- Prep-time: / Ready In:
- Makes 8 cookies
- Serving size: 1 cookie
- 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:
- Chewy Apple-Raisin Oatmeal Cookies
- Chocolate-Strawberry Vegan Whoopie Pies
- Pecan Shortbread Cookies
- Gluten-Free Fig Bars
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.
Per serving (1 cookie): 115 calories, 15 g carbohydrates, 9 g protein, 3.7 g total fat, .4 g saturated fat, 0 g cholesterol, 98 mg sodium, 3 g fiber, 6 g sugar
Note: Nutritional information is provided as an estimate only.
Comments (49)
(5 from 12 votes)So delicious ~ so easy to make ~ a quick breakfast triumph!
My 8yo and 6yo both loved these cookies. Not too sweet, but very tasty. I want to try adding raisins next time
I made these today and wow, they were delicious! I used almond extract instead of vanilla, and I used half cinnamon and half allspice. My husband loved them too! Thank you Forks Over Knives!
Shauna. Your calculation for 1/3 cup almond butter is wrong. 1/3 cup = 5.33 TBS. 1 TBS of almond butter is 98 calories. 98 x 5.33 = 522.34 calories. So no way one cookie is 60 calories.
Josie, The calculation was not done by Shauna. It was done by "J". Shauna just suggested a website to use.
These were just ok. Didn't have much flavor in my opinion... Which is odd given the amount of cinnamon in the recipe. It was missing something. Maybe banana would've pulled it all together 🤷🏿♀️
I made a batch for my grandkids and only got one as the others were all devoured….soooo, I made another batch at home because they are so tasty and also guilt-free!! After I put the batch in the oven I realized I still have quite a bit of zucchini left so I continued grating it and now have 3 times the recipe so I am experimenting with raisins and nuts and will freeze them as another reviewer suggested and eat right from the freezer. This is definitely a keeper!!!
Use almond extract in place of vanilla
Vanilla extract is just a flavouring. You could use a different extract such as chocolate extract, peppermint extract, lemon extract, orange extract, etc or try the same amount (1/2 tsp) of rum. You can even leave it out completely. Just remember to add 1/2 tsp of water for the same consistency as the original recipe.
Did I miss the nutritional content?
So many recipes have vanilla in them and I am allergic to it. Any suggestions on what I can use instead? Thanks!
May I use almond flower instead of oats? Thank you, Carmen
I can't eat oats - can I sub GF flour or almond flour?
Hi Eva. While we haven't tested this, you could try quinoa flakes. They're GF and have a similar flake-like texture to rolled oats, which might be a closer match to oats than flour, which is denser. Let us know if you try it!
Cloves or allspice.
So many recipes have cinnamon in them and unfortunately I am allergic to it. Any suggestions on an alternate spice?
You can try allspice or nutmeg, cardamom but these are more potent flavors so I'd try 1 1/2 allspice and 1/4 tsp of either nutmeg or cardamom.
I'm allergic to cinnamon, too. I've been experimenting with using either allspice (use half or even less than half the amount you'd use for cinnamon) or ginger (I'd start with half the amount until you decide whether you like it or not). This seems to work for me in most recipes. Or you can just leave it out and see whether it 'needs' a spice or not.
Love this recipe! New “go to” for using up big garden zucchini. I subbed applesauce for the almond butter and it worked well for me. Added raisins and chopped walnuts as well. Yum!
Is there any way we can get the nutritional info on these and other recipes?
I use Cronometer.com to input all my recipes. It lists a complete nutritional breakdown including vitamins and minerals.
• ¾ cup rolled oats 109 cal • ¾ cup grated unpeeled zucchini, patted dry 15 cal • ⅓ cup natural almond butter 123 cal • ¼ cup flaxseed me 69 cal • 3 tablespoons pure maple syrup 156 cal • 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon (preferably Ceylon cinnamon) • ½ teaspoon baking soda 0 • ½ teaspoon pure vanilla extract 6 cal • ¼ teaspoon sea salt Total: 478 cal ÷ 8 = 60 cal each
Can I use Chia seeds instead of flax seeds? What is the substitute for maple syrup, can I use dates/Erythritol? If so what are the measurements for the above please?
Hi Vidya, While we haven't tested this, we think chia seeds could be used instead of flax seeds as they both have a gel-forming action; however, the texture of the cookie is likely to be crunchier. Instead of maple syrup, you could use mashed banana, though it won't be as sweet. I'd use one large or two small bananas. Date paste is also a good substitute. Oat cookies are wonderfully forgiving when it comes to making changes. Add a handful of oats or cook them longer if your mixture gets too wet. And if it seems too dry, add another banana. Forks Over Knives doesn't recommend using artificial sweeteners. I hope that helps!
Just made a batch of these and they turned out so very well. Tasty and so easy. Will definitely be making these again. Thank you FOK
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.