakfast cookies are a perfect, portable choice, year-round! Vegan, oil-free and grain-free, 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.
Healthy Cookies for Breakfast
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…after cleaned out the refrigerator, I discovered I had three bags-full! Just like bah bah blacksheep, except these have imminent expiration dates. It was time to throw caution to the wind caution to the wind and figure out an all-flax, nut butter cookie.
They are so good!
You need to make—and eat—a batch asap.
How to Make 100% Flaxseed Breakfast Cookies
These cookies 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:
The Health Benefits of Flax
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!
How to Make Keto 100% Flax Breakfast Cookies
If you are following a ketogenic diet plan, you can easily adapt these cookies for your needs. Simply swap out the maple syrup for an equal amount of keto-friendly liquid sweetener. Additionally, either omit the raisins or swap them our for an equal amount of nuts, seeds, or sugar-free chocolate chips.
Can I Make these Cookies without Nut Butter or Seed Butter?
Yes! In place of the nut butter or seed butter, use an equal amount of coconut butter. You can make it in minutes, with little money, with unsweetened coconut flakes/shredded coconut. Here is the link to my recipe: DIY Coconut Butter.
Coconut butter is not the same thing as coconut oil.
Do I Have to Add Raisins to the Recipe
I get it, not everyone likes raisins as much as I do. So the good news is that you do not have to follow a keto diet to leave out the raisins :). Omit them, or sub in some other dried fruit (that you do like), chopped nuts or seeds, or chocolate chips.
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!
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.
used Xylitol instead of sugar/maple syrup and put cranberries (and cocoa nibs!) in and somehow the consistency didn't turn out at all like it's shown in the photos (it was much dryer) and the cookies remained quite chewy and doughy after 25min of baking, they somehow didn't get crispy outside at all so i was a little suspicious but they taste sooo goodß?!? will definitely try again and get the consistency right but they already made super tasty, little healthy treats!
Diana
Saturday 10th of April 2021
I made this recipe keto by using brown sugar swerve and Lillys sugar-free milk chocolate chips, yummy!
Claudia
Thursday 8th of April 2021
yum I changed it up to add 2/3 cups of stevia sweetened white chocolate chips and low sugar craisins. OMG I also used vanilla stevia liquid: 4 droppers and added a bit more coconut milk to make sure there was enough moisture. These are heavenly. My new favourite treat. Funny, I used this recipe to use up my flaxseed. Now, I think I will need to get some more.
Charlene
Wednesday 31st of March 2021
My 6 and 8 yr old sons loved them. Thanks so much. They are very picky eaters and I am always trying to find new healthy recipes for them. These were great.
cindy
Monday 8th of March 2021
tried these today. quick and easy and really good. i didn't have raisins on hand and did not substitute. i baked at 350 instead for 22 minutes. will lessen the maple syrup next time by a bit (not too sweet just like things less sweet). try this recipe. it's very quick to make.
I’m Camilla, food writer, author, runner, and spin instructor. PowerHungry® is where I share my easy, minimalist, plant-based recipes, designed for living a healthy, delicious, empowered life.
mimi
Sunday 11th of April 2021
used Xylitol instead of sugar/maple syrup and put cranberries (and cocoa nibs!) in and somehow the consistency didn't turn out at all like it's shown in the photos (it was much dryer) and the cookies remained quite chewy and doughy after 25min of baking, they somehow didn't get crispy outside at all so i was a little suspicious but they taste sooo goodß?!? will definitely try again and get the consistency right but they already made super tasty, little healthy treats!
Diana
Saturday 10th of April 2021
I made this recipe keto by using brown sugar swerve and Lillys sugar-free milk chocolate chips, yummy!
Claudia
Thursday 8th of April 2021
yum I changed it up to add 2/3 cups of stevia sweetened white chocolate chips and low sugar craisins. OMG I also used vanilla stevia liquid: 4 droppers and added a bit more coconut milk to make sure there was enough moisture. These are heavenly. My new favourite treat. Funny, I used this recipe to use up my flaxseed. Now, I think I will need to get some more.
Charlene
Wednesday 31st of March 2021
My 6 and 8 yr old sons loved them. Thanks so much. They are very picky eaters and I am always trying to find new healthy recipes for them. These were great.
cindy
Monday 8th of March 2021
tried these today. quick and easy and really good. i didn't have raisins on hand and did not substitute. i baked at 350 instead for 22 minutes. will lessen the maple syrup next time by a bit (not too sweet just like things less sweet). try this recipe. it's very quick to make.