With only a few days left in the year, I’m proposing a slightly rebellious idea.
Cookies for breakfast. But not just any cookies—cookies folded into a breakfast parfait that’s almost like oatmeal. Creamy vanilla, chewy and spiced rice, and crunchy cookie bits layered with fruit.
If that sounds familiar, you’re not wrong. For the last ten days I’ve been sneaking a peanut butter blossom or a chocolate crinkle as a morning nibble before my coffee. Maybe your breakfast cookie of choice has been a thumbprint or a gingerbread man. Either way, the cookie-for-breakfast trend is in full force and we’ve only got a little time before normalcy returns. Savor it.
If you think cookies at breakfast are scandalous, this will change your mind.
Almost anything can be made into breakfast with the simple addition of oats, rice, or an egg. Tacos, rice bowls, pizza, pasta — and now cookies. I first fell for the idea around a year ago with a cookie-topped oatmeal that felt indulgent but still breakfast-appropriate. Breakfast in a glass, a cookie layer, dessert flavors at dawn—yes, please. Oatmeal (and rice) makes everything feel a little healthier, so we’re covered.
As a huge fan of chewy grains—steel cut oats being a favorite—I loved the idea of a sweet breakfast risotto. There’s a baked breakfast risotto in my cookbook, but it’s the holidays and I wanted to crumble cookies into mine because, well, I do what I want. Let’s also be honest and pretend rice is basically oatmeal and equally virtuous.
The texture is the star: chewy arborio rice, a touch of creaminess, crispy gingersnaps, bright orange wedges, and jewel-like pomegranate arils that pop. The combination tastes so delightfully over-the-top it almost seems wrong—but in the best way.
A chew-lover’s dream, if you will.
So what are your plans this week? Working, off, lounging on the couch binging old shows and sneaking cookies for breakfast? Choosing a sparkly nail polish for New Year’s Eve? Listing big plans for the coming year? If any of that sounds familiar, we are clearly kindred spirits.
Gingersnap Breakfast Risotto
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Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
- 1 cup arborio rice
- 1 knob fresh ginger
- 2 cup water
- 2 cups full fat coconut milk, plus extra for serving
- 2 tablespoons brown sugar
- 1 tablespoon vanilla bean paste
- 1/8 teaspoon salt
- 2/3 cup crushed gingersnap cookies
- for serving: orange slices, pomegranate arils, extra coconut cream
Instructions
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Heat a saucepan over medium-low heat and add the butter. Add the rice and stir to coat. Cook until the rice begins to toast, stirring often, about 2 to 3 minutes. Pour in the water and the knob of ginger and stir. Cook until the water is almost absorbed by the rice, stirring frequently. Add the coconut milk and continue stirring until the liquid is absorbed. Remove the ginger. Stir in the brown sugar, vanilla bean paste, and salt. At this point you can fold in a handful of crushed gingersnap cookies if you like.
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Spoon the risotto into bowls and drizzle with a little extra coconut milk or cream. Top with orange slices, pomegranate arils, more crushed cookies, and a full gingersnap for garnish. I like to layer the toppings for contrast. Serve immediately.
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P.S. Those little white pops are white chocolate crunchies. Because… I do what I want.