Healthy Oatmeal Breakfast Cookies

Breakfast on the run 

Every morning is struggle to shove some food into my over-tired daughter’s face before she heads to school. She never wants to get up in the morning because she never wants to go to sleep at night. She wakes up demanding we go back to sleep and when she does finally let me drag her out of bed and into clothes (and sunscreen), there isn’t enough to sit down with a healthy bowl of oatmeal or scrambled egg.  Not that she would eat it anyway.

No – instead of a sunshine-filled, commercial-worthy, happy family breakfast, she usually munches on something while I drive her to school. The only way I can get her to eat is when she’s strapped down in her carseat with nowhere to run. What can you do? ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

 Cookies for breakfast

Breakfast cookies are pretty much an ideal solution. They’re easy to take on the go and they’re cookies so kids think they’re getting away with something and actually want to eat them (husbands, too).  And, while it’s possible I may have given her a bag of Annie’s Bunny Grahams once or twice and called it breakfast, these cookies actually are healthy breakfast. They cover everything you want in a healthy morning meal - fruit, oats, protein, omega-rich flax, and even veggies if you choose that add-in. Plus, they’re easy to customize to your kids needs and taste-buds.

Since eating is such a struggle here, I made these extra nutritious by adding shredded carrot (squeezed out the moisture first, of course!) and raisins. Since our preschool is nut free, I used sesame seed butter instead of peanut butter, which she prefers. In addition, 1/4 honey was plenty, especially since our vanilla protein powder is sweetened, but feel free to add more if you want sweeter cookies.

Healthy Oatmeal Breakfast Cookies

INGREDIENTS

1 large banana, mashed (about ½ cup)

½ cup sesame seed or nut butter

¼-1/3 cup honey or maple syrup

2 teaspoons vanilla

1 cup rolled oats

¼ cup flour (whole wheat or gluten free flour)

¼ cup ground flax seed

¼ cup vanilla protein powder

2 teaspoons ground cinnamon

½ teaspoon baking soda

½ cup mix-ins (I use raisins and shredded carrots)

INSTRUCTIONS

Preheat the oven to 350°F.

Mix together mashed banana, sesame seed or nut butter, honey, and vanilla.

In another bowl, stir together oats, flour, flax seed, protein powder, cinnamon, and baking soda. Stir dry ingredients into the wet ingredients until combined. Do not over mix. Add in your mix-ins. If using shredded carrots (or zucchini or other wet ingredients) make sure to thoroughly squeeze out all the moisture before adding to your cookie batter.

Using a large spoon or ice cream scoop, drop mounds of cookie dough on to greased cookie sheets. Wet or grease your hands or a spatula and flatten each mound  to about ½ inch thick.

Bake for 10-14 minutes, until edges are lightly golden and batter has set. Transfer to wire racks to cool

Store in an airtight container for 3 days or freeze for up to 2 months. Thaw before serving.

Mix-ins

You can add all sorts of mix-ins to this flexible cookie recipe. Some of our favorites include: chocolate chips, carob chips, yogurt chips, nuts, shredded carrots (squeeze out moisture!), raisins, dried cranberries, dried blueberries, trail mix, pumpkin seeds, sunflower seeds.

 This recipe adapted from Momables Oatmeal Breakfast Cookie.