Toasted Coconut Quinoa Breakfast Cookies
Author - Alyssa Rimmer
I've been testing something pretty awesome for you the last few days: quinoa breakfast cookies.
I'm sure you've seen oatmeal breakfast cookies before, and perhaps even made them yourself, but I wanted to give them an even healthier spin by adding in quinoa flakes.
Quinoa flakes are one of my favorite ways to use quinoa, especially in breakfast foods. Not only do they make great hot cereal (remember my Blueberry Breakfast Quinoa?), but they're also are a key ingredient in my Gluten-Free Blueberry Pancakes, waffles, granola and now, cookies.
I find that quinoa flakes are a great alternative (or complement in this case) to oats. For those who are sensitive to oats, you can often use quinoa flakes in place of them. But I also like quinoa flakes because unlike oats, they don't make the recipe feel heavy, and they add just a touch more protein.
These Toasted Coconut Quinoa Breakfast Cookies kicked off my obsession with dessert for breakfast. Since sharing this recipe, I have since created NINE other flavors including Chunky Monkey Quinoa Breakfast Cookies, Carrot Cake Quinoa Breakfast Cookies and Blueberry Muffin Quinoa Breakfast Cookies, which just so happen to be my top three favorites.
And they are the perfect way to start your day. I mean, first of all they're cookies, so there's one reason to fall in love. Who doesn't want to be able to eat nutritious and delicious cookies for breakfast? Pretty much a dream come true for yours truly.
These recipes are full of tons of healthy goodies. They don't require any flour which I love, and start with a base of creamy cashew butter, which has been sweetened with local honey and an overly ripe banana, then mixed with a combination of chewy oats, light quinoa flakes, toasted coconut and omega-3 packed chia seeds.
But let don't their simple ingredient list fool you.
These cookies are flavorful, rich and full of fiber, complex carbohydrates and healthy fats. So basically, they'll fuel you up and help keep you full all morning long. Plus, they make a great on-the-go breakfast so make a big batch tonight and have them for breakfast for the rest of the week!
Happy cookie eating 🙂
xx Alyssa
Toasted Coconut Quinoa Breakfast Cookies
ho doesn't want to be able to eat nutritious and delicious cookies for breakfast? Pretty much a dream come true for yours truly.
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup creamy cashew butter or nut butter of choice
- 1/4 cup honey or maple syrup
- 1 medium ripe banana mashed
- 1 egg
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
- 1/2 cup gluten-free oats or oats of choice
- 1/2 cup quinoa flakes
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- Pinch of salt
- 1/2 cup coconut flakes
- 2 tablespoons chia seeds
Instructions
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Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and set aside.
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Toast the coconut flakes in a dry skillet over medium heat until golden brown. Set aside to let cool.
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Add cashew butter, honey, banana, egg and vanilla in a large bowl. Mix until combined. Add oats, quinoa flakes, baking powder and salt to the bowl and stir together. Fold in toasted coconut and chia seeds.
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Spoon 2 tablespoons of dough onto the baking sheet and repeat until no dough remains.
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Bake cookies on center rack for 15 - 18 minutes until edges are golden brown. Remove and let cool on the pan for 5 minutes then transfer to a wire rack and cool completely.
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Enjoy at room temp or slightly reheated in a microwave.
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Hi! Love love love your page and I’m dying to try your breakfast cookies! Only problem is that I am allergic to banana and avocado. I saw that applesauce can be used as a substitute, but I was just wondering if you know of any other possible substitutions. I am also allergic to nuts so I have been using sunflower butter. Thanks so much :p
I would say the applesauce is your best bet since it’s got a little sweetness. You could try sweet potato puree or maybe pumpkin!
I’m always on the hunt for more cookie recipes, so this is right up my street! Will definitely be giving it a go 🙂
I’m so glad! hope you love them!
Thank you for sharing this recipe! I tried it today 🙂 The cookies are so goooood 🙂 New fav cookies <3
Hooray! One of my FAVES 🙂
Hi, to make these school friendly could I replace the nut butter with yoghurt?
Thanks
I haven’t tested that, so I’m not 100% positive. Can you have seed butters at school? If so, you could use tahini or sun flower seed butter!
Hi Alyssa! I made these but must have used a creamier than usual almond butter (subbed for the cashew butter) so instead I put the batter into 12 muffin cups and made them as muffins. They came out amazing!
Oh my gosh that’s SUCH a good idea!!!
I just found these in Pinterest. So yummy! I love how the quinoa flakes make the cookie fluffy and not gummy like other breakfast cookies. I can’t wait to try your other recipes!
So glad you enjoyed them! xox
Hi! How can I replace quinoa flakes? I live in Argentina and we only have regular quinoa, no flakes.
