WW Recipe of the Day: Oprah's Healthy Sugar-Free Apple Oatmeal Breakfast Cookies
Did you ever think it would be healthy to eat cookies for breakfast? Well, with Oprah's cookie recipe it's possible to eat a nutritious and delicious breakfast even if it's in the form of dessert. The secret to these sugar-free cookies is natural sugar from apples, bananas and raisins.
In addition to being free of refined sugar these wholesome breakfast cookies are low calorie, low fat, gluten-free, egg-free, dairy-free, vegan and most importantly they taste great. They make a great grab-n-go breakfast, lunchbox, after school or anytime snack.
How Many Calories and WW Points in these Sugar-Free Breakfast Cookies?
Each breakfast cookie, brimming with nourishing ingredients like apples and oatmeal, no added sugar and no butter or oil has 198 calories and:
5 *SmartPoints (Green plan)
5 *SmartPoints (Blue plan)
4 *SmartPoints (Purple plan)
5 *PointsPlus (Old plan)
To see your WW PersonalPoints for this recipe and track it in the WW app or site, Click here!
All the sweetness in these cookies comes from apples (fresh and dried), bananas and raisins. They're generously spiced too with – cinnamon, ginger, cloves, mace, and nutmeg.
Recipe Notes
I made a few adjustments to this recipe based on what I had on hand.
- I substituted unsweetened applesauce for the apple juice
- Used 3 bananas instead of 4 because that is what I had on hand
- Omitted the dried apple because I didn't have any
- Added ¼ cup dried cranberries
- I cooked the apples in the microwave (affiliate link) for about 4 minutes instead of on the stovetop.
The cookies can be stored in an airtight container for up to one week.
What is Oat Flour?
Oat flour is a nutritious, unrefined flour made from just one whole ingredient: rolled oats. Simple right?
It's a great baking flour for gluten-free recipes. You can find oat flour (affiliate link) these days in most well stocked grocery stores. It's also easy to make yourself.
How to Make Oat Flour?
This recipe calls for ½ cup of oat flour. If you don't have any on hand you can make it yourself. You just need oats—either old-fashioned oats or quick oats will work—and a blender or food processor, that's it!
Just pour the oats into your blender (affiliate link) or food processor (affiliate link), turn it on, and let it do its thing. After a few minutes, the oats will have been transformed into powdery flour!
Turning Oats intoOat Flour
In this video, Taylor from Food Faith and Fitness demonstrates how easy it is to make oat flour yourself:
Here's a fun video where Oprah shares with Dr. Oz the story behind these breakfast cookies:
Video from WW Cook with Me showing her version of Oprah’s Breakfast Cookies…
How To Make Healthy Sugar Free Breakfast Cookies Step-by-Step
Step 1: Gather and prep your ingredients:
- 1-½ cups rolled oats
- 2 small Gala apples, peeled, cored, and roughly chopped
- 4 medium very ripe bananas, mashed (I used 3 bananas which was what I had on hand)
- ½ cup unsweetened applesauce
- 1 cup walnuts, roughly chopped
- ¾ cup dried apples, minced (omitted)
- ½ cup raisins (I used golden raisins)
- ½ cup oat flour (affiliate link)
- 1-½ tsp ground ginger
- 1 tsp ground cinnamon
- ½ tsp ground cloves
- ½ tsp ground mace
- ½ tsp ground nutmeg
- ½ tsp baking powder
- ½ tsp salt
Step 2: Toast Oats Until Golden
Toast oats in oven until golden.
Preheat the oven to 350F degrees and line a baking sheet (affiliate link) with a silicone baking mat or parchment paper. Spread the rolled oats evenly on another baking sheet and bake for 15 to 20 minutes, until they are lightly colored and fragrant. Remove from the oven, transfer to a plate, and let cool to room temperature.
Step 3: Cook Peeled, Chopped Apples Until Tender
Cook chopped apples until tender
While the oats are cooling, coat a nonstick sauté pan with cooking spray. Heat the pan over medium-high heat, add the chopped apples, and cook for three minutes, or until they are tender. Scrape the apples into a large bowl and set aside for about 10 minutes to cool.
Or, cook them in the microwave (affiliate link) for a few minutes until tender, which is what I did.
Add the mashed bananas and applesauce or juice to the cooked apples and stir with a wooden spoon (affiliate link) to incorporate and set aside.
Step 4: Combine the Dry Ingredients
Combine all the dry ingredients in a bowl.
In a separate bowl, combine the toasted oats, walnuts, dried apples, raisins, oat flour, ginger, cinnamon, cloves, mace, nutmeg, baking powder, and salt.
