Loaded with high fiber ingredients and plenty of flavor, this healthy vegan recipe for morning glory cookies is bound to become a family favorite breakfast! Made with an oatmeal base and studded with shredded carrots, coconut flakes, walnuts, and dried pineapple, each cookie is filling and wholesome. They’re a great meal prep option to grab on the go!
Hopefully some of you are familiar with morning glory muffins. Allegedly created by a chef at the Morning Glory Cafe in Nantucket in the ’70s, they typically contain shredded carrots and apples, pecans or other nuts, raisins, and coconut. They’re sort of like carrot cake. I love them!
Inspired by these muffins, I decided to make a batch of morning glory cookies. I kept many of the classic ingredients but made a few substitutions and additions. And woooo-eeeee did they turn out well! They’re absolutely loaded with good stuff, both taste-wise and health-wise.
Instead of using wheat flour, I tried oat flour and whole oats as the base. I kept the shredded carrots and coconut, added apples in the form of applesauce, and swapped walnuts for pecans. Then, instead of raisins, I used dried pineapple. To boost the fiber content even more, I mixed flaxseed meal with water to make “eggs.” This also makes the cookies vegan, and if you use gluten-free oats and oat flour, they’ll be gluten-free.
Morning glory cookies have something for everyone. And just their name suggests, they make a great breakfast to start your morning!
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Ingredients and Substitutions
- Oat flour and oats: The cookies use both oat flour and whole oats. I make my own oat flour by grinding old fashioned oats into a powder using my food processor. For the 1 and ½ cups of oat flour in this recipe, I usually need to grind 1 and ¾ cups of oats. You can also purchase oat flour at the store. I have not tried it with other flours, so I do not know if they work in this recipe.
- Other dry ingredients: baking soda, salt, ground cinnamon, ground ginger
- Melted coconut oil: I use unrefined or “virgin” coconut oil. This kind has a stronger coconut flavor than refined coconut oil. Use whichever kind you prefer. Substitute extra virgin olive oil if needed, but keep in mind that some olive oils can contribute a strong taste. If you don’t have an oil that you can use for your morning glory cookies, sub melted butter.
- Applesauce: Use unsweetened applesauce. I don’t really recommend a substitution for this, but you could try mashed bananas if you don’t have applesauce on hand.
- Maple syrup: Sub honey if needed, but keep in mind that using honey means the cookies will no longer be vegan.
- Vanilla extract: Use pure vanilla extract, such as Watkins brand.
- Flaxseed meal: Use milled/ground flaxseed mixed with water to create a binding agent (in lieu of eggs). One tablespoon of milled flaxseed mixed with three tablespoons of water yields one “egg.” You have to let it sit for about 10 minutes to thicken up before using. If you don’t have flaxseed, substitute two eggs.
- Carrot: Grate a couple carrots by hand or use bagged shredded carrots.
- Coconut flakes: I like to use thick coconut flakes instead of more finely shredded coconut, but you could use either. Just make sure it’s unsweetened coconut. Here is the brand of coconut flakes that I love to use.
- Dried pineapple: Use an unsweetened variety, such as the Good and Gather brand from Target (that’s what I use). Sub raisins if you don’t have dried pineapple.
- Walnuts: You can substitute pecans if desired.
Instructions
The full recipe card for morning glory cookies is at the bottom of the post. Here’s a preview of the steps with photos to guide you in the kitchen!
Combine wet ingredients in a mixing bowl.
Stir together with a rubber spatula.
In a separate bowl, stir together the dry ingredients (minus the mix-ins).
Add the dry ingredients to the bowl with the wet ones. Stir with a rubber spatula until combined.
Fold in the walnuts, dried pineapple, and coconut flakes.
Use a ¼-cup to scoop out enough batter for each cookie. Place each ball of batter on a lined baking sheet, about 2 inches apart from each other. Use the back of a spoon or your palm to press the batter into a circle about ½-inch high and 2 inches wide. Bake until golden brown.
Storage and Reheating
For best results, let morning glory cookies cool completely before storing. Keep in an airtight container, with wax or parchment paper separating layers of the cookies. Store at room temperature for up to 5 days or in the fridge for up to 7 days. You can also freeze the cookies in freezer-safe containers or bags for up to 3 months.
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📖 Recipe
Morning Glory Cookies
Ingredients
Wet ingredients
- 2 tablespoons milled flaxseed - AKA flaxseed meal
- ¼ cup melted coconut oil - measured after you melt it
- ½ cup unsweetened applesauce
- ¼ cup maple syrup
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 1 cup grated carrot - from about 2 carrots
Dry ingredients
- 1.5 cups oat flour - if making homemade, grind 1.75 cups oats to get 1.5 cups
- ½ cup old fashioned oats
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- ½ teaspoon ground ginger
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- ¼ teaspoon salt
Mix-ins
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Line 1 or 2 baking sheets with parchment paper or a silicone mat. The recipe yields 14 cookies, so you will either need to bake 2 batches or use 2 baking sheets.
- Prep the flax "eggs." In a small bowl, whisk together the 2 tablespoons milled flaxseed with 6 tablespoons of water. Let it sit, stirring occasionally, for about 10 minutes until it thickens. In the meantime, prep the other ingredients.
- In a large mixing bowl, stir together the flax "eggs," melted coconut oil, applesauce, maple syrup, vanilla, and grated carrot.
- In a separate bowl, stir together the oat flour, whole oats, cinnamon, ginger, baking soda, and salt.
- Add the dry ingredients to the bowl with the wet ones. Stir with a rubber spatula until combined.
- Fold in the coconut flakes, dried pineapple, and chopped walnuts.
- Scoop out ¼ cup of the batter for each cookie. Put balls of batter on the lined baking sheet, about 2 inches apart from each other. Press the batter with the back of a spoon or your palm until each cookie is about ½-inch high and 2 inches wide.
- Bake the cookies in the preheated oven for 15 to 18 minutes or until golden brown. If you are baking both batches at the same time, rotate the baking sheets about halfway through the cooking time.
- Let the cookies cool for about 10 minutes before transferring to a wire rack to finish cooling. The cookies firm up while they cool, so don't skip this step!
- Enjoy immediately or store for later. Keep in an airtight container, with parchment or wax paper separating layers of cookies, for up to 5 days at room temp and up to 7 days in the fridge.
- Leave a rating or review by tapping the stars on this recipe card (above) or in the comments section (at the end of the post)!
Notes
- You can also freeze the cookies in a freezer-safe container or bag. Seal tightly and store for up to 3 months.
- If you need the cookies to be gluten-free, use certified gluten-free oats and oat flour.
Nutrition
Happy baking! – Lizzie
Debra Seifert
I am trying to eat more vegetables and set an example for my grandkids. I tried these muffins and they were a big hit! My only modification was to the batch, I made the cookies half a big. I liked the smaller cookies but the grandkids chose the larger cookies!
Lizzie Streit, MS, RDN
Hi Debra, I’m so glad you enjoyed the cookies and that your grandkids did too! Thank you so much for leaving your review!