Thank you
I think you could just use more oats!
Is the serving just one cookie?
Calculated nutrition values are for one cookie, but I usually have two!
Hello! Can I use ground flax seed instead of the Chia seed? Thank you.
Yep!
I wasn’t sure what quinoa flakes were, so I just popped some quinoa in my Vitamix and pulverized it?! They were very good – a lot lighter/airier than I was anticipating. The only thing I did different was to add 1/4 C. chocolate chips. Next time, I’d blend the toasted coconut up too – I don’t like the texture of the coconut flakes in it. Hopefully my kiddos like them!!!
So glad to hear they worked for you! Love the addition of chocolate chips 😉
I made these last night and they are phenomenal (used all natural PB instead of cashew butter and added some chocolate chips). Wondering how I should store them (room temp or fridge and how long they’ll stay good. Thanks!
So glad you enjoyed them! I store them at room temp 🙂
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I love these. It’s great to find a good recipe using quinoa flakes. I cut the honey in half and added less then 1/8 tsp. powdered stevia. By accident, I cut the cashew butter to 2 Tb. and they are still delicious. Thank you so much for all your recipes.
So glad you enjoyed them! Check out all my other breakfast cookie recipes too 🙂 So many great flavors to try!
Been looking for a granola type snack bar that uses Banana and Quinoa. I think this cookie might just be the one !!! I like the idea of adding maybe a dried fruit eg raisin, chopped dried cherries even? … Have to wait until tomorrow before I can bake, as I am out of honey !!!! (sacrilege!!) and I would much rather try Cashew butter for a change !! I am getting excited now just thinking about this cookie !!!!!
Can’t wait to see how they turn out for you! xo
I attempted to send the photo’s of the cookies to your Twitter account LOL !!! If it did not appear, let me know – I am not very good at “Twitting” LOL
These look delicious. I live in China where chia seeds are extremely expensive and quinoa flakes not accessible. Could I use regular quinoa and also leave out the chia seeds (maybe replace them with something else)? Thanks!
Hi Lena – you could use quick cooking oats to replace the quinoa and you could try adding a bit of flax (let the batter rest) in place of the chia! Let me know how they turn out 🙂
I have a banana allergy – anybody out there have any ideas for a substitution?
You could try applesauce! But the sweetness factor would definitely not be as pronounced. I’d say give it a try and see how they work 🙂 You might also want to add a bit more chia so they bind together better. Let me know for sure! xo
The quinoa flakes are a hot cereal? I have a regular cereal made with quinoa and some other grains on hand but it is a very crunchy cereal, maybe I could soak it first to soften it up?
I like to think of quinoa flakes as the oatmeal equivalent to oats. So they’re small flakes that are traditionally used in hot cereal. I don’t think soaking your cereal will work, but you could try using quick cooking oats or another grain flake (buckwheat perhaps?). Hope that helps!
These were great. Do you know if I could freeze them? It would be great to have them on hand for a quick breakfast.
Lovely recipes, I love a few biscuits now and then and must, must have them. I can enjoy these alright!
[…] a simple recipe that matches the contents of your pantry is miraculous. Thanks to a recipe for toasted coconut quinoa breakfast cookies on Simply Quinoa I treated my cold with […]
Can these be made with “regular” quinoa and not quinoa flakes?
I just made these a couple days ago exactly as the recipe said and they tasted so good! They’re also very healthy for you! It’s hard to find that combination in a recipe many times. I’m thinking about adding either some dried fruit or I have some cacao nibs I may throw in. Anyway, this recipe is definitely a “keeper!”
So happy you loved them! They’re definitely a favorite of mine too. I think I need to create some new flavors for everyone 😉
I just turned the breakfast cookies into late night treat cookies. Second time I’ve made them. I was hungry and had nothing to snack on. These are so quick and easy to make. I just did it. Used the applesauce instead of banana again and added some dried paw paw and some raisins. They are delicious and now I won’t have to go to bed hungry!
So glad you enjoyed them! They’re such a treat but also SO healthy. It’s win-win 🙂
Yum, these look so good!!
I have an oat allergy; think I can sub the quinoa flakes for the oats part?
Did you try it with just quinoa flakes? My son has an oat allergy too. Wondering how it turned out?
I did! I used a cup of quinoa flakes instead 1/2 quinoa flakes 1/2 oats- they were delicious! Even my son & husband loved them; they don’t like quinoa at all. The only other thing I did was add 1/2 cup of mini chocolate chips (I was looking for a sweet snack, not a breakfast item 🙂 I’ll be making them again for sure.
I added 1/4 C. chocolate chips too – I couldn’t not with all those flavors (banana, pb & coconut just begged for it)!!!
