If you’ve ever searched for a sleepy cookies recipe, you’re not alone — more people are turning to food-based rituals to help wind down before bed. These chamomile and chill cookies are a cozy, no-fuss way to lean into that idea. Made with ingredients that research suggests may help support relaxation, they’re the kind of treat that feels good to make and even better to eat on a quiet evening.
Chamomile is well-known for its calming, soothing and relaxing effect. It can help you nod off to sleep and apparently can even help relieve sore muscles or tummy aches. I love a good cup of camomile tea (tip: tea made from the flowers is about a billion per cent tastier than the teabag version) but I also have a cookie obsession. So after a bit of experimenting, we combined chamomile and mavender for these calming cookies, which are vegan and gluten-free to boot.
Chamomile is a bit of an acquired taste, so this sleepy cookies recipe may not be for everyone. That said, if you’re someone who enjoys a chamomile tea before bed, there’s a good chance you’ll love these. The most fiddly part is separating the chamomile flowers from their stems — it’s doable with your fingers, just a little time-consuming. If you’d rather skip that step, the contents of 10 chamomile teabags work just as well.
Makes about 16 cookies.
What you’ll need for this sleepy cookies recipe:
1/2 cup dried chamomile flowers, separated from their stems, or the contents of 10 chamomile tea bags
1/2 cup coconut milk
1 cup vegan butter
2 cups rice flour
1 teaspoon of baking powder
1 1/3 cups sugar
1 flaxseed egg (1 tablespoon finely ground flax seeds with 2-3 tablespoons water)
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1 tablespoon agave syrup
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 teaspoon sea salt
Here’s how:
Preheat your oven to 180 degrees Celsius.
Mix the rice flour and baking powder together in a bowl. Add the chamomile flowers, cinnamon and salt, and mix thoroughly again.
In a larger bowl, beat the butter, sugar, and agave syrup together with a fork until well combined and a little fluffy. Mix in the soy milk, vanilla extract, and flax egg.
Gently fold the chamomile mixture into the butter mixture until evenly combined.
Scoop up tablespoons of the cookie mixture and roll into a ball in your hands. Drop the balls onto an oven tray lined with baking paper and press down a little to slightly flatten them. Each cookie will spread and rise a little as they cook so make sure they are widely spaced.
Bake for 15 to 20 minutes, until lightly golden. Allow to cool on the tray for 5 minutes before transferring to wire rack to cool completely.
Serve with milky tea and a good book.
Recipe originally from She Makes Magic
Looking for more ways to beat your snooze blues?
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If you enjoy baking as part of your wind-down routine, you might also want to explore How to Relax After a Long Day: Your Guide to Better Sleep and Recovery for more ideas on building a calming evening ritual.
If you’re curious about how food choices can support better rest, research published in PubMed suggests certain ingredients may help improve sleep quality — a reassuring nod to the idea behind any thoughtful sleepy cookies recipe.