ATK Kids

Yes, Have Cookies for Breakfast

A handful of hearty ingredients turn cookies from midnight snack to breakfast delight.
By

Published Jan. 3, 2023.

Sometimes, you just wake up with a hankering for cookies.

But as appealing as that idea sounds, most cookies just don’t give you the energy you need to power through your day—a sugar crash is all but inevitable.

The solution? Breakfast cookies.

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10 ingredients. 45 minutes. Quick, easy, and fresh weeknight recipes.

Our recipe takes the energy-boosting qualities of power bars and gives them the cookie treatment. That means packing them with hearty oats, protein-rich peanut butter, and a healthy dose of sliced almonds and dried cherries for even more bulk and an appealingly crunchy, chewy texture.

America’s Test Kitchen Kids developed this recipe with cookie-loving kids in mind for our latest book, Kids Can Cook Anything! So even though they’re more nutrient-dense than your typical cookie, we didn’t take any shortcuts on flavor.

Book

Kids Can Cook Anything

Spark family fun in the kitchen with the new cookbook from America’s Test Kitchen Kids—Kids Can Cook Anything! This bright, accessible book features impressive but kid-friendly recipes, plus how-tos and links to 20 videos exploring kitchen techniques.

Whether you’re a kid—or an adult who’s tired of the same bowl of granola—make these morning-approved cookies for an on-the-go breakfast or energy-boosting snack.

Breakfast Cookies

Makes 12 cookies

  • ½ cup (2½ ounces) all-purpose flour
  • ¼ teaspoon table salt
  • ¼ teaspoon baking soda
  • ½ cup packed (3½ ounces) light brown sugar
  • ¼ cup creamy peanut butter
  • 1 large egg
  • 2 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted and cooled
  • ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
  • ⅛ teaspoon ground cinnamon
  • 1½ cups (4½ ounces) old-fashioned rolled oats
  • ¼ cup dried cherries
  • ¼ cup sliced almonds


  1. Adjust oven rack to middle position and heat oven to 375 degrees. Line rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper.
  2. In medium bowl, whisk together flour, salt, and baking soda. In large bowl, whisk brown sugar, peanut butter, egg, melted butter, vanilla, and cinnamon until smooth.
  3. Add flour mixture to brown sugar mixture and use rubber spatula to stir until no dry flour is visible. Add oats, cherries, and almonds and stir until well combined.
  4. Lightly wet your hands. Roll dough into 12 balls (about 2 tablespoons each). Place dough balls on parchment-lined baking sheet, leaving space between balls. Lightly wet your hands and use your fingers to gently flatten each dough ball into 2½-inch-wide circle, about ¼ inch thick. (Dough will be sticky; lightly re-wet your hands as needed while shaping cookies.)
  5. Place baking sheet in oven. Bake cookies until edges are set but centers are still soft, 8 to 10 minutes.
  6. Use oven mitts to remove baking sheet from oven and place on cooling rack (ask an adult for help). Let cookies cool completely on baking sheet, about 30 minutes. Serve.

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