Sarah's Almond Butter Oatmeal Breakfast Cookies

Sarah, a reader of the blog, sent me her breakfast cookie recipe.  It's a spin of my ~ Peanut Butter Banana Oat Breakfast Cookies.  I made her version and we all really liked them!!!  Sarah's recipe includes avocado, which might sound strange, but it works, adding a subtle richness to her cookies.  I added some carob chips and raisins to her recipe, just because we really like them.  :)   We all loved the soft texture of the cookies and gave them a big thumbs up!  I'm calling them ~ Sarah's Almond Butter Oatmeal Breakfast Cookies.

Here's the original comment Sarah left me ~  I LOVE your blog and all the awesome recipes, here is my spin on the oatmeal cookies as made for my 9 month old son to eat for breakfast...though hubs and I did love them too!  Followed directions as per peanut butter protein cookies. The almond butter gives them a really nice consistency and has a mild flavor compared to peanut butter.  Thanks!  ~ Sarah, it was so kind of you to share your recipe.  You ROCK!

Sarah's Almond Butter Oatmeal Breakfast Cookies
makes 16-20 depending on size

Ingredients

• 2 bananas, mashed until creamy
• 1/3 ripe avocado, mashed until creamy
• 2/3 cup unsweetened applesauce
• 1/3 cup almond butter (or nut butter of choice)
• 1 tsp vanilla extract 
• 1 1/2 cups quick oats, uncooked (or use old fashioned oats for more oatmeal texture)
• 1 tsp cinnamon
• 1/4 cup mix of chocolate/carob chips and/or raisins (optional)

Directions

Preheat heat oven to 350 degrees.  In a large bowl, thoroughly combine mashed banana, mashed avocado, almond butter,  applesauce & vanilla extract.   Add in the oatmeal & cinnamon (and chips/raisins if using) and stir together. Let dough rest for 10 minutes.  Drop cookie dough, by spoonfuls, onto a parchment paper lined cookie sheet & flatten cookies into circles.  Bake cookies approx. 20-25 minutes.  Remove from oven & let rest on cookie sheet for 5 minutes, then move to cooling rack.  When cookies are completely cool, store in a covered container.  They will last longer if kept in the fridge.  Enjoy!

 

 

Oat Bran Breakfast Cookies

I was playing around with a batch of breakfast cookies the other day and came up with a new variety.  Since I've been making a lot of oat bran muffins lately, I decided to incorporate some oat bran into my breakfast cookies.  As long as I was at it, I tossed in some ground flax seed and a bit of oil, just to shake things up a bit.  These breakfast cookies are wheat free, egg free and dairy free.  I found the texture was a lot softer and not quite as chewy as my Banana Oat Breakfast Cookies.  I'm not sure if it was the addition of the oil, flax seed, oat bran or the combo that changed the texture.  Roy really enjoyed them, and gave them a thumbs up.  Hope you like them, too.  :) 

Oat Bran Breakfast Cookies 
makes 16-20, depending on size of cookies
 
Ingredients

• 1 cup quick oatmeal ~ uncooked
• 1/2 cup oat bran
• 2 ripe bananas, mashed with fork until creamy 
  
• 1 cup unsweetened applesauce
• 1/3 cup raisins and/or dried cranberries
• 1/4 cup carob chips (or chocolate chips)
• 1 Tbsp ground flax seed
• 1 Tbsp oil (I use Smart Balance)
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 1 tsp cinnamon

Directions

Preheat heat oven to 350 degrees.  Mix vanilla extract & cinnamon into the applesauce.  Blend applesauce mixture with all other ingredients & let sit for 10 minutes.  Drop cookie dough, by spoonfuls, onto a parchment paper lined cookie sheet & flatten cookies into circles.  Bake approx. 22 -25 minutes.  Remove from oven & let rest on cookie sheet for 5 minutes, then move to cooling rack.  Store in a covered container when completely cool, with parchment paper between the layers.  They will last longer if kept in the fridge.

  

Double Cherry-Chocolate Chip Breakfast Cookies

Double Cherry-Chocolate Chip Breakfast Cookies ~ full of fresh & dried cherries, as well as a hint of chocolate.  The perfect Breakfast Cookie for right now, especially since we are smack-dab in the middle of cherry season!

Recipe Repost from July 29, 2012 ~ Since there are lots of fresh cherries in the market right now, I decided to repost one of my favorite ways to bake with cherries. ~ Enjoy!