Yay! So glad they worked out for you 🙂
Any idea how many calories one of these has?
Oh. My. Gosh. I knew I was in trouble when I snuck a taste of the batter. They smelled so good I gave one to the UPS guy – they were cooling on the rack when he put a heavy box inside my door for me. I just had one for my late lunch “dessert” and I’m thankful for once that I’ve got a bunch of bananas that are turning.
Honestly, these are fantastic. I may try adding in some plumped raisins just to make them decadent!
Cashew butter in a cookie — yum! I love that you used chia seeds in these too. They look like a wonderful breakfast cookie.
Thanks, Audrey! xo
I want to start my day with cookies! These look marvelous. I’m going completely vegan for 40 days starting tomorrow, and desperately need breakfast ideas since I rely a lot on eggs. Adding these to my “make” list!
Yes! I think you could totally use a flax egg to replace the egg and make them vegan 🙂 Let me know what you think. And good luck!!
Cookies for breakfast, sign me up! Plus I love anything and everything coconut. Where do you find quinoa flakes?
Likely any “health” grocery store. In Milwaukee, WI, USA we have Outpost foods and they sell it in bulk.
I buy my quinoa flakes a Whole Foods because I think they have the best prices, but you can also find them on Amazon or Nuts.com 🙂
Hi Sharon, Amazon sells them. You may be able to find them at Whole Foods or similar health food stores.
Oh I am all over these! I didn’t even know you could get Quinoa flakes. I love quinoa and coconut so it looks like you have a winning combination…and for breakfast no less!
Quinoa flakes are my jam! You’ve got to try them – the best breakfast food ever!
I love quinoa flakes, and am always looking for new ways to use them. I think a batch of these are in order – so much goodness packed in there!
Woo hoo! Hope you try them and would love to know what you think. xo!
Looks great, Alyssa! I’m a cookie-for-breakfast kinda girl, too! 🙂
~jules
Thanks, Jules!! Cookies for the win (always)!
This is perfect! I have one lonely looking ripe banana staring at me on the kitchen counter. It has a purpose today!
Yes! That was totally my thing too. Can’t wait to hear what you think of them 🙂
Cookies for breakfast? Yes please!! They sound so good. I’m not sure I’ve heard of quinoa flakes though – is it a type of breakfast cereal? I know what quinoa is, just not flakes.
Hi Jenny! Quinoa flakes are basically the oatmeal version of quinoa. They’re awesome for pretty much everything breakfast related – including cookies 😉
So excited to try these!! My mother-in-law grabbed some quinoa cookies at the store and we love them. She will love these!
Yay! I think you’ll love these ones just as much (if not more since they’re homemade) 🙂
cashew butter is one of my favorites, I can almost taste these cookies now! (I will soon, ha!)
Woo hoo! Let me know what you think. And YES on the cashew butter – tastes like caramel to me (strange? oh well!)
I just love cookies for breakfast 🙂 These look delicious!
Ooh, I love cashew butter! And all the flakiness – oats, coconut, quinoa awesome!
I used an almond spread that I had on hand and applesauce instead of banana. This gave me what seemed a too runny mixture so just added a few more oats and quinoa flakes. The result may have been a bit too firm as I needed to flatten the dough for the cookie. In the oven as I write. Off to taste them now and photograph for Instagram!
SO happy! How did they turn out with the applesauce?
They were delicious. Just like a chewy oatmeal cookie. Wasn’t sure if they were supposed to be chewy or crisp but I loved them and so did some friends. I took them ( the cookies) with me for afternoon tea! Did you see my photo I put on Instagram. I did the hashtag thingy.?
Yep, these look mighty tasty! Can you suggest a substitution for bananas (I’m allergic)? Thanks!!!
Hi Cally, I think that pumpkin or applesauce might also work. Hope that helps! Let me know what you think of them 🙂
Thanks for the comments and suggestions. Before I had a chance to make them, I got some new allergy test results back and in this recipe, I can’t have banana, egg, or chia seeds. I know what to do about the first and last one, but any suggestions about egg! These allergies are such a frustration! I need a good cookie!
Peanut butter eggless recipes galore. Would think all other nut butters would be possible too…
Definitely! I find they’re all can be substituted for each other 1:1 🙂
Hi Cally, did you see Busso’s comment above? She used applesauce instead of a banana. I may try that too! Bananas are too high glycemic for me.
Thanks for sharing Sarah. I was thinking pumpkin might also work!
The idea of being able to eat cookies for breakfast is already very appealing to me. If the cookies are as healthy as these quinoa cookies, with such awesome flavor combination, I’m definitely digging in.
Hope that you do. They’re TOTALLY worth it 🙂
Cashew, coconut, and quinoa…that is a flavor combo I can get behind 😉