If you love the combo of bananas, nuts, and chocolate you MUST try these chunky monkey breakfast cookies! Wholesome enough for breakfast, yet delicious enough for dessert! Gluten, dairy, and refined sugar free, plus vegan friendly too!
I can’t believe summer break is over already. I’m not exactly ready to give up my leisurely weekdays to start the new homeschool year, but it’ll be here next week whether I’m ready for it or not! The kids are in high school now and their curriculum only gets harder each year. I wonder how I graduated all those years ago, because I remember almost none of it. School, for me, is not like riding a bike, something I learned and never forgot—quite the opposite actually!
No, I may not be the best at helping with advanced theories or complex math problems, but I’m a pro at using the internet! What would we do without the use of Google these days?
With all of the “brain power” they’re using, healthy and energizing snacks are a must. These breakfast cookies are are full of wholesome ingredients, like oats, flax, chia, and banana, and very delicious too. I like to add a little peanut butter, because I love the combo of chocolate, banana, and peanut butter, but it’s totally optional. I think they’re yummy either way.
They’re great for breakfast on the go, a midday treat, or lunchbox snack. If you like recipes like this, be sure to try these Superfood Breakfast Cookies too! Enjoy!

Chunky Monkey Breakfast Cookies
- Total Time: 25 mins
- Yield: 8 cookies 1x
Description
If you love the combo of bananas, nuts, and chocolate you MUST try these cookies! Wholesome enough for breakfast, yet delicious enough for dessert! Gluten, dairy, and refined sugar free, plus vegan friendly too!
Ingredients
- 1 cup old fashioned rolled oats
use certified gluten-free oats
, if needed
- 1/2 cup oat flour*
- ½ cup chocolate chips
- ½ cup chopped walnuts or other nut/seed of choice
- ¼ cup ground flaxseed
- 1 tablespoon chia seeds
- ½ teaspoon baking powder
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- 2 medium overripe bananas, peeled and mashed (must be ripe in order to add sweetness)
- 2 tablespoons melted or olive oil or coconut oil
- 2 tablespoons maple syrup, coconut nectar/syrup, honey, or other liquid sweetener of choice
- 2 tablespoons almond milk or other milk of choice
- optional: 1/2 cup natural unsweetened peanut butter/almond butter (may need to reduce milk if your nut butter is runny)
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 325ºF. Combine dry ingredients in a large mixing bowl—oats, oat flour, chocolate chips, walnuts, ground flaxseed, chia seeds, baking powder, and salt.
- Stir in mashed banana, coconut oil, maple syrup, almond milk, and nut butter, (if including) until well blended. Let mixture rest for 4–5 mintutes, giving time for chia and flax to bind everything together. If your dough has gotten too thick, stir in an additional 1–2 tablespoons milk before scooping out onto your baking sheet.
- Measure dough out by the scant 1/4 cupful and place on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper (or lightly greased). The cookies do not spread on their own, so I like to press them a bit with my hand or a flat bottomed glass to flatten a bit.
- Bake for 15–18 minutes, or until cookies are lightly golden around the edges.
- Store leftovers in an airtight container in a cool room or refrigerator for 2–3 days. Makes 8–9 cookies.
Notes
*Can make your own by finely grinding whole oats in a food processor or coffee grinder.
**Can substitute an equal amount of nuts, seeds, chocolate chips, or dry fruit of choice.
- Prep Time: 10 mins
- Cook Time: 15 mins
- Category: Gluten-Free, Snacks, Vegan
Do you have nutritional information for these breakfast cookies?
You know how sometimes you find a recipe and it kind of changes your life? It has to be integrated in! This is one of those recipes. I love the “good for you ingredients” and they taste great! Love them with my morning coffee…very filling. Great for a quick breakfast on the go! Thank you for this recipe!
Hi Cynthia, I’m so happy you enjoyed these breakfast cookies! It’s always nice to have a simple & healthy snack you can easily grab and go throughout the day. Thanks for giving these a try and for taking the time to leave a review! Enjoy the rest of your weekend! 🙂
These were awesome, I made them today. I only used 1 tbsp of canola oil because that was all I had and used agave for the sweetener. Turned out perfectly! I Will need to make more ASAP seeing as they are almost gone! Thank you for this!!
Hi Beani! So happy you enjoyed these cookies! They are super simple to make, wholesome, and delish! Thanks for giving them a try and for taking the time to leave a review! Have a wonderful week!
We are not fans of chocolate chips . . . any suggestions for a replacement?
Thanks.
Hi Brenda, so sorry for the delayed response! My comment plugin stopped working all of a sudden, so I wasn’t getting notified of new comments. Feel free to replace the chocolate chips with additional nuts or just omit them altogether. 🙂 Hope you enjoy them!
These look and sound great. I’m waiting for the bananas to ripen so I can make them.
Question: In the Instructions Step 1. list of dry ingredients includes cinnamon. Cinnamon isn’t listed in the Ingredients. How much cinnamon is needed?
Hi Rob, thank you very much! I really hope you enjoy them!
Sorry for the confusion with the cinnamon! I had added cinnamon to the earlier recipe, but preferred them better without it, so I changed the recipe when posting. It looks like I deleted it in the ingredients, but forgot to update the instructions! Thanks for catching that!
If you’d like to give them a try with cinnamon, I had previously suggested 1/4–1/2 teaspoon, to taste. Let me know which version you end up trying!
Cam you use a substitute for oat flour?
Hi Ann, I haven’t tried any other flours, so I wouldn’t recommend substituting it.
It looks too yummy!
Will definitely try it
Thanks for sharing.
Thank You So Much for this awesome sharing! Exited to try this Tonight
It looks tasty!
What if we have coffee with this breakfast!
Thanks for sharing!
It looks yummy!
Thank you for sharing.
WIll definitely try.
Sign me up for breakfast cookies, these look delicious!
These look so great and the superfood one looks phenomenal. I saw you utilized chia seeds, I have never attempted them. I love this chunky breakfast cookies and thanks for sharing
This recipe sounds delicious! My husband was just asking me about making breakfast muffins for him, so I’m sure he’d love these as well. Especially if I can add protein powder.
These look so good and the superfood one looks extraordinary. I saw you used chia seeds, I have never tried them. Do you use them in other recipes?
A cookie for breakfast?! Why haven’t I had these in my life! I need to try this.
I love a yummy breakfast that’s also healthy! Making these this weekend. Thanks!
Hannah Rooks | therookiewife.com
Cookies for breakfast?! Don’t mind if I do 🙂 Looks absolutely delicious!
these look so delicious – and the little addition of the chocolate chips makes it even more appetizing for me – I have quite the sweet tooth! and I also wanna check out the other ones you showed with the pistachios – I love them too!