Disclosure: This post may contain affiliate links. I may earn a small commission for my endorsement, recommendation, testimonial, and/or link to any products or services from this website.
These Blueberry Muffin Top Cookies are soft and cakey, like a muffin, but flatter, like a cookie! Made with fresh blueberries and wholesome ingredients, you’ll love them for breakfast or as a healthy sweet treat. Vegan and Gluten-Free; Nut-Free Option.
These Healthy Blueberry Muffin Top Cookies have the fluffy, domed tops of a muffin and the crisp edges and soft centers of a classic cookie. Best of all, they’re naturally sweetened and easy to make with wholesome ingredients. Both dessert and breakfast in one amazing treat!
Table of Contents
All About This Muffin-Cookie Hybrid 🫐
The muffin top is 100% the best part of the muffin. It’s crisp around the edges, soft and fluffy in the middle, and so much more satisfying to eat. I’m not saying I would rip the top off of these Vegan Chocolate Chip Muffins and leave the stumps….but I would be lying if I said I wasn’t tempted 😉
These Blueberry Muffin Top Cookies take that same muffin top magic and put it in a sweet and tasty cookie. They have a fluffy texture, like a muffin top, but are flatter, like a cookie! I make them the minute fresh blueberries come into season.
And just as a fun bonus, these muffin top cookies are naturally gluten-free thanks to a handful of wholesome ingredients, like oat and almond flour, rolled oats, maple syrup, and applesauce. They’re perfect for a mid-morning or afternoon snack – and as a healthy dessert!
Ingredients for Blueberry Muffin Cookies
Just like my Blueberry Cookies, these muffin top cookies call for a mix of wholesome, gluten-free ingredients. These are the key items you’ll need:
- Oat and Almond Flour: this gluten-free flour combo gives these cookies the best chewy, fluffy, and hearty texture. You could always replace the almond flour with an additional 1/4 cup oat flour if that’s all you have at home, but the cookies will be slightly less fluffy.
- Blueberries: the best blueberries pop up at the farmers market and in grocery stores during late summer (usually July through September). Those juicy berry bursts are so good in these cookies!
- Sweeteners: the cookies are naturally sweetened with applesauce and maple syrup.
- Rolled Oats: remember to use certified gluten-free rolled oats to keep these blueberry cookies gluten-free. Quick oats should work as a substitute, but I haven’t tested it.
How to Make Blueberry Muffin Top Cookies
- Mix the applesauce, maple syrup, almond butter, and vanilla together in a large bowl.
- Add the dry ingredients to the bowl with the wet ingredients and mix until a thick batter forms. Fold in the oats and blueberries.
- Scoop some of the dough out of the bowl and onto a prepared baking sheet to form the “muffin tops.”
- Bake the cookies until the edges are slightly golden.
- Let the cookies cool before serving. Enjoy!
Caitlin’s Pro Tip: Use a cookie scoop to shape muffin-like cookie dough balls. Scoop some of the batter out of the bowl and onto the prepared baking sheet without flattening it. We want the balls to stay round for those signature domed tops.
Serving Suggestions
These healthy blueberry cookies are great morning, noon, and night! Since they’re made from a lot of the same ingredients as this Blueberry Baked Oatmeal and these Lemon Blueberry Muffins, I’m not opposed to having one or two cookies for breakfast in the morning.
And as a big blueberry fan, I’ll happily grab a cookie when I want a healthy dessert or when I’m craving a sweet treat (which is always). Pro tip: pair them with a scoop of vegan vanilla ice cream and extra fresh blueberries for a fantastic summer treat.
If you’re looking for more healthy vegan cookie recipes, you’ll also love these Wholesome & Chewy Ginger Molasses Cookies, these Healthy Chickpea Chocolate Chip Cookies, and these Banana Oatmeal Breakfast Cookies!
How to Store Blueberry Cookies
Store the baked and cooled cookies in an airtight container on the kitchen counter for up to 3 days, in the refrigerator for up to 5 days, or in the freezer for up to 2 months.
You’re definitely going to want to warm up the chilled or thawed cookies before serving. A few minutes in the toaster oven gives the cookies the best crispy edges and a mouthwatering fluffy texture, just like a real blueberry muffin!
