Cherry Almond Breakfast Cookies
Happy New Year! As I’ve mentioned before, I’m not into resolutions. But I do love the feeling of a fresh year laid out ahead of me. So many possibilities! So many things I’d like to do this year! But before I get started with all that I’ll need a good breakfast.
And that’s usually where it breaks bad for me. I’m not much of a breakfast person. Like, at all. What? You’re saying, “Um, duh, because you have yet to post a single breakfast recipe, Christina!”? Well you’re right. I don’t dislike breakfast foods per say, they are just not so much my thing. Also, when you have a perfectly delightful, adorable, sweeter-than-peaches 10 month old WHO IS STARTING TO WALK/RUN AWAY FROM YOU, you really don’t have much time to sit down to a decent breakfast anyway. Enter these breakfast cookies.
Now, the breakfast cookies I’ve had in the past fall into two categories: 1)absolutely delicious and taste like a straight up cookie with little to no nutritional value (and I think I can safely say we’ve all had our share of butter-laden, chocolate gorged, straight up cookies in the past month, no?) or 2)healthy, but taste like rocks and have a similar texture. It took a few batches of these to get to breakfast cookie nirvana, but I think I’ve done it. Do not be intimidated by flaxseed meal or coconut oil. You can find coconut oil in any grocery store, and same with flax seeds. I make flaxseed meal by putting some flax seeds in my mini food processor and giving it a few whirls. Easy peasy.
These cookies are moist, chewy, and just the right amount of sweet. They are packed with dried fruit and nuts and a bit of coconut. They taste amazing with a cup of coffee and keep you satisfied until lunch. But here is how I knew that I had finally found the breakfast cookie of my dreams: I found myself grabbing them as snacks throughout the day, they were just so tempting. Bingo.
Cherry Almond Breakfast Cookies
The following recipe uses dried cherries and almonds, but you can substitute any dried fruit or nuts, with any ratio you’d like. You could also use chocolate chips, granola, whatever… Just make sure you stick to 2 cups of mix-ins- any more and your cookies will be a bit crumbly.
½ cup mashed banana (about 1 large)
½ cup peanut butter
½ cup honey
1/8 cup coconut oil
1 cup rolled oats
½ cup flour
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
¼ teaspoon baking soda
2 TB flaxseed meal
¼ cup coconut
1cup dried cherries (or other dried fruit)
1 cup slivered almonds (or other roughly chopped nuts)
Preheat oven to 350°F. Lightly grease two cookie sheets; set aside. In a large bowl, stir together banana, peanut butter, honey, and coconut oil. In a small bowl, combine oats, flour, cinnamon, and baking soda. Stir the oat mixture into the banana mixture until combined. Stir in dried fruit, nuts, and coconut.
Using a ¼-cup measure, drop mounds of dough 3 inches apart on prepared cookie sheets. With a thin metal or small plastic spatula dipped in water, flatten and spread each mound of dough to a 2¾-inch round, about ½ inch thick.
Bake, one sheet at a time, for 14 to 16 minutes or until browned. Transfer to wire racks to cool completely.
You can store these in an air-tight container for up to 3-4 days or freeze for up to 2 months. I like to make a double batch and throw most of them in the freezer. If you take a few out, they usually thaw by the time the coffee is done brewing.