Our family has been trying to get off the cereal for breakfast kick. A huge hit with the kids has been breakfast cookies. Yup, you heard me, COOKIES! So of course, I have been finding and inventing some healthy ones! This one is extra packed with protein via a SECRET INGREDIENT to sustain your kiddos.
And the best thing is that unless you are allergic to nuts (please substitute another nutbutter or sunbutter if you need to ), they are basically allergy friendly with no wheat, no dairy, no eggs, and no refined sugar! And what is that secret ingredient??? Lentils!
I’ve got to tell you this was a hard recipe to find and figure out. The original had chocolate chips and didn’t have many directions. So I did a tiny bit of tweaking to get them chocolate free (because I intended these to be nutritional – not a treat) but also palatable and yummy for my kiddos!
I did increase the sweetener because of omitting the chocolate chips. If your family is not used to low sugar foods, then I would start out with the 1/2 cup and then just work it down as you make them in the future. Personally, I was fine with a 1/4 cup, but my son wasn’t so hot on them – the almost two-year-old thought they were just fine though!
These are SUPER easy to make. Probably cooking the lentils is the hardest part (which really isn’t). Just cook on the stove top according to directions (usually you just add 1-2 cups of water per cup of lentils and simmer till soft) then drain and puree. You can do a large batch and then freeze till you are ready to use (be sure to break up into portions so you don’t have to defrost the whole thing). You can use any type of lentils; for this recipe, I used green.
Peanut Butter Breakfast Cookies (GF, DF)
1 1/2 Cups Cooked Pureed Lentils
1 Cup Natural Peanut Butter
1/4 to 1/2 Cup Real Maple Syrup (honey works as well)
1 Tablespoon Baking Powder
1 Tablespoon Homemade Vanilla Extract (I use Olive Nation vanilla beans for mine)
Add all ingredients to the mixer and beat on low, until it starts to thicken and set up a bit. Then use a small scoop and drop on a baking stone. (I also used a mat, just so I’d have less scrubbing to do, but with the oil from the nuts, they come off very easily.) Don’t worry about spacing them out too much, they don’t spread much at all.
Bake at 350 degrees for 12 minutes, then open oven and smash them down to about 1/2′ thick. I just used the palm of my hand, but it’s probably safer to use a fork or spoon.
Put back in the oven for another 10-15 minutes, depending on how crispy or brown you want the outside. I like them baked for about 25 minutes total – just when the golden brown is starting to show. The other great quality is that these are nice and moist.
They also freeze wonderfully! So you can make a huge batch and have them on hand for when you need them. I am looking forward to trying a batch with almond butter next. These are great for mornings when I just don’t have time to make something for breakfast, or when we are doing the grab-and-go thing.
These breakfast cookies are a real win-win… I can feel good about what’s in them and the kids love that they get cookies for breakfast! With these cookies and a little kefir and we’re ready to start the day on a good foot!
Check out my breakfast board on Pinterest for some other great ideas! I also have some other breakfast cookies and scones coming up on my blog over the next couple of months, so be sure to keep on the lookout!
Love this, we are plant based so this recipe is perfect, thanks for sharing! (I’ve made cookies with other beans but haven’t tried lentils yet)!
Great! I have done the black bean brownies and the taste is still SO strong, I think the lentils are less and the PB definitely helps! Plus, lentils are a ore complete protein 😉
I would never have thought to use lentils in cookies. What an amazing idea! Thanks for sharing! 🙂
I had a bunch and needed to get more protein in my littles – some cheap and healthy. I am trying a few other lentil (instead of wheat) as well!
My lentils are cooking now 🙂
Don’t eat too many!
I can’t wait to try these! We have food allergies to wheat and dairy so these are perfect…and healthy! Pinned it as well. Thanks!
So glad you can use them!
I agree with Kelly… I never would have thought to put LENTILS in cookies! Genius! Me thinks I need to try this. Have you made them with any dried fruits in them?
Thank you for this genius recipe! I can’t wait to try it. Pinning now!
I just tried to make these but mine were pretty runny. Then it dawned on me the one and a half cups measurement of the lentils was AFTER cooking, not before. Just trying to save someone from the same mistake 😉 . I also added chia seeds for good measure. Hopefully, the next batch will be awesome!