Step 5: Combine the Wet and Dry Ingredients to Make Your Cookie Dough
Combine the ingredients to make your cookie dough
Pour the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients and, using your hands or a large spoon, mix the dough together. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and let the cookie dough rest at room temperature for 10 minutes.
Step 6: Form Cookies on the Cookie Sheet
Form Cookies on the Pan
Using a ¾-ounce ice cream scoop (affiliate link), portion 12 scoops of cookie dough onto the silicone mat or parchment lined cookie sheet.
Cover the scooped portions of dough with plastic wrap and, using the flat bottom of a glass, press down on the scoops until they are ½-inch thick. (I just used my hands)
Step 7: Bake the Cookies
Bake Cookies Until Done
Place the cookies in the oven and bake for 12 to 15 minutes, until golden brown. Remove the baking sheet from the oven and set on a cooling rack (affiliate link) to cool completely. The cookies can be stored in a plastic container or plastic bag for up to one week.
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Oprah's Healthy Sugar-Free Apple Oat Breakfast Cookies
Ingredients
- 1-½ cups rolled oats
- 2 small apples (such as gala, braeburn or honey crisp)
- 5 medium very ripe bananas, mashed (I used three bananas)
- ½ cup unsweetened applesauce (or ⅓ cup apple juice)
- 1 cup walnuts, roughly chopped
- ¾ cup dried apples, minced (omitted)
- ½ cup raisins (I used golden raisins)
- ½ cup oat flour
- 1-½ teaspoons ground ginger
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- ½ teaspoon ground cloves
- ½ teaspoon ground mace
- ½ teaspoon ground nutmeg
- ½ teaspoon baking powder
- ½ teaspoon salt
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350°F and line a baking sheet with a silicone baking mat or parchment paper. Spread the rolled oats evenly on a baking sheet and bake for 15 to 20 minutes, until they are lightly colored and fragrant. Remove from the oven, scrape the toasted oats onto a plate, and let them cool to room temperature.
- While the oats are cooling, coat a nonstick sauté pan with cooking spray. Heat the pan over medium-high heat, add the chopped apples, and cook for three minutes, or until they are tender. Alternatively you could microwave the apples for 2 to 3 minutes until tender. Scrape the apples into a large bowl and set aside for about 10 minutes to cool.
- Add the mashed bananas and applesauce or apple juice to the cooked apples and stir with a wooden spoon to until well blended.
- In a separate bowl, combine the toasted oats, walnuts, dried apples, raisins, oat flour, ginger, cinnamon, cloves, mace, nutmeg, baking powder, and salt.
- Pour the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients and, using your hands or a large spoon, mix the dough until well combined. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and let the mixture rest at room temperature for 10 minutes.
- Using a ¾-ounce ice cream scoop, portion 12 scoops of cookie dough onto the prepared cookie sheet. Cover the scooped portions of dough with plastic wrap and, using the flat bottom of a glass, press down on the scoops until they are ½-inch thick.
- Place the cookies in the oven and bake for 12 to 15 minutes, until golden brown. Remove the baking sheet from the oven and set on a cooling rack to cool completely.
- The cookies can be stored in a plastic container or plastic bag for up to one week.
Equipment
Recipe Notes
Source: adapted from Oprah's Food, Health and Happiness (affiliate link) Cookbook
*Points® calculated by WW. *PointsPlus® and SmartPoints® calculated by Simple Nourished Living; Not endorsed by Weight Watchers International, Inc. All recipe ingredients except optional items included in determining nutritional estimates. SmartPoints® values calculated WITHOUT each plan's ZeroPoint Foods (Green plan, Blue plan, Purple plan) using the WW Recipe Builder.
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Martha is the founder and main content writer for Simple-Nourished-Living.
A longtime lifetime WW at goal, she is committed to balancing her love of food and desire to stay slim while savoring life and helping others do the same.
She is the author of the Smart Start 28-Day Weight Loss Challenge.
A huge fan of the slow cooker and confessed cookbook addict, when she's not experimenting in the kitchen, you're likely to find Martha on her yoga mat.
This post contains affiliate links to products I like. When you buy something through one of my Amazon links or other (affiliate links), I receive a small commission that helps support this site. Thank you for your purchase!
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Beth Dacchille
Would you suggest a substitute for the banana, please? I cannot eat banana but would love to make these breakfast cookies.
Thanks
Martha McKinnon
Hi Beth, I've only made them as written with mashed bananas so I'm hesitant to suggest a replacement. Applesauce might work. I'd say about 3/4 cup. If your diet allows I might also add a raw egg or two to add structure. Hope this helps. ~Martha