Substitutions and Variations
- Frozen Blueberry Substitute: This recipe works with frozen blueberries. Don’t thaw them ahead of time—just toss them into the batter while they’re still frozen solid. If they soften at all, their juices will bleed into the cookie dough, turning it blue.
- Nut-Free Option: Replace the almond flour with an additional 1/4 cup of oat flour and use an equal amount of sunflower seed butter or tahini instead of almond butter.
- Low Sugar Option: Omit the maple syrup and use an extra 1/4 cup of applesauce to keep this recipe free of added sugar.
- Add Lemon Zest: Combine the zest from one lemon with the wet ingredients. Tart lemon and sweet blueberries go so well together!
Recipe FAQs
I only tested these cookies with almond flour and oat flour, but 1 cup of all-purpose flour might work as a substitute for both. Let me know if you try it!
You can replace the blueberries with fresh raspberries, halved cherries, or diced strawberries if you’d prefer.
The cookies might spread and flatten in the oven if your baking powder is old, if the cookie dough was overmixed, or if the dough was too wet.
Enjoy! If you make this recipe and decide to share it on Facebook or Instagram, don’t forget to tag me @FromMyBowl + #FromMyBowl! I would also love it if you could leave a comment below with a recipe rating! Thank you for the support 😊
Healthy Blueberry Muffin Top Cookies
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup unsweetened apple sauce
- 1/4 cup maple syrup (or sub agave)
- 1/4 cup almond butter*
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract optional
- 1 cup oat flour* gluten-free if needed
- 1/2 cup almond flour*
- 1 tablespoon ground flax seed
- 1 tablespoon baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon optional
- 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1 cup rolled oats gluten-free if needed
- 1 1/2 cup fresh blueberries
Instructions
- Prep: Preheat the oven to 350F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or a silicone baking mat and set aside. Pat your blueberries dry with a clean kitchen towel of paper towels if you have just washed them
- Wet Ingredients: Add the applesauce, maple syrup, almond butter, and vanilla (if using) to a large mixing bowl. Use a whisk to mix well, until the almond butter and applesauce are evenly combined.
- Dry Ingredients: Add the oat flour, almond flour, ground flax, baking powder, cinnamon (if using), and salt to the bowl and mix well, until a thick batter forms. Add the rolled oats and blueberries and use the spatula to gently fold them into the batter, until combined.
- Form “Muffin Tops”: Use either a 1/3 cup cookie scoop or 1/3 measuring cup and spatula to scoop a heaping 1/3 cup “cookie” out of the batter, then place it on the prepared baking sheet without flattening it. Repeat with the remaining batter; you should have 8 medium cookies. (Tip: the cookie scoop makes the best muffin-like balls, but you can also use slightly damp fingers to re-shape your cookies if you use the measuring cup method instead)
- Bake: Bake in the middle rack of the oven for 22 to 25 minutes, until the cookies have spread and the outer edges of the cookies are just slightly brown.
- Cool: Remove from the oven and let the cookies rest on the baking sheet for 20 minutes, to firm up. Then, use a firm spatula to transfer them to a wire rack and let cool completely.
- Serve & Store: Serve immediately, or store any leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 5 days, or freeze for up to 2 months and thaw when the craving strikes 🙂 Reheat thawed cookies in the toaster oven for a few minutes for the best crispy edges and texture!
Recipe Video
Recipe Notes
- Almond Butter: You can replace the almond butter with another nut or seed butter, just keep in mind the one you choose will affect the final flavor of the cookies.
- Oat Flour: Blend 1 cup of quick-cooking or rolled oats in a high-speed blender for 45 seconds to make oat flour, or use store-bought oat flour Almond Flour: you can replace the almond flour with an additional 1/4 cup oat flour. The cookies will be slightly less fluffy, but still delicious!
- Low Sugar Option: Omit the maple syrup and use an extra 1/4 cup of applesauce to make this recipe completely added sugar free Nut-Free Option: use 1/4 cup oat flour in place of the almond flour, and use sunflower seed butter or tahini in place of the almond butter.
- Frozen Blueberries: You can also make this recipe with frozen blueberries, but I recommend adding them to the batter completely frozen. Their juices will bleed more into the batter and in the oven, which may discolor the cookie batter slightly.
