New Joy the Baker Podcast is ready for your ears! Get your listen on!!
When I was a small little baby girl, I was super stoked to grow up and:
Wear sunglasses like Jackie O. Stop doing homework. Shave my legs (um…. wwwhhhhyyyy!?). Stay up past 9:30. Watch all the Beverly Hills 90210 ever ever ever made. Do my own hair. Roller skate without a helmet. Play basketball better than my little sister (I can not. I mean… come on). Be a firefighter, writer, or veterinarian. Eat cookies for breakfast, Cheetos for lunch, and fried chicken and chocolate cake for dinner.
I’m a real-life grown-up now.
I’ve moved past my haphazard Jackie O phase. I’m pretty sure that email is the new homework. I shave my legs, but wow… the appeal of that pastime is loooong gone. I stay up as late as I want… because I’m grown. Beverly Hills 90210 has been replaced by Real Housewives of Minnetonka. I get my hair done did…. and that feels nice. I wear a helmet because I’m totally over trying to look cute. I’m totally into trying to look alive. I realized I don’t like fire, dictionaries, or sick animals. I don’t eat Cheetos for lunch. If I ate fried chicken and chocolate cake everyday I would be a happy and hefty lady.
But! but but but but but….. I can totally have cookies for breakfast.
I may have known absolutely nothing about my adult self as a young youth…. Meh! At least now there are cookies, and coffee, and iPhones.
These are happy happy cookies! Major.
They’re absolutely filled with good for you stuffs!
Whole wheat flour. Oats. Millet. Carrots. Dried cherries. Maple Syrup. Coconut oil. and Ginger!
Amazing!
I didn’t say any words like butter, chocolate, peanut butter, cupcake, nutella, marshmallows. I didn’t say aaaany of those words! It sorta made me twitch a little.
These breakfast cookies are entirely wholesome and totally delicious. They’re moist, soft, and cakey… like carrot cake with a crunch. They have just a hint of coconut flavor (from the oil), a little zip from the ginger, and a perfect tartness from the dried cherries. I am totally obsessed!
If you eat one whole rushing out of the house, into your car, into traffic, spilling your coffee, forgetting your cell phone, trying to get to work… I assure you, you’ll feel like a real-life grown-up. For better or worse.
Carrot Millet Breakfast Cookies
makes about 2 dozen cookies
adapted from 101 Cookbooks
1 1/2 cups whole wheat pastry flour (or all-purpose flour)
1 cup old-fashioned oats
3 tablespoons dry millet
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup coconut oil, melted
1/2 cup real maple syrup
heaping 1 cup shredded carrots
1/2 cup dried cherries, coarsely chopped
2 teaspoons fresh grated ginger
Place racks in the center and upper third of the oven and preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper and set aside.
In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, oats, millet, cinnamon, baking powder, and salt. Set aside.
In another medium bowl, whisk together coconut oil, maple syrup, shredded carrots, dried cherries, and ginger. Add the wet ingredients, all at once to the dry ingredients. Fold together until thoroughly incorporated. Let dough stand for 5 minutes before spooning by the tablespoonful onto the prepared baking sheets.
Bake for 10 minutes, or until just slightly browned and cooked through. I like these cookies a bit underdone. Remove from the oven, allow to cool on the cookie sheet for 5 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely. Store in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 4 days. The fresher the cookies are, the better the are… obviously.
158 Responses
hi, just want to be sure–the millet is not cooked? thanks
Not cooked, dry
What can I use instead of millet? I read it is not great if you have a thyroid problem…
I made these cookies yesterday. Wow they are delicious. I’m really glad I didn’t substitute anything for the millet, they add a great texture. Also, I added yogurt chips (I know, not vegan) which reminded me of cream cheese frosting :-)
I make these cookies all the time – and I can gain weight from reading recipes so-
I put it into a nutritional calculator website- since I’m eating them regularly and knowledge is power- and I found out that if you get 24 cookies from the recipe, they have 127 calories, 18 gr. carbohydrate, 2 grams protein and 5 gr. fat. Just so you know….