This new spin on Breakfast Cookies came about because of all the fresh cherries that I keep seeing everywhere, as well as getting the inspiration / idea from one of the visitors to the blog who mentioned making Breakfast Cookies using fresh cherries. (you didn't leave your name, so I can't properly thank you ~ but you know who you are! :)   I just had to try making a cookie using fresh cherries, too.  Now is definitely the right time to try this recipe, since cherries are so cheap.   Cooking with the seasons does have its advantages!

I came up with a ~ Double Cherry-Chocolate Chip Breakfast Cookie.  It has a double hit of cherry flavor, calling for both fresh & dried cherries, as well as a hint of chocolate.  You could easily use frozen cherries instead of fresh.  If you're like me & you're looking for new ways to use/cook with all the fresh cherries that are everywhere right now, this just might be the Breakfast Cookie for you ~ Enjoy!

Double Cherry-Chocolate Chip Breakfast Cookies

makes 16 regular cookies

Ingredients

• 1 1/2 cups old fashioned oatmeal ~ uncooked
• 2 ripe bananas, mashed with fork until creamy 
  
• 3/4 cup unsweetened applesauce
• 12 fresh cherries, pitted & sliced into smaller pieces (or 12 frozen cherries, thawed & sliced/chopped)
• 1/4 cup dried cherries, chopped
• 3 Tbsp chocolate chips or carob chips (or more, to taste)
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 1 tsp cinnamon (or more, to taste) 
   

Directions
 

Preheat heat oven to 350 degrees.

Mix vanilla extract & cinnamon into the applesauce.

Combine the applesauce mixture with all other ingredients & let sit for 10 minutes

Drop cookie dough, by spoonfuls, onto a parchment paper lined cookie sheet & flatten cookies into rounds.

Bake approx. 30 minutes, or until golden & done.

Remove from oven & let rest on cookie sheet for 5 minutes, then move to cooling rack.  Cookies will firm/sweeten up as they cool.
 
When completely cool store in a covered container.

Judy's Ultimate ~ Peanut Butter Oatmeal Breakfast Cookies ~

I received a comment/recipe from Judy (a reader of the blog) a few weeks ago, it was regarding her spin on my Peanut Butter Banana Oat Breakfast Cookies. I just made her version this afternoon and they blew me away!!  So, I just had to formally share her wonderful recipe with everyone.   I think her version bridges the gap between my breakfast cookies and more traditional cookies.  Since her cookie recipe uses quick oats, a touch of milk and different proportions of the same ingredients as most of my breakfast cookies, it comes out similar, yet with a different texture ~ both for the cookie 'dough' and for the finished breakfast cookie.  There are still no added eggs or wheat, it's still sweetened with fruit and the only bit of refined sugar comes from the dried cranberries. (you could replace the dried cranberries with raisins, if you really want to avoid any white sugar ~ but, it doesn't bother me :)   Judy's cookie has a more classic, soft peanut butter cookie texture and I'm soooooooo enjoying it!!!! 

It really makes my day to know that people are trying some of my recipes, and/or are inspired to take them in a new direction, and then come back to share the recipes with me. It gives me the warm fuzzies!  :)  I bet you're gonna love her cookies as much as I do! I've decided to call her cookies ~ Judy's Ultimate ~ Peanut Butter Oatmeal Breakfast Cookies.

Here is Judy's comment that she left on my original recipe post for ~ Peanut Butter Banana Oat Breakfast Cookies...

4/12/13 ~ I made these today at my senior complex and everybody loved them!!!--My recipe called for 3 ripe bananas, 1/2 cup applesauce, 1/4 cup milk, 2 cups quick oats, 1 tsp vanilla, 1 tsp cinnamon, 1/2 cup dried cranberries, 1/2 cup walnuts and 1/2 cup peanut butter. Cook for 18 minutes at 350.
Thanks for sharing and we love your recipes!!
Judy from Vancouver, Washington

 

Judy's Ultimate Peanut Butter Breakfast Cookies

makes 16-32 cookies depending on how big you like your cookies
(This recipe can easily be cut in half, that's what I did. When I made half a recipe, I came up with 16 regular size cookies.  Just divide all measurements by half)

Ingredients

• 3 ripe bananas, mashed until creamy
• 2 cups quick oats
• 1/2 cup peanut butter
• 1/2 cup unsweetened applesauce
• 1/2 cup chopped walnuts
• 1/2 cup dried cranberries
• 1/4 cup milk
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 1 tsp ground cinnamon

Directions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees and line the cookie sheet with parchment paper.