Same thing. Mine were runny. Next time I will measure before I cook. They still were so yummy. Has anyone put bananas in the recipe. I think it would be very yummy.
Would this work with something like cashew butter, if avoiding peanut butter?
These turned out great. Thanks for the recipe!
These are brilliant! They are healthy, vegan, and taste great. Thanks for sharing this recipe.
What about making these in the food processor from the start? Like putting all of the ingredients in and turn it on so there is less to wash. Anyone do this before? I have a similar recipe with chick peas and it’s all done in the food processor.
I was just thinking the same thing. Did you end up trying this Maria?
I made it all in the processor (but had to remove and re-add the pureed lentils to make sure I had an accurate measurement) and it turned out great! We ate them with some fruit preserves spread on top and my 8 year old said they taste just like a peanut butter and jelly sandwich! 🙂
Do you have to use a baking stone or could I use a regular cookie sheet?
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these are great. Use 1 teaspoon, rather than 1 tablespoon baking soda. I also added 1/2 c oats, 1/2 c chocolate chips and 1 teaspoon salt. Perfect for those mornings making sure the kids get dressed and eat before school!
I just made my second batch of these cookies. I made a few changes and I liked the results. My first batch was a bit thin – runny. I added a banana, 1 cup of oats, substituted almond butter for peanut butter and reduced the honey to 1/4 cup because of the extra sweetness from the banana. This one is a keeper and will help me with breakfast alternatives since I need to stay away from gluten and eggs.
I am leaving a comment because I SO appreciate all those people out there that leave helpful comments. Keep it up :). I followed the recipe as is but added 1 heaping tsp of baking powder and tasted it before baking. I then added the following to suit my family: 4 medjool dates, 1.5 tbsp dark mini chocolate chips, 0.5 cups rolled oats, and 1 flax egg (1 tbsp ground flax plus 3 tbsp water). I used 1/4 cup maple syrup and that was plenty sweet enough for me. I put it all in my food processor. Here is the nutritional info for one cookie, based on my additions. My recipe made 12 cookies. Per Serving: 218 calories, 20 carbs (calulator did not state measurement for the carbs), 12g fat, 8 g protein, 85 mg sodium, 8g sugar.
I used this calculator. http://www.myfitnesspal.com/recipe/calculator
I baked them 10 min, used a flipper to squish them down and baked another 10 min. Came out great! Really appreciate the recipe. It is a keeper. God bless you all.
Oh I used a baking sheet with parchment paper, they came off like a breeze.
Does it matter if they are brown or red lentils?
I used 1/3 cup of agave nectar for the sweetener, added 1/2 a banana plus a dash of milk but omitted the leavening (by accident). The dough was more like batter but surprisingly stayed put on the cookie sheet without spreading. The end product was too sweet for my own liking but the texture was soft and not cake-y. Next time I think I’ll try the standard recipe w/o the baking pwdr but with scant 1/4c of agave nectar and see what happens! I read elsewhere that agave nectar typically produces a more cake-like cookie and so far I’m not sure what combo of ingredients made my cookies so nice and fluffy.
Oh… I suppose I actually used less lentils than called for. I made the same mistake as others and measured the lentils before pureeing. Just wanted to clarify so my other comment is relevant 😉
I drained the water off of my lentils, measured them and then just mashed them with a fork. I just added all the other ingredients to the same bowl, mixed and dropped on a foil lined cookie sheet, which I had sprayed lightly with oil. Some of them burned on the bottom, so watch them closely if you choose to use a regular cookie sheet. However, the taste was great! This recipe is definitely a keeper!
This recipe is just awesome for toddlers!! My daughter LOVES these & they are frequently a life saver on busy days! What a great way for healthy fats, protein, iron & natural sugar. I’ve actually added an egg just for more punch when I was trying to sneak in calories & they turned out all the same as previous batches. Thank you!!!
As far as the lentils measurement. Is it 1 1/2 cups then cooked and pureed OR 1 1/2 cups once they have been cooked and pureed? Thanks.