No-Bake Chocolate Peanut Butter Breakfast Cookies

Full disclosure. Even though I really, really love the idea of eating cookies for breakfast, until I started working on this recipe, I'd never actually made or eaten a breakfast cookie. I mean... I've eaten cookies for breakfast. (Oh, please. Like you haven't.) But, I'd never eaten a cookie meant for breakfast. So, I got online, found a bunch of recipes, and started baking.

Here's what I learned: Most breakfast cookies are super dry and somewhat tasteless. Most are high carb with very little protein. And, I dunno. I don't see the point of going through the trouble of making breakfast cookies unless the result is better than what you'd get from just pouring a bowl of granola. 

I wanted breakfast cookies that would taste indulgent (duh) but fill you up with healthy fats, protein, and fiber. I also wanted them to be gluten and dairy free because gluten and dairy free peeps deserve cookies for breakfast too. And, I didn't want them to contain white sugar.

Here's the thing about that. The two most important ingredients for making cookies that are super flavorful, with a delicious, melt-in-your-mouth texture are sugar and butter (or oil). I didn't want to include either of those ingredients. Most breakfast cookie recipe authors don't want to include them either. Hence, breakfast cookies that are bland, crumbly and dry.

After making one batch edible by covering them in a powdered sugar maple syrup glaze and realizing that I'd completely lost track of my original intentions for this recipe, I decided it was time to take a different approach entirely.

Can you publish a no-bake recipe on a baking blog? says my husband from the peanut gallery.

I'll do what I like, I say. Now, have a cookie. 

No-Bake High Protein Peanut Butter Breakfast Cookies

I actually baked the first batch of these cookies. And, while I waited for them to bake, I couldn't stop snacking on the cookie dough. At some point, while scooping "just one more taste" of cookie dough from the bowl into my mouth, I thought that I was maybe making things harder than they needed to be and baking cookies that don't, in fact, need to be baked.

There is not one single ingredient in these cookies that needs to be baked. The dough sticks together into cookies that are easily transportable and won't crumble down the front of your shirt when you take a bite. Plus, they will keep in the refrigerator for weeks and can be frozen for months. Baking them just dried them out and reduced their shelf life. 

Peanut butter not only adds rich, nutty flavor to these cookies, it gives them a soft, tender, melt-in-your-mouth texture that I just love. In this recipe, it's a full replacement for butter or oil and, along with a handful of chopped nuts, contributes protein and healthy fats. 

However, peanut butter didn't contribute quite enough protein for my liking. For that, I had to add some protein powder.

Breakfast Cookies are a Delicious Way to Eat a High Protein Breakfast

I may want to eat cookies for breakfast, but I also know that when I start my day with some protein, I will have more energy and focus for whatever tasks need doing that morning. Also, eating a high-protein breakfast means I am waaaaaaaay less likely to reach for any kind of sugary snack before lunch or for lunch.

Research shows that consuming protein at breakfast increases the release of hormones that help us feel full for longer. The opposite is true for breakfasts that include a lot of refined carbs and no protein. Refined carbs lead to spikes in blood sugar that fill us up in the moment but leave us feeling sluggish and hungry again sooner rather than later.

I have a friend who is fond of saying, "Everything in moderation. Including moderation." 

This is a philosophy I can get behind. I am never, ever, ever going to give up things like doughnuts, apple fritters, cinnamon rolls, or blueberry muffins. But, I certainly don't eat them every day. Or even all that often. Most mornings I opt for a bowl of greek yogurt, a protein shake, eggs and whole grain toast, or THESE breakfast cookies.

Why I Love Naked Whey Protein Powder

1. Naked Whey Protein Powder contains ONE single, solitary ingredient: Whey Protein. There is absolutely ZERO artificial sweeteners, flavors, colors, or anything at all besides whey protein.
2. The whey protein comes from the milk of 100% grass-fed cows. It's hormone free and contains no rBGH or rBST. It is non-denatured and soy free.

As a baker, I like to use ingredients that are nothing more than the ingredient themselves. I try to limit my intake of unnecessary additives, and that includes the ingredients in my pantry. I rarely use anything that contains added flavors, colors, preservatives, or other fillers, and would much rather have a little bit of something super high-quality than a lot of something low-quality.

So, I greatly appreciate a protein powder that contains nothing but protein. If I want added sweetness or flavor to whatever I'm making, I'll add it myself, thank you very much.

I also appreciate that Naked Whey comes from the milk of grass fed cows living on small California dairy farms because the way we raise animals for food in this country is a growing concern of mine. While I have no plans to give up meat or dairy entirely, I have reduced the amount of meat and dairy I consume considerably over the past decade or so.

This is for a variety of reasons, but one of the most important is because of my concerns about how animals are raised and treated. I do my absolute best to make sure that the meat, poultry, and dairy I purchase comes from farms that raise their animals with responsible, humane, and sustainable practices. This extends to my choice in protein powder.

While I've used Naked Whey Protein in this recipe, Naked Nutrition also produces vegan protein powder that would work just as well. So, if you're following a diet that does not include any animal products, check out their options for protein powder derived from peas and brown rice.

How to Make These Easy Breakfast Cookies

#1. Chop up some dates, add them to a bowl along with honey, peanut butter, and almond extract, and beat for a couple of minutes with an electric mixer. You can also mix up this dough by hand, but be prepared for a serious arm workout because the dough gets super thick.

#2. Dump the oats, baking soda, Naked Whey Protein Powder, cinnamon, and salt into another bowl and stir it all around to distribute the ingredients. Dump this mixture into the mixing bowl with the peanut butter, dates, and honey, and beat for another minute or so.

#3. Chop up some roasted and lightly salted nuts (almonds, peanuts, pecans, walnuts, whatever) and add them to the dough along with a handful of mini chocolate chips and some shredded coconut.

#4. Beat the dough for another minute or two to help crush all the ingredients together. If mixing by hand, put some muscle into it. You want the ingredients to be well combined and all the "chunky" ingredients like the nuts to be broken up into small pieces inside the dough.

#5. Divide the dough into 16 pieces that are about ¼ cup each. Smash the dough between your palms into a ball then flatten the ball into a cookie shape. Wrap the cookies you don't devour immediately in parchment paper or plastic wrap, and you're done.

How to Store These Chocolate Peanut Butter Breakfast Cookies

These cookies will keep well in the refrigerator for up to 2 weeks. You can also freeze them for up to 3 months. If you wrap them individually, they make for a fantastic breakfast or snack on-the-go.

Or toss them into lunch boxes for your kiddos along with some homemade fruit leather and I'm pretty sure you'd win parent of the year. And, it goes without saying that these cookies make a delicious, nutritions, after-school or after-sports snack.

If you give this recipe a try, let me know! Leave a comment, rate it, or take a picture and tag it #ofbatteranddough on Instagram.

Happy baking!