Homemade Cookie Cereal {Easy & Healthy} - The Big Man's World ® (2024)

This homemade cookie cereal recipe is your excuse to have cookies for breakfast! Made with wholesome ingredients, I love how they bake in under 10 minutes!

Want more dessert for breakfast recipes? Check out my protein cinnamon rolls, healthy breakfast muffins, and breakfast bars next.

Did anyone else grow up as cereal kids? I sure did. Cereal was a pantry staple in my household, and Cookie Crisp was our unanimous favorite.

In an effort to re-create my favorite childhood recipes, I decided to make my favorite cereal, but with healthy, good-for-you ingredients I feel good about sharing with my family.

Why I love this recipe

• Baked in 10 minutes. Once you make the cookie dough, these little guys bake up in a snap.
• WAY healthier than store-bought cereal. Have you ever looked at the back of a cereal box? I couldn’t believe how long the ingredient list was! My healthy version has no flour, dairy, or refined sugar (and definitely no “natural flavor” or high fructose corn syrup!).
• Easy to make ahead. Just like regular cereal, you can bake and store the leftovers for up to 2 weeks.
• Versatile. I have my cookie crisp cereal every morning with almond milk, but you can use it on top of ice cream, in a yogurt bowl, you name it.

Ingredients needed

• Almond Flour. I used blanched almond flour to give the cookies a lighter color and crispy texture. You can use almond meal if you prefer but know that the cookies will be darker in color and have a slightly crumbly texture.
• Arrowroot Starch. Helps hold the cookies together. You can replace this with tapioca powder.
• Baking powder. Leavens out the cookie cereal and gives them a little rise.
• Vanilla Extract. A non-negotiable in all my cookie recipes.
• Maple Syrup. Provides sweetness, but also holds the cookies together well. You can use agave nectar, too.
• Coconut Oil. Gives the cookies a buttery flavor. You won’t taste the coconut at all, I promise! Melt your coconut oil, until it is at room temperature.
• Milk of choice. To form the dough! You may need a little extra milk than recommended. I used unsweetened coconut milk, but any milk is fine (soy, coconut, almond, etc).
• Chocolate Chips. What is a cookie without chocolate chips? I used mini chocolate chips.

How to make cookie cereal

I’ve included step-by-step photos below to make this recipe easy to follow at home. For the full printable recipe instructions and ingredient quantities, scroll to the recipe card at the bottom of this post.

Step 1- Prep. Preheat the oven to 180C/350F, and line two baking trays with parchment paper.

Step 2- Make the dough. In a large bowl, combine the dry ingredients. Add the wet ingredients and mix until combined. Fold in the chocolate chips.

Step 3- Shape and bake. Form mini cookies, about 1/4 of an inch in size. Place on the lined baking trays and press into a cookie shape. Bake for 7-10 minutes, until golden.

Step 4- Cool and serve. Remove from the oven and allow to cool on the pans completely before enjoying with milk or storing for later.

Arman’s recipe tips

• Don’t overmix the dough. The dough is fragile, and any overmixing can result in the cookies becoming crumbly.
• Avoid using any kind of cookie recipe. I know it may be tempting, but trust me, the ratio of wet to dry ingredients in this recipe is specific to cookie crisp cereal. Other cookie recipes won’t yield the same texture.
• Make them any size. I used ¼-inch balls purely for the cereal factor, but of course, you can make them as big or as small as you like.
• It’s okay if the cookies are a little soft. They’ll continue to cook as they’re cooling. Plus, you want them to soften when mixed with milk–and not become mushy.
• Add more chocolate. Swap 2 tablespoons of almond flour for cocoa powder for double chocolate cookie crisp cereal.

Storage instructions

To store: Like any breakfast cereal, store this cereal in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 2 weeks.

To freeze: Store a batch in the freezer to enjoy later! Place the leftover cookie crisp cereal in a freezer-friendly container and freeze it for up to 2 months.

More homemade cereal recipes to try

• Protein cereal
• Keto cereal
• Protein granola
• Keto granola
• Low calorie cereal

Originally published June 2020, updated and republished June 2024