Superfood Breakfast Cookies
Mornings tend to be the most hectic time of day around our house. Some days the whirlwind of making breakfast, packing lunches, getting dressed, brushing teeth and getting everyone where they need to be can feel like an Olympic event. With two toddlers, I’m always looking for ways to simplify the busiest times of day. These superfood breakfast cookies have immensely helped minimize the chaos in our kitchen each morning.
Almost too nutritious to be called a cookie, these kid-friendly breakfast “treats” are made entirely from whole-grain oats and are packed with superfoods like pistachios, dried cherries, cinnamon, chia seeds and flaxseed. They provide long-lasting energy, fiber and antioxidants and are a good source of omega-3s, which have health-boosting benefits for bodies and brains, both big and small.
These days, I’m a big fan of the cook once, eat twice technique, so I typically bake a double batch and freeze the rest for another week. To freeze, allow the cookies to cool right on the baking sheet and pop the whole thing in the freezer. Once the cookies have frozen, transfer them to an airtight container and enjoy them for up to three months. These breakfast cookies freeze easy, defrost fast and honestly taste even better after a few moments in the microwave.
Besides being a nutritious, one-minute no-mess breakfast solution, these cookies are also very amenable to ingredient substitutions. As someone who loves finishing things (a jar of mayo, box of cereal, shampoo bottle—you name it), this is truly the perfect recipe to use up those almost-empty packages of nuts and dried fruit in your pantry.
Here are some ingredient substitution ideas, including ways to make a completely vegan version:
- Nuts: Instead of pistachios, use chopped almonds, walnuts, pecans—even pepitas!
- Dried fruit: Instead of dried cherries, use raisins, dried cranberries, chopped dates, prunes or dried apricots.
- Sweetener: For a vegan alternative to honey, use maple syrup, date syrup or brown rice syrup.
- For a plant-based alternative to regular milk, use soy milk, almond or cashew milk, hemp milk, or nondairy milk of choice.
If you’re looking to simplify your mornings, give these convenient, kid-friendly, nutritious, superfood breakfast cookies a try this week.
MAKES: 12 cookies (3 tablespoons per cookie)
INGREDIENTS
- 1 cup old-fashioned rolled oats
- ½ cup oat flour (from a heaping ½ cup rolled oats; see notes)
- ½ cup dried cherries or dried fruit of choice, chopped
- ½ cup unsalted pistachios or seed/nut of choice
- ¼ cup chocolate chips (optional)
- ¼ cup unsweetened flaked coconut
- ¼ cup ground flaxseeds
- 1 tablespoon chia seeds
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
- ½ teaspoon baking powder
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- 1 large banana, mashed
- 3 tablespoons coconut oil, melted
- 3 tablespoons honey or maple syrup
- 2 tablespoons milk of choice
INSTRUCTIONS
Preheat oven to 325 F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or lightly grease with cooking spray or oil to prevent cookies from sticking.
In a mixing bowl, combine oats, oat flour, dried fruit, nuts, chocolate chips (optional), coconut, flaxseeds, chia seeds, cinnamon, baking powder and salt and stir to combine.
Add mashed banana, coconut oil, honey or maple syrup, and milk and stir until wet ingredients are fully incorporated. Let the mixture rest 5 minutes to allow chia seeds and flaxseeds to bind everything together.
Scoop roughly 3 tablespoons dough (about the size of a golf ball) and place on your prepared baking sheet. Gently press dough until cookies are about ¼-inch thick.
Bake 15 to 18 minutes, or until cookies are lightly golden underneath and around the edges.
Store leftovers in an airtight container for 2 to 3 days, or freeze directly on parchment-lined baking sheet before transferring to airtight container. If frozen, allow at least 1 hour to defrost or warm in the microwave for 20 to 30 seconds.
NOTES
Oat flour is easy to make at home. Simply process rolled oats in a food processor or coffee grinder until oats are a flour consistency.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E7bWe0dhR9g
Video and photo credit: Elle Penner, MPH RD