They are worth every one!
I did not have any coconut oil, so I used 1/2 cup butter in place of the coconut oil. I also added 2 egg yolks to make them more moist because I live in Colorado a dry climate. Also, I added a small handful of coconut. They were great! I fed some to my cattledog and she loved them! :-)
I’m so excited to make these! I’ve been looking for a healthy breakfast cookie. This is perfect! Also, I too wanted to grow up and shave my legs and bike without a helmet. Of course, now shaving is dull and biking without a helmut is a nicht gut idea. Thanks for sharing!
So I was hoping you could tell me what I can sub in for the whole wheat if I’m attempting to go gluten free for a bit… just an experiment mind you, so if I eat wheat I won’t puff up and die. So, I’ve got some barely flour and teff flour recently, have no idea why, they just looked good and I thought, why not? Can I use them in place of the wheat flour? Or do I have to add other things? (learning about potato starch, arrowroot starch, xanthum gum… what?)
Thanks!!!
yum! made with butter instead of coconut oil and came out great. next time I’ll spread them out a little more before baking b/c they stayed in almost the exact shape I put them on the sheet.
I just made this today. I had to sub. quinoa (for millet) and cranberries for the cherries, but these cookies are AMAZING! Woo Hoo!
These just came out of the oven! I substituted cranberries for cherries because my grocery store did not carry any, but they are still amazingly delicious! Thanks for yet another excellent recipe. I will be living off of these for the next few days :)
I went to Minnetonka High School, so I just had a mini heart attack when I read “Real Housewives of Minnetonka.” Phew, they aren’t actually making that version!
I made these today and am keeping this recipe for life. So good! It took a while to find dried cherries but my local Whole Foods carries ONE KIND — the Eden brand and on the top shelf so they’re hard to find. I knew I wanted to hold out for cherries and not use a substitute and it was totally worth it.
I made these today. I couldn’t find coconut oil or dried cherries so went with grape seed oil and raisins. Lots of spicy ginger (yum) and rice-chestnut flour with xanthum gum to make them gluten free.
They are sooo good!
(It was the millet that seduced me and that crunchy touch makes the recipe). (Oh, and I had a bunch of runt carrots from the garden to use up too).
Ok, I’ve just discovered your blog this morning and have already bookmarked about 3 recipes. It might be a new favorite. Thanks to Shutterbean for sending me over here. :-)
This sounds pretty amazing. They look like some of the soft scones (of the non-triangular variety) that I’ve made in the past, only healthier but with more bad press (I mean, really, cookies makes it sound like it cannot ever in a million years be good for you). I have carrots from the farmer’s market and some wheat germ that I can use in place of the millet. Awesome!
joy – i feel like i always say the same thing…THANK YOU!! i just made these for our 2cd thursday meeting for the docs and the midwives and they are going to be thrilled. i admit i cut the oil a little ( no coconut, used safflower) and the maple syrup a bit; added some candied and dried ginger. you are an amazing baker and you make a LOT of people happy.
I don’t have any millet but I have a big bag of amaranth lying around. Do you think you can substitute the millet with amaranth? I’ve never cooked with either.
i’ve never cooked with amaranth.. so i’m not entirely sure. sorry!
I made these yesterday — I didn’t have coconut oil so I used butter. And I substituted dried cranberries for the cherries and I also added some shredded unsweetened coconut. Super good! They are addicting!!
wow, I could so feed these to my pet parrots as well minus the oil part. def will have to try these. one batch for me and one batch for my birds.
I bet I can tweak this to make it gluten free (chestnut flour?) but I have never seen dried cherries here. I’d have to find a substitute, but how delicious (and healthy) does this look?
You had me at cookies for breakfast..#legit
I just made these and they are wonderful. My husband wanted to eat them all. He said a 4 pack of these and an espresso for breakfast and he’s set.
