The urge to have a cookie for breakfast can sometimes seem overwhelming. If you pick the right recipe, however, you can give in and still stick to your diet. Breakfast cookies are nutritious packages of fiber, protein, healthy fat and complex carbohydrates, and one big cookie can get you through to lunch without going over your calorie limits.
Ingredients
A healthy breakfast cookie starts with nutritious ingredients. Instead of the refined white flour, butter and granulated sugar that fill most sweet cookies, use whole-grain flour; a small amount of fat; and a natural sweetener such as applesauce, fruit puree or honey. You can also toss in a few calorie-rich additions as long as they add fiber, vitamins or minerals to the finished product. Tried dried fruits, oats, nuts, bran, wheat germ or granola.
Composition
Depending on the ingredients you use, a breakfast cookie isn't likely to taste like a traditional chocolate chip cookie. When you cut down on fat and sugar for purposes of reducing calories, the texture of your cookies will change. According to the author of "Cookwise," Shirley Corriher, butter and other high-fat, high-calorie ingredients make cookies spread and give them a crisp texture. Replacing butter and sugar with low-fat alternatives and natural sweeteners will make your breakfast cookies thicker, more tender and more cakelike.
Recipe
To make 12 big cookies, you'll need one mashed banana, 1/2 cup of peanut butter, 1/2 cup of honey, 1 tsp. of vanilla, 1 cup of oats, 1/2 cup of whole-wheat flour, 1/4 cup of nonfat dry milk powder, 2 tsp. of cinnamon, 1/4 tsp. of baking soda and 1 cup of dried fruit pieces. In one bowl, mix the banana, peanut butter, honey and vanilla. In another, stir together the oats, flour, milk powder, cinnamon and baking soda. Combine the two mixtures and fold in the dried fruit. Bake the cookies on two greased baking sheets for about 15 minutes at 350 degrees Fahrenheit. According to EatBetterAmerica.com, each cookie has about 220 calories, 7 g of fat, 38 g of carbohydrates, 4 g of fiber, 6 g of protein, 22 g of sugar and no cholesterol.
Considerations
If you're not making cookies at home and you're on a special diet, check the nutrition facts and ingredient labels carefully before buying commercial breakfast cookies. Often, packaged dietary supplements contain just as much added sugar as traditional cookies and may not have the fiber, protein or calorie count necessary to keep you full until your next mealtime. The key to a truly healthy low-calorie diet is variety, so mix up breakfast cookies with other nutritious meals, such as oatmeal, high-fiber cold cereal, yogurt parfaits or veggie omelets.
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