Heart-Healthy Oatmeal Cookies You Can Eat For Breakfast

These heart-healthy oatmeal cookies are packed with good-for-you ingredients. Not only are they delicious, these treats are virtuous enough for an afternoon pick-me-up or even breakfast — especially on those days when you don't have time to make a healthy breakfast from scratch.

These oatmeal cookies are crisp on the outside, chewy on the inside, and have a delicious nutty flavor thanks to whole wheat flour, oats, and walnuts. The hearty texture is punctuated with sweet raisins, and there's a slight coconut-y flavor in the background thanks to the unrefined coconut oil.

There's a handful of reasons why these treats are considered heart-healthy. Most importanly, they're made entirely from plant-based whole foods. The lack of animal products means they won't raise your bad cholesterol. Secondly, there's only a minimal amount of sweetener used (natural maple syrup and raisins) and zero refined sugar. Plus, because these cookies are made with whole wheat flour and whole grains (oats), they've got lots of fiber. Fiber-rich whole foods are known to lower cholesterol and regulate blood pressure. Fiber is also essential for healthy digestion and strong gut health.

Lastly, these cookies contain flaxseed meal. Flaxseeds are considered a heart-supportive food since they are a great source of omega-3 fatty acids. Research suggests flaxseeds can help lower cholesterol and blood pressure, too.

Find more healthy recipes from Alexandra Shytsman on her plant-based recipe site, The New Baguette.

These heart-healthy oatmeal cookies are made with simple, traditional ingredients — most of which you probably have in your kitchen right now. You'll need some oats, whole wheat flour, baking soda, baking powder, coconut oil (you can also use extra virgin olive oil), natural maple syrup, cinnamon, and flaxseed meal. And of course, you'll want a bit of salt to balance out the sweetness.

This recipe calls for walnuts and raisins, but you can swap in any other nuts or dried fruit you may have. Think almonds, pistachios, or hazelnuts, and cranberries, chopped dates, or dried apricots.

Before getting started on the batter, be sure to start preheating your oven.

Flaxseed meal (ground flaxseeds) is commonly used in vegan baking as an egg replacer. When flaxseed meal is combined with water, the mixture takes on a gelatinous, beaten egg-like texture. This is known as a "flax egg." A flax egg has the same binding power as a regular egg and works perfectly in foods like cookies, muffins, and cakes.

The formula to make one flax egg to replace one regular egg is: a tablespoon flaxseed meal plus three tablespoons water. Once mixed, allow the mixture to thicken for five to ten minutes. The same formula can be used to make a "chia egg," which will function the same way, using ground chia seeds instead of flax. Both of these are pretty much flavorless and aren't detectable in baked goods.

These heart-healthy oatmeal cookies are made with a traditional two-step process. First, you combine the dry ingredients and wet ingredients in separate bowls, then you fold the two together.

The batter is mixed in two steps — as opposed to dumping everything into a bowl at once — for two reasons. First, you don't want to mix the baking powder (a leavener) with liquids too early in the process, since it'll get activated prematurely and the cookies won't rise properly. Secondly, this technique helps to distribute all the ingredients evenly so you won't have to over-mix the batter, which may result in dense, tough cookies.

When you're ready to bake your heart-healthy oatmeal cookies, fold the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients. A flat rubber spatula is the best tool for the job, so use it if you have one. Be sure not to over-mix the dough, which may result in tough cookies — mix just until there are no more dry bits of flour visible.

These cookies are baked on a parchment paper-lined baking sheet to prevent them from sticking and burning. (It also makes for easy clean-up!) We recommend portioning the cookies with an ice cream scoop. This tool ensures evenly sized, similarly shaped cookies. If you don't have one, just use a soup spoon.

These heart-healthy oatmeal cookies only need about 20 minutes in the oven. They're done when they look dry on top and golden brown around the edges. Like most cookies, these are most delicious straight out of the oven, and they come with a crisp exterior and a chewy inside.

Be sure to let the cookies cool completely before storing. They'll keep well at room temperature for about four days. Although they'll lose that outside crispness after being stored, they'll still be delicious.

Enjoy for breakfast, snack time, or as a healthy dessert!