Description
These Healthy Gingerbread Oatmeal Breakfast Cookies offer a soft and chewy texture with warm spices like ginger, cinnamon, nutmeg, and cloves. Made with wholesome ingredients including instant oats, whole wheat flour, molasses, and nonfat milk, they provide a lightly sweetened, nutritious start to your day. Perfect for a convenient breakfast or snack, these cookies are easy to prepare and feature a gentle gingerbread flavor without being overly sweet.
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
- Mix dry ingredients: In a medium bowl, whisk together the oats, flour, baking powder, ground ginger, cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves, and salt until well combined.
- Mix wet ingredients: In a separate bowl, whisk the melted and slightly cooled butter or coconut oil with the egg white and vanilla extract until thoroughly combined. Stir in the molasses, then add in the nonfat milk and stir to combine.
- Combine mixtures: Add the dry oat mixture into the wet ingredients and gently stir until just incorporated. Avoid overmixing to maintain a soft texture.
- Chill dough: Cover the cookie dough and chill it in the refrigerator for 30 minutes to help the cookies hold their shape during baking.
- Preheat oven and prepare sheet: Preheat the oven to 325°F. Line a baking sheet with a silicone baking mat or parchment paper for easy cleanup and to prevent sticking.
- Shape cookies: Using a spoon and spatula, drop the dough into 15 rounded scoops onto the prepared baking sheet. Flatten each to about ⅜ inch thick using the spatula since these cookies do not spread during baking.
- Bake cookies: Bake the cookies at 325°F for 10 minutes. They should still feel slightly soft in the center when removed from the oven as they will continue to set while cooling.
- Cool cookies: Allow the cookies to cool on the baking sheet for 10 minutes before transferring them to a wire rack to cool completely.
Notes
- Measure oats and flour carefully using a kitchen scale or correct volume method to avoid dry or cakey cookies.
- These cookies are mildly sweet; for a sweeter version, substitute some milk with pure maple syrup, honey, or agave and reduce the milk accordingly.
- Increase ground ginger by ¼ to 1 teaspoon for a spicier gingerbread flavor.
- Cookies do not spread during baking, so flatten them before baking to desired thickness.
- Do not overbake; remove when centers are slightly soft.
- Use instant or quick-cooking oats; pulse old-fashioned oats in a food processor to achieve the same texture if needed.
- White whole wheat, pastry, all-purpose, or oat flour are suitable flour substitutions with mindful measuring.
- You can substitute one large whole egg for the egg white but reduce milk by ½ tablespoon.
- Molasses is essential for authentic flavor; avoid blackstrap molasses due to bitterness.
- Dairy-free versions can use coconut oil or vegan butter and plant-based milk.
- For gluten-free, use certified gluten-free oats and flour blends with xanthan gum if required.
- Store cookies in an airtight container at room temperature for a couple of days or refrigerate up to a week. They also freeze well.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 cookie
- Calories: 90 kcal
- Sugar: 5 g
- Sodium: 85 mg
- Fat: 2.5 g
- Saturated Fat: 1 g
- Unsaturated Fat: 1 g
- Trans Fat: 0 g
- Carbohydrates: 15 g
- Fiber: 2 g
- Protein: 2 g
- Cholesterol: 5 mg