What fantastic looking breakfast cookies! I think I could eat one every morning and be a happy camper.
I love that you throw vegan recipes into the mix every now and then! These look fantastic! I need to haul home a 10 lb bag of carrots now..
These look so good. Carrots in a cookie??? Oh sure why not. I may give these a go this weekend!
cookies for breakfast eh? sold!
i am obsessed with both the idea of cookie for breakfast and carrot cake!! NOM this is excellent!
xoxo <3
These look great!!! YUM YUM YUM.
Oh my! I love the napkin that plate is resting on top of…. so gorgeous. As always, I love your pictures Joy! :)
Ah these look kind of dire..I hope they taste good!
Oh boy oh boy oh boy. These cookies are going to be made (magically, I wish) for Sunday breakfast this weekend.
Helmets, always! I’m living in Texas right now and not even a person driving a motorcycle… on the highway!… wears a helmet. This… is scary.
They look delicious and so healthy! You’re the one to make us eat cookies for breakfast ^^
Is it weird that I feel healthy just reading this recipe? This is a treat that I will be bringing to the office next week… take that doughnuts!
Cookies for breakfast is the new black! I thought exactly the same thing last month. Wait, now it’s September, then it would have been July. Yikes! It’s already September??!
Great minds think alike, Joy!!
Eating cookies (or cupcakes, or cake, or ice cream) for breakfast is one of my favorite things about being a so-called ‘grown-up’. These look scrumptious!
Joy, you crack me up. The “not having to wear a helmet” thing goes hand in hand with my burning childhood desire to go fishing with my dad without a life jacket. I am 24 and still feel like a cool kid, sitting on the back of the boat without being surrounded by fluorescent styrofoam.
Those are some mighty good lookin’ cookies, missy. Such an adult, eating your grains and veggies!
but you are a writer! a very good one. So tiny joy wasn’t totally wrong…
That’s what I was thinking, too! You did become a very good writer! “Tiny Joy” just forgot to add that you would also become a very good baker, recipe maker, photographer, podcast developer, pretty dish collector, bourbon drinker, kitty mother, list maker, and inspire-er!
These are awesome beautiful cookies! I must have them… and not just for breakfast. Thanks to you I totally look forward to my adult life
Joy, when does your cookbook come out? I can’t wait to get my hands on it!
What a creative idea! This is something I will try to make archerfriendly sans the gluten. Love this! I also like your little millet kick…
These cookies look fantastic! Vegan baking has always intimidated me, but these look really delicious and simple to make! Definitely gonna try them out soon.
Ohhh! These are a must bake….I just made breakfast cookies last week, but yours are so much yummier than mine. I just used oats and crushed corn flakes in mine.
These seem soooooooooo good! I hope I can get all the ingredients to make em soon!
I adore your photos and styling. The colours are beautiful and not to mention how yummy these cookies look!
looks like a recipe my mom would love! I may try these for her next! :D
I love the idea of a healthy cookie for breakfast! Has anyone substituted raisins for the cherries and omitted the ginger? I love carrot-raisin muffins and thought this may work here…!
looks like a perfect breakfast to me!
Joy! I have just become Vegan and was sooo excited to see this recipe on your blog! Yours is my absolute favourite food blog and there wasno way I was gonna stop trying your recipes, I was just gonna try and veganise all that butter stuff. But this is way better! Thank you :)
I’m pretty sure nothing tastes better than cookies for breakfast. It’s rule breaking…and glorious.
Oh my Goodness those look amazing.
Ps you don’t have to shave your legs. I don’t and it’s fabulous. :-)
how do you take all those neet-o from-above photos without getting your shadow in the picture???
WHERE CAN YOU BUY COCONUT OIL?! wakakkaaka! I need these in my digestive system now please.
i get my coconut oil at Whole Foods, but you can totally order it online on Amazon.
I saw coconut oil at my Walmart!!