Combine all wet ingredients together in a large bowl, then add all dry ingredients.  Stir until well combined.  Allow mixture to rest for 10 minutes.  Place spoonfuls of the cookie 'dough' on the prepared cookie sheet and flatten them into 'thin-ish' circles. (or to the thickness of your choice, the cookies will not spread by themselves)

Bake for 18 minutes, or until done to your liking.  Allow to sit on cookie sheet for 5 minutes, then move to cooling rack.  Enjoy warm, room temperature or chilled ~ as you wish.  Keep in a covered container, in the fridge, so they will last longer.  Enjoy!

Judy, I'd like to thank you so much for sharing your version of the Peanut Butter Banana Oat Breakfast Cookies with me!  I'm so happy that everybody at your senior complex loved them.  Thanks so much for letting me know and for making my day!! You are all awesome!  Wishing you all the very best ~ Cheers!  :)

 

Breakfast Cookie Dough Morning Oatmeal ~ quick 'n' easy, no cooking required!

When I make a batch of my breakfast cookies, I always like eat some of the 'dough', straight from the bowl.  It tastes so good and since it has to sit there 10 minutes before going into the oven, I just have to sneak a bite...or two.  When I was making a batch the other morning, I kept eating it because I hadn't had any breakfast yet.  That's when it hit me ~ why not just make it like that for a quick, no-cook breakfast??  Sometimes, I can't see the forest for the trees.  :)

Breakfast Cookie Dough Morning Oatmeal ~ no cooking required!

serves one

Ingredients

• 1/2 cup uncooked oatmeal (old fashioned or quick, not instant)
• 1/3 cup unsweetened applesauce
• 1/2 banana, diced
• 1 Tbsp raisins (or dried cranberries)
• 1 Tbsp chopped walnuts (or nut of choice)
• 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
• 1/4 tsp vanilla extract

 Optional add-ins ~

• chia or flax seeds ~ to sprinkle on
• carob or chocolate chips ~ for a special treat
• cocoa powder ~ to stir in for a hit of chocolate flavor (use with a sweetener)
• maple syrup or honey ~ to drizzle on
• milk of choice ~ for pouring over when serving
• sliced fruit of choice ~ for extra fruitiness

Directions 

Mix all ingredients together in a bowl and let the breakfast cookie dough sit for 10 minutes while you go about your morning routine.  Enjoy as is or get creative with the optional add-ins.  Some days I add milk, other days I add more fruit ~ all depends on my mood.  :)

 

Trail Mix Oatmeal Breakfast Cookies ~ feeling the 'Boulder Crunchy Vibe'!

Trail Mix Oatmeal Breakfast Cookies ~ Dairy-free, flour-free, refined white sugar-free, egg-free and they're sweetened naturally with fruit & carob chips!  ((if wheat is not an issue for you, then you could toss in some wheat germ/wheat bran ~ if you choose to include the optional add-in's.  W/G & W/B always make me think of old-fashioned, health food hippie-goodies :))  I'm loving the 'feel good' 'Granola Hippie/Crunchy Vibe' of these breakfast cookies!  How about you?  :)

I've been wishing for spring to get here,  I'm so tired of the cold and all the gray skies!  I'm ready for wildflowers and warm sunny days.  I want to get outside more, I want to ride my bike and wander around some of the nature trails that are in our area.  Since the weather just doesn't seem to want to cooperate, I've decided to hit the trail anyway...but, in my kitchen...and in the form of a new breakfast cookie.  I'm calling it my ~ Trail Mix Oatmeal Breakfast Cookie.

Chautauqua Park ~ Boulder, Colorado ~ The Flatirons (in the distance)

To get in the outdoorsy mood, I started throwing all my favorite trail mix goodies into my basic Banana Oat Breakfast Cookie dough.  I was going for a little Crunchy/Granola Hippe vibe. (click on the link to learn what being 'crunchy' is all about.  (Can you tell that I'm missing Colorado?  Especially one of my all-time favorite towns, Boulder?  What I wouldn't give to be hiking in Chautauqua Park right now!)  This is a happy, tasty cookie that could be different every time you make it, depending on your mood or what's available in your pantry.  Sweet!  Happy Trails!

