- Prep-time: / Ready In:
- Makes 8 cookies
- Print/save recipe
Almond butter adds richness to these wholesome zucchini breakfast cookies that are tender, chewy, and full of comforting flavor. Each little round features the warming notes of cinnamon and subtle sweetness of vanilla to complement the grated squash, which adds the perfect amount of moisture to each cookie. And while we love snacking on one or two of these treats for a light breakfast, they’re delicious at any time of day!
Tip: These cookies are gluten-free as long as you use certified gluten-free rolled oats.
For more inspiration, check out these tasty ideas:
By Carleigh Bodrug,
Ingredients
- ¾ cup rolled oats
- ¾ cup grated unpeeled zucchini, patted dry
- ⅓ cup natural almond butter
- ¼ cup flaxseed meal
- 3 tablespoons pure maple syrup
- 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon (preferably Ceylon cinnamon)
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- ¼ teaspoon sea salt
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 375°F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
- In a large bowl combine all ingredients; mix until well combined. Wet your hands and form mixture into eight balls. Place dough balls on the prepared baking sheet at least 1 inch apart. Flatten dough balls with your hand or the back of a fork until they are approximately ½ inch thick.
- Bake 12 to 14 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into a cookie comes out clean. Remove and cool cookies on a wire rack.
Comments (23)
(5 from 4 votes)Will this work with peanut butter instead?
Yes! They are delicious with peanut butter, too:)
Should the cookies be stored in the refrigerator because of the zucchini?
Hi Lynda, Yes they'll keep longer in the fridge, although depending on how fast they get eaten, they're also okay out of the fridge for a day or two. I actually love these cookies stored in the freezer. I eat them frozen as they don't go that hard and become nice and chewy. I like mine with raisins. So good!
I haven’t made these yet but with the amount of dry ingredients (especially with the amount of oats and flaxseed meal), shouldn’t there be more liquid besides 3 tbsp of maple syrup?
Hi Shar, Yes, the recipe is correct. The zucchini has a large amount of water, plus you have almond butter and maple syrup. You don't need to add more liquids. I've made this recipe a few times myself. I find it easiest to mix with my hands. I love adding raisins, freezing the cookies, and eating them straight from the freezer. So good!
These are great! Quick to put together, not too many ingredients. I love them with peanut butter substituted in, I just use a quarter cup. Delicious!
Can you use steel cut oats instead of rolled oats?
Hi Joy, I wouldn't use steel cuts oats here. They require more liquid and a longer cooking time.
please provide quantities in ounces or grams as I have no idea what size a cup should be? I have cups that hold two mouthfuls and others that hold nearly a pint. Please specify because we do not use a cup to measure things in the UK!!
Hi Dorthy - you can "google" cups to grams conversion rate or whatever measurement you have. 1 cup flour is 120 grams in weight.
Hi Dorothy, Great question! A standard U.S. cup refers to 240ml. I know it can be confusing. I'm from New Zealand and a standard cup measure down under (and in Australia, UK, and Canada) is 250ml. To solve this dilemma, I have two sets up cup measures. One for NZ recipes and one for US recipes. I think I found both sets online for not very much money. I hope that helps!
How would I substitute dates as a sweetener here. I want to use a whole food sweetener—what do you suggest?
Dates are a whole food!🥰
What is flaxseed meal and is this recipe gluten free?
Hi Terri, Great question! Flaxseed meal is ground flaxseeds (also called linseeds in some parts of the world). You can find them in the baking section at most grocery stores or online. You can also buy whole flaxseeds and grind them yourself (I do mine in our coffee grinder). Heralded for their rich nutritional content, flaxseeds are a common ingredient in vegan cooking, primarily in vegan baking. They get gummy when wet and are used instead of egg in some recipes (a 'flaxseed egg'). Our guide has more info on where to find them, plus loads of other uses: https://www.forksoverknives.com/how-tos/flaxseeds-benefits-how-to-eat-them/. And yes, this recipe can be made gluten-free if you use certified gluten-free rolled oats. Hope that helps!
Use date syrup
What can you substitute for nut butters??? 🤷♀️ thanjsy
Hi Bev, Thanks for your question! Sunflower butter is a good substitute if you can have sunflower seeds. The nut butter is a fairly integral part of the recipe and instead of trying to make a swap, I'd be inclined to try another oatmeal cookie recipe like these Chewy Lemon Oatmeal Cookies: https://www.forksoverknives.com/recipes/vegan-desserts/chewy-lemon-oatmeal-cookies/.
I dried and powdered zucchini from my garden last summer. Can I use dried zucchini powder in place of fresh zucchini? I usually use 1 tablespoon dried zucchini powder to replace a medium size zucchini. I need your advice on the amount of liquid I should add. I will use almond milk. Thank you.
Hi Nea, The raw grated zucchini gives bulk to the cookies, which would be missing if you used powdered. While we haven't tested this, I'd add a little bit of milk at a time to the mix, until you get a just-sticky texture. You should be able to pick up the mix in your hands and roll into balls. What a great experiment! Do let us know how it goes if you decide to try it.
These are so amazing! Just shared some at work. They taste great as is for a snack during the day and if you have a toaster oven, warm them up just a bit before eating to add back some crispiness. Fantastic recipe Carleigh!!
I love the flavor and ease of these, but they were so crumbly. Wanted them to stick together more for ease of eating on the go.