Being a grown-up is all about doing the things you weren’t supposed to as a kid. One of my greatest little pleasures of being an ‘adult’ (I’m 23, so adult is still kinda stretching it) is eating a donut from the bakery section while at the grocery store. I always get glares of envy from the kids in the shopping cart seats because it is totally what they wish they could be doing; I know the feeling because it was always something I wish I could do when I was a kid accompanying my mom to the store.
Hmmm…I wonder if my son would think these were actual not-good-for-you cookies and eat them for breakfast and think I was the greatest Mom in the world…. Must try this! Maybe I’ll build up some great-Mom points to counteract the bad-Mom points I scored for not letting him wear a mohawk or monster-truck tattoos to kindergarten this morning! Thanks!
Adorable. Adorable and fantastic! Love them :)
Heidi xo
Joy, I love your blog and so enjoy all your posts! But I have a very important question for you (and for anyone else out there)…if you and a boy were cooking together for a first date, what would be a fun thing to make that is easy but involves lots of doing stuff and having fun in the kitchen? Any suggestions are very appreciated!
xo Mary
i think something like pizza or tacos that requires ingredient prep!
…and then bake cookies for dessert?
shrimp and pasta or grits… You’d make a sauce for each.
These look great! Cookies for breakfast–the kids will eat them. Big thanks!
This is great- Ima try these.
Could I use quinoa for the millet?
And maybe I’ll split 1/4 cup of the oil for olive oil and 1/4 for extra virgin coconut oil, or maybe I’ll use applesauce to make them even healthier…
Yeah, I was wondering the same thing too? Cause I have quinoa in the pantry, but not millet. Do you think the applesauce for the fat would work in this cookie – or would it be too soft? Thanks SO much!
For me it was the dream of ice cream for breakfast. Cookies are definitely a great second choice, and my belly will thank me for the rest of the day!
I totally wear a helmet too. Safety first. But it’s a cool helmet. :)
These look amazing, and they will be perfect for my little guy, who has many food allergies as well as for the rest of us, who are trying to FEED ourselves more, rather than eating empty, unhealthy stuff. I hate coconut with a passion. It just makes me sick. The mere thought of it now… *gag* Never mind. Can I substitute unsweetened applesauce or canola oil (or a combo)?
These are so cool. They are just so cool! I just bought dried cherries at Costco the other day, and now I know what I’m doing with them. Thanks, Joy!
Do you know if Costco sells millet? or even Wal-Mart? I’m just hearing about it, and I’d rather not trek to my nearest Whole Foods and spend a fortune, if possible.
Thanks!
Millet is VERY cheap and is usually found in the bulk food aisle of most grocery stores. Even if you did go to whole foods to get it, its not really expensive, even at the expensive stores. ;) I’ve never seen it at Costco or Wal-Mart, though.
Great recipe! Appealing to moms and kids alike and very easily adapted to gluten free (which we are). The Vegan-ness of it is a bonus- good choice!!!! And yes, cookies for breakfast are awesome. I also have my 7 year old loving “dinner smoothies” with fresh fruit, yogurt, some sort of milk and then fill a good portion of the blender with spinach (that’s the “dinner” part as far as he is concerned). Life is good!!!
I remember fighting my mom about shaving my legs, too… and you’re right, it has completely lost its appeal. These cookies look all around amazing anytime of the day! I love me some dried cherries, and anything that resembles carrot cake is a win win.
I think I’m going to do a combination of your recipe and 101 cookbook’s recipe.
Maybe leaving out the millet but adding the cinnamon and switching the cherries for
another dried fruit?
And I thought I was being healthy by baking my plain ol’ carrot cookies!
I’ve gotta gotta gotta make these!
1. oh, joy. you bring so much delicious-ness into my life!
2. if you no longer want to shave your legs, you don’t have to; it hasn’t scared away all those clean-shaven souls near and dear to me.
3. thank you. :)
Cookies for breakfast! Joy You Have A Brilliant Mind.
