Breakfast Cookies
As seen in my article on @YorkRegion: RENATA’S TABLE: Go back to school with breakfast cookies
These breakfast cookies are the perfect solution to have wholesome nourishing food at the ready to start the day for your family or yourself. Made in advance, they come together quickly, are ready in the fridge and are a delicious, nutritious, healthy and filling grab & go breakfast.
Chewy breakfast goodness – with crunch if you add pumpkin seeds!
Gluten free and made with sunflower seed butter or ‘WOW’ butter (a very tasty soy-based school-safe alternative for nut butter) for elementary school lunches or those with nut sensitivities, they are equally delicious made with all-natural peanut butter or almond butter.
Great on their own or if you prefer, warm the cookie up and then top with cottage cheese or yogurt, nuts or berries for an extra special treat.
They make a great afternoon / afterschool pick-me-up snack when that afternoon slump hits!
Banana and applesauce for fibre, antioxidant qualities for heart health and potassium and vitamin C components for the production of new brain cells, supporting learning and memory.
Oats are a nutrient dense, gluten free whole grain, high in fibre, plant-based protein, manganese for bone health, phosphorous supporting cell health and thiamin that converts carbs to energy to fuel the body.
Hemp Hearts, an essential fatty acid and plant-based protein, contain many vitamins and minerals for supporting heart health, blood pressure balance, bone health.
Chia seeds for digestion and gut health, with minerals for bone health.
Pumpkin Seeds, rich in antioxidants and an anti-inflammatory, containing selenium and iron for heart and bone health.
Easy and quick to make and loaded with simple healthy ingredients, these cookies are a welcome gamechanger in a busy schedule.
As always, when you make this recipe, I would love to see your creation so please post a photo of your Breakfast Cookies goodness and tag my IG account #RenataCollective or leave a comment with your thoughts!
Prep Time: 15 minutes / Bake Time: 15-17 minutes / Makes: 10-12 3” large cookies
Ingredients
1 Medium-sized Ripe Banana
½ Cup Unsweetened Apple Sauce
½ Cup WOW Butter or Sunflower Seed Butter – alternate: all-natural peanut butter or almond butter
¼ Cup Coconut Sugar – alternate: organic cane sugar or brown sugar
2 Tablespoons Maple Syrup
1 Egg
1½ teaspoons Vanilla
1 Cup Large Flake Oats
1 Cup Oat Flour
2 Tablespoons Hemp Hearts
1 Tablespoon Chia Seeds
1½ teaspoons Ground Cinnamon
1 teaspoon Baking Soda
1/3 Cup Shredded Unsweetened Coconut
1/3 Cup Pumpkin Seeds – optional and so good to include
1/3 Cup Dark Chocolate Chips – optional, alternate: yogurt chips, sugar-free semi-sweet chocolate chips (the brand I use is Krisda)
Options instead of chips: 1/3 cup of: tiny diced apple pieces, dried apricots, dried figs or dates, raisins, craisins or chopped nuts (if no sensitivities and not for school).
How It’s Made
Preheat your oven to 350°F.
Line your cookie sheet (you likely will need 2 sheets) with parchment paper or a silicon pad.
In a large bowl, mash your banana and add all the wet ingredients (apple sauce, butter of your choice, coconut sugar, maple syrup, egg and vanilla) and mix together well.
Add the dry ingredients (oats, oat flour, hemp hearts, chia seeds, cinnamon, baking soda and coconut) and mix everything together.
Stir in the pumpkin seeds and chips if including – I hope you do!
For larger cookies, drop generous heaped tablespoon sized dollops on the baking sheet and spread them our slightly in rounds, leaving space between each as they spread a bit. Drop smaller dollops if making these for younger eaters.
Bake for 15 minutes and check the cookies. They should be lightly browned and firm to the touch. If they need a bit more time, bake longer in 2 minutes increments.
Remove from the oven and let cool. They will be soft so let them cool on the baking sheet.
Store in the fridge.
Enjoy!