Trail Mix Oatmeal Breakfast Cookies
makes 20-24 cookies or 10-12 bars or a varied amount of mixed shapes :)

Ingredients

• 1 1/2 cups old fashioned oatmeal
• 2 ripe bananas, mashed with fork until creamy 
  
• 1 cup unsweetened applesauce
• 1/4 cup mixture of your favorite dried fruit, like ~  raisins, dried cranberries, shredded coconut, chopped apricots or dates
• 1/4 cup mixture of your favorite nuts, like ~ sunflower seeds, toasted slivered almonds, chopped walnuts, peanuts or pecans
• 1/4 cup carob chips (or chocolate chips, if you aren't Crunchy :)
• 1 Tbsp+ mixture of optional add-ins, like ~ ground flax, hulled hemp seeds, chia seeds, poppy seeds, sesame seeds or oat bran
• 1 tsp vanilla extract (or maybe coconut or almond, for a change)
• 1 tsp ground cinnamon  

Directions
Preheat heat oven to 350 degrees. Get out a medium bowl and...
Mash bananas until creamy, and then...  
Combine all remaining ingredients together & let sit for 10 minutes.
Drop cookie dough, by spoonfuls, onto a parchment paper lined cookie sheet, shape & flatten cookies into circles or into bars.
Bake approx. 20-25 minutes, or until golden & done to your liking.
Remove from oven & let rest on cookie sheet for 5 minutes, then move to cooling rack. 
Store in a covered container when completely cool.  They will last longer if kept in the fridge.  Serve room temp or chilled, as you wish.
Enjoy as is...  Or maybe get a little creative ~ how about swapping the carob or chocolate chips for some M&M's; or maybe just use a 1/2 cup of real trail mix instead of the 1/4 cups of fruits/nuts I've listed above; or maybe even try the breakfast cookies like this...

** I recently tried a new Coconut Spread that is really good, it's by Olivio.  I don't really use coconut oil due to its high saturated fat content...but, I just love its light coconut flavor, so I splurged and bought a tub.  I spread it on as a special treat for a few of these Trail Mix Oatmeal Breakfast Cookies.  It added a nice, 'buttery' feel with just a hint of coconut flavor.  It's still less s/f than butter, so I might just keep a tub of it around for special occasions.  :)

Cinnamon-Honey-Walnut Oatmeal Breakfast Cookies

I came up with another breakfast cookie flavor last night ~ Cinnamon-Honey-Walnut Oatmeal Breakfast Cookies.  This time around I've really upped the cinnamon, included the sweetness of honey,  cut out some of the banana and skipped the dried fruit.  The cookies are dairy, egg and flour free ~ yeah!  I was inspired to create this flavor combo yesterday after trading comments with a reader of the blog.  We were talking about eating a little honey and cinnamon as a spread for breakfast cookies.  I decided to include them in the cookies to see how it would taste.  I really like the heavy cinnamon flavor in this batch of cookies, and it made the house smell wonderful as they were baking.

T.C. ~ Thanks so much for inspiring another flavor of Breakfast Cookie!  As I mentioned to you yesterday, I made a batch of cookies last night and really heightened the cinnamon and honey flavors.  For good measure I added some toasted walnuts, well, because I really like nuts in my cookies.  I'm quite charmed by this new flavor ~ hope you like them, too!

Cinnamon-Honey-Walnut Oatmeal Breakfast Cookies
makes approx. 20 cookies (depending on size) 
get the nutrition info ~ here

Ingredients

• 1 3/4 cups quick oatmeal, uncooked (not instant)
• 1 firm, ripe banana ~ mashed with fork until creamy
  
• 1 cup unsweetened applesauce
• 1/3 cup chopped walnuts, toasted (or not, as you prefer)
• 3 Tbsp honey
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 3 tsp cinnamon ~ or more, to taste (I added another 1/2 tsp, I really like my cinnamon!)

Directions

Preheat heat oven to 350 degrees.

Mix honey, vanilla extract & cinnamon into the applesauce.

Blend applesauce mixture with all other ingredients & let sit for 10 minutes.

Drop cookie dough, by spoonfuls, onto a parchment paper lined cookie sheet & flatten cookies into circles.

Bake approx. 20 minutes, or until golden & done.

Remove from oven & let rest on cookie sheet for 5 minutes, then move to cooling rack.
 
Store in a covered container when completely cool.

P.S. ~ Here is the 1/29/13 comment from T.C., (left on my original Banana Oat Breakfast Cookie post)  that got me going on the honey/cinnamon bandwagon.  I had a cookie last night as a midnight snack and I used a little butter/honey/cinnamon spread on the cookie, as T.C. suggested.  It was EXCELLENT!  So, I just had to share T.C.'s comment from that post, on this post, too.

I love your breakfast cookies! I try to have some coconut oil or butter and cinnamon and honey a day for health benefits. I soften 1 tsp coconut butter and mix it