Description
These Healthy Gingerbread Oatmeal Breakfast Cookies offer a soft, chewy breakfast treat packed with warm spices like ginger and cinnamon, using wholesome ingredients such as instant oats and whole wheat flour. Perfectly sweetened with molasses, they are an ideal make-ahead option for a nutritious morning snack or on-the-go breakfast.
Ingredients
Scale
Dry Ingredients
- 1 cup (100g) instant oats (gluten-free if necessary)
- ¾ cup (90g) whole wheat flour or gluten-free flour
- 1 ½ tsp baking powder
- 1 tsp ground ginger
- ¼ tsp ground cinnamon
- ⅛ tsp ground nutmeg
- ⅛ tsp ground cloves
- ¼ tsp salt
Wet Ingredients
- 1 ½ tbsp (21g) unsalted butter or coconut oil, melted and cooled slightly
- 1 large egg white (room temperature)
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- ¼ cup (60mL) molasses (room temperature)
- 5 tbsp (75mL) nonfat milk (room temperature)
Instructions
- Prepare Dry Mixture: In a medium bowl, whisk together the oats, flour, baking powder, ginger, cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves, and salt until fully combined to ensure even distribution of spices.
- Mix Wet Ingredients: In a separate bowl, whisk together the melted and cooled butter or coconut oil, egg white, and vanilla extract until thoroughly combined, then stir in the molasses followed by the nonfat milk.
- Combine Mixtures: Add the dry oat mixture to the wet ingredients and stir gently until just incorporated, being careful not to overmix, then chill the cookie dough for 30 minutes to allow flavors to meld and dough to firm up.
- Preheat Oven and Prepare Baking Sheet: Preheat the oven to 325°F and line a baking sheet with a silicone baking mat or parchment paper to prevent sticking and allow easy cleanup.
- Shape Cookies: Using a spoon and spatula, drop the dough into 15 rounded scoops onto the prepared baking sheet and flatten each to about ⅜ inch thick with the spatula, ensuring even thickness for consistent baking.
- Bake Cookies: Bake in the preheated oven for 10 minutes; the cookies should still feel slightly soft in the center when removed to avoid over-baking since they will continue cooking from residual heat.
- Cool Cookies: Let the cookies cool on the pan for 10 minutes before transferring them to a wire rack to cool completely, allowing them to set and develop their chewy texture.
Notes
- Accurate measurement of oats and flour using a kitchen scale is crucial to achieve the intended soft and chewy texture without dryness or cakiness.
- These breakfast cookies are mildly sweet on purpose; for sweeter cookies, substitute part of the milk with pure maple syrup, honey, or agave while adjusting milk quantity accordingly.
- To enhance gingerbread flavor, increase ground ginger by ¼ to 1 teaspoon according to taste preference.
- Cookies do not spread during baking so shaping thickness remains consistent from raw to baked.
- Do not over-bake; remove cookies when centers are slightly soft to ensure proper texture upon cooling.
- Use instant oats (quick-cooking) rather than flavored packet oats; you can make your own by pulsing old-fashioned oats 10-12 times in a food processor.
- Whole wheat flour alternatives include white whole wheat, whole wheat pastry, all-purpose, or oat flour with caution on measuring due to absorbency differences.
- Egg white can be substituted with 1 large whole egg by reducing milk by ½ tablespoon to compensate the added liquid.
- Use regular molasses and avoid blackstrap due to bitterness; molasses is essential for the iconic gingerbread flavor.
- Dairy-free and nut-free versions are achievable by using coconut oil or vegan butter and dairy-free milk alternatives.
- Store cookies in an airtight container at room temperature for a couple of days or refrigerate for up to a week; cookies freeze well once fully cooled.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 cookie
- Calories: 90 kcal
- Sugar: 4 g
- Sodium: 80 mg
- Fat: 2.5 g
- Saturated Fat: 1.5 g
- Unsaturated Fat: 1 g
- Trans Fat: 0 g
- Carbohydrates: 15 g
- Fiber: 2 g
- Protein: 3 g
- Cholesterol: 0 mg