So, I think I may need to start making breakfast cookies every morning. These look amazing!
I love you–in the non-creeper kind of way. Thanks for giving me a healthy cookie for breakfast. Boomshakalaka.
these sound so delicious! thank you for sharing this recipe.
When I was a kid I wanted to sell books and treats. Now I love to write stories and to bake pies. We grow up, we change. But in some ways we’re still the same.
I’m actually really excited to make these. I love it! They look delic! AND cookies for breakfast rules. I always couldn’t wait to shave my legs as a kid, too. Kids are weird, man!
These look so good! I’d eat carrot cake 24/7 if I could and this seems like the perfect, responsible alternative.
you are so grown up Joy…I mean: healthy cookies for breakfast?! you rock.
you had me at cookie…
The list of things I fantasized about as a young girl cracks me up now. Marrying Johnathan Taylor Thomas, getting boobies, and I totally wanted to shave as well (I remember fighting with my mom the second I graduated to middle school about this fact). I also wanted to wear bright red lipstick every day (ha!), and reallyreallyREALLY wanted to wear heels every day. These days it’s a dash of lip balm and flats but somehow I think 9yr old Beth would still think 23yr old Beth is cool regardless of how far I strayed.
Ps. I’m totally making these cookies, like, as soon as I get off work. It’s going to be delicious and my roommates are probably going to hug me for it :)
There seems to be an epidemic of breakfast cakes and cookies going around.
This is absolutely OK with me.
I love the idea of this recipe! There is so much healthy goodness going on in there. I’ll have to put them on my to-make list.
I’ve made 101 Cookbook’s carrot oatmeal cookies before. Uh-mazing! So I’m sure these are great too. Sometimes no chocolate isn’t necessarily a bad thing ;)
When you tweeted that you were making cookies into breakfast, my brain figured you had cookies of some sort that you were eating for breakfast thereby making them into breakfast. To your tweet I thought, “yeah…just add milk.”
These are actually breakfast cookies! Yay!
When I was a kid, I really wanted to be a grown up. Now I like it, a lot. Especially the cookies for breakfast part.
I’m not a fan of the whole Facebook comment thang…it’s a privacy thing. :-?
Anywho… those breakfast cookies look delish!
agreed on the fb thang…I much prefer to read comments right here on your site!
These look so good! Any sentence with ‘cookie’ and ‘breakfast’ in it is for me! Carrot and cherry sound like such a winning combination of flavors as well.
I could definitely go for some cookies for breakfast… Delicious AND good for you? Yes, please!
I read your post and I went “What? Real housewives of Minnetonka?!?”
Is this a real thing? And are you talking about Minnetonka, MN?
Anyway, your breakfast cookies look delicious!
Forget the real adult things like bills and stupid obligation that we feel. Other than that it is pretty awesome to ummmmm….. be around fun kids and live a little vicariously through them. …… I also just go ride my bike and forget all the real adult things for a few hours. Come home and eat cookies…..
Wow, these look awesome. Totally agree with the cookie for breakfast thing – let’s break all the rules. What’s next on the list?!
I do not understand why the term “breakfast cookie” is not used more commonly.
Wow! I’m totally impressed. These look amazing, and who doesn’t love cookies for breakfast? If I can find cherries I’m definitely trying them!
I adore the whole grain recipes! Please keep them coming!
Heidi’s recipe for carrot cookies has been on my list to try for a while now. I never would have thought to add cherries and millet! Yum.
oh my gracious… cookies for breakfast! I am in love!
other than the fact that i can now make cookies on my own and be married to my amazing husband, real-life grown-uphood isn’t amazing. but i’d say the cookies and marriage make it worth it :)
Joy, thanks for being so vegan-friendly. You rock and these look delicious.
I love cookies for breakfast! I wanted to be a ballerina when I was a little girl. And chocolate cake for supper is a marvelous idea!
They do indeed sound wholesome and good for you. Plus… cakey cookies? I’m in!
what surprising cookies! I am going to try these and eat them with my 1 year old.
Oh my goodness these look scrumptious! I even did the calculations and they’re only 3 WW points (each)! Thank you for being so amazing Joy. :)
I am bound to love just about any recipe that is inspired by carrot cake – and I’m all about cookies for breakfast! I think it’s a decidedly adult thing to do ;).
This post had me rolling. And by the end of it, totally convinced that I needed these cookies. Which is funny, because saying “vegan” and “dessert” together usually makes me twitch, as well. That said, I’m a sucker for carrots in dessert. And I confess: I’ve become quite taken with millet.
Being a grown up…. Means no more staying up late. :( And taking the time to shave your legs. ha!!!
These are going down! I will eat one by 6:00 tonight!!!….. BUT, what if I don’t have millet????
These sound great!
These look great! :-) The perfect ingredients….for a perfect cookie.
You looked forward to shaving your legs?! Ha ha! That’s a riot! You must’ve been an awesome kid. :)
I was a little wary of mixing carrots and cherries together, but I think this would actually be really fun to try. :)
Whoops…meant vegan…although I would like to make somw gluten-free stuff too! Better have another cup of coffee :)
These look awesome! You are obsessed with millet a little bit right now.
I totally know what you mean about shaving your legs. We were stupid.
Jess
xx
I fully support cookies for breakfast!
I’m inching my way into doing some gluten-free baking, and these look like a great start. I like to bake with my 2 little boys, and the upside is that they will try ANYTHING as long as they helped make it. Carrots for breakfast? Mom WIN!
Love the looks of these. I actually make a nobake “dessert” ball. Or snack bite. Whatever you want to call it. It uses very little sugar and you can skip that :) but dates, carrots, raisins, almond flour. Just good clean vegan and GF fun! And I love the looks of your clean vegan goodies.
But I am not going to lie, I do love desserts of all kinds, including the sugary ones too :)
now it will seem that I write only when there is millet in your recipe, but it is a mere coincidence. I just, without delay, need to tell you that not only that my mondays are great when your posts are in my mailbox, but you turn my wednesdays quite miraculous also. I woke up very early and I wanted to make some breakfast for my sleepy boyfriend and your cookies came over. and I made them. and boyfriend loved them. and he loved me as a consequence.
and I absolutely need to tell you that, while I am typing this, my dog is snoring (that little dog’s snore) under my bed, where her bed is. and that is the sweetest thing. that’s why you need to know.
Delicious cookies for breakfast!!!!!carrots and cherry…great couple!!!!!
Gosh! These cookies look sinful… and being vegan they will be perfect for me :) I love your website. Please post a few more vegan or eggless recipes, so that I can make them for my family.
Yum, I love having cookies for breakfast and when they’re packed full of healthy stuff I feel virtuous too. Win all round!
sorry for the non-veggie question, but can I replace the coconut with, say, melted butter?
Although I haven’t made these yet, I think you can most likely substitute butter for coconut oil. I have substituted the other way (coconut oil for butter) many times. And everything from pie crust over shortbread cookies to crumble topping worked out just fine. So, I’m sure it’ll work to substitute butter for coconut oil! Have fun baking. I know I will…
breakfast cookies. i don’t think there’s anything wrong about that sentence, ever.
Wowee! These are healthy and cookie-y and awesome! I need to try these. Also, I’m glad you wear a helmet. Squashed heads are gross.
These still look pretty darn good for wholesome cookies! I adore dried cherries…although I usually eat them straight from the bag before getting a chance to bake with them.
Ohmygosh, Yea!!! I bought millet for the buttermilk banana bread, so: I HAVE MILLET! Yesssss……..And all the people at work are vegans, so thank god another vegan recipe. Just made an heirloom tomato salad with buttermilk blue cheese dressing from an old bon appetit, so I made a nice little space with salad. A space I shall fill with breakfast cookies. I once ate an entire box of Toaster Struedels in one sitting. Tast. Ty.