Oat and Tahini Breakfast Cookies

Breakfast cookies are a healthy and delicious grab and go option for busy mornings. They complement a cup of tea or coffee, have little added sugar, and are gluten-free. Each cookie is chock full of nuts, dried fruit, and tahini!

By
Sally Vargas
Sally Vargas
Sally Vargas

Sally is the author of four cookbooks and is a regular correspondent for the Boston Globe Wednesday Food Section. She also is a food photographer.

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Updated January 06, 2023
Sally Vargas
Make Ahead Breakfast Cookies

Simply Recipes/Sally Vargas

Cookies for breakfast! I like that. Filled with nuts, seeds, dried fruit, and oats with a subtle nutty undertone of tahini, these cookies are one of the best grab-and-go breakfasts known to man, woman, and child (especially child, or the child in you.) 

They’re so chock full of healthy goodies you'll wonder why you haven't been eating cookies for breakfast all along. Most of the sweetness comes from the dried fruit in the cookies, not the sugar in the dough. As an extra bonus, they’re gluten free and peanut-allergy friendly.

Stack of oat and tahini breakfast cookies on a white painted wood background with a cup of tea nearby. The tea is in a small cup.

Sally Vargas

How to Make Breakfast Cookies 

Breakfast cookies are basically drop cookies that are low in sugar and packed with healthy ingredients. (Of course, if you have a sweet tooth you can always increase the sugar by 2 tablespoons.)

For this recipe, I like to grind my own oat flour which sounds more complicated than it is. Just pulse old fashioned oats in a food processor until they become a powder. Using ground oats rather than AP flour makes this recipe gluten free. 

Tahini, which is simply sesame seeds that are soaked in water, roasted, and ground intoto a paste, is usually associated with hummus, but it can be used in everything from dressing to baked goods. 

When used in these breakfast cookies, Tahini provides a delicious and unexpected nutty, rich undertone. If you can’t find Tahini or don’t like it, you could replace it with another nut butter like cashew or almond butter. 

As for the fruit and nuts, you’re the boss: Feel free to substitute your favorites in the same quantities. With so many chunky ingredients and little flour, the dough in this recipe is a bit loose. Just pat it together with your fingers when you flatten it, and it will hold together when baked. 

Tahini Breakfast Cookies

Simply Recipes/Sally Vargas

How to Store Breakfast Cookies

If you can keep them around long enough (good luck with that) these cookies, like most drop cookies, will keep well for about 5 days in a closed container on the counter. They can also be frozen in a freezer zipper bag for about 3 months for optimal flavor.

More Quick and Easy Breakfast Recipes

Oat and Tahini Breakfast Cookies

Prep Time 15 mins
Cook Time 12 mins
Total Time 27 mins
Servings 12 servings
Yield 12 cookies

You'll need a food processor for this.

Ingredients

  • 1/4 cup pepitas

  • 1/4 cup walnuts, coarsely chopped 

  • 1/4 cup whole almonds

  • 1 1/2 cups old fashioned rolled oats, divided

  • 1/2 teaspoon baking powder

  • 1/2 teaspoon salt

  • 1/4 cup (4 tablespoons, 1/2 stick unsalted butter, at room temperature

  • 1/4 cup brown sugar

  • 1 large egg

  • 1 large egg white

  • 1/4 cup tahini

  • 1 teaspoon vanilla

  • 1 teaspoon finely grated orange zest

  • 3/4 cup raisins, diced apricots, and/or cranberries, alone or in combination

Special Equipment

  • Food processor

Method

  1. Preheat the oven to 375ºF.

    Set an oven rack in the middle position. Line a baking sheet with parchment.

  2. Toast the seeds and nuts:

    On the baking sheet, spread the pumpkin seeds, walnuts, and almonds. Roast for 8 to 10 minutes, or until the nuts are fragrant. Let cool briefly.

    Tahini Breakfast Cookies

    Simply Recipes/Sally Vargas
  3. Grind 1/2 cup of the oats:

    In a food processor, finely grind 1/2 cup of the oats to make oat flour. Add the baking powder and salt and pulse to combine.

    Gluten Free Breakfast Cookies

    Simply Recipes/Sally Vargas
  4. Mix the dough:

    In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment or by hand with a wooden spoon, beat the butter and sugar together until creamy. Add the egg, egg white, tahini, vanilla, and orange zest. Mix until combined, scraping down the bowl as needed. 

    Add the oat flour mixture to the dough and mix on low speed until blended.

  5. Stir in oats, nuts, and dried fruit:

    Add the remaining 1 cup of oats, pumpkin seeds, walnuts, almonds, and dried fruit, and stir to combine. 

    Allergy Friendly Breakfast Cookies

    Simply Recipes/Sally Vargas
  6. Drop the cookies onto the baking sheet:

    Use a cookie scoop or a two spoons to drop the dough blobs (about a 1/4 cup each) onto the baking sheet, spacing them about 2 inches apart. Wet your fingers and gently press the dough to form 3-inch circles with a flat top.

    Oat and Tahini Breakfast Cookie

    Simply Recipes/Sally Vargas
  7. Bake the cookies:

    Bake the cookies for 10 to 12 minutes, or until they are light brown. Remove from the oven and leave to cool completely on the baking sheet.

    Healthy Breakfast Cookies with Tahini

    Simply Recipes/Sally Vargas
Nutrition Facts (per serving)
204 Calories
12g Fat
21g Carbs
5g Protein
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Nutrition Facts
Servings: 12
Amount per serving
Calories 204
% Daily Value*
Total Fat 12g 16%
Saturated Fat 4g 18%
Cholesterol 41mg 14%
Sodium 140mg 6%
Total Carbohydrate 21g 8%
Dietary Fiber 2g 8%
Total Sugars 10g
Protein 5g
Vitamin C 1mg 4%
Calcium 49mg 4%
Iron 1mg 8%
Potassium 200mg 4%
*The % Daily Value (DV) tells you how much a nutrient in a food serving contributes to a daily diet. 2,000 calories a day is used for general nutrition advice.
Nutrition information is calculated using an ingredient database and should be considered an estimate. In cases where multiple ingredient alternatives are given, the first listed is calculated for nutrition. Garnishes and optional ingredients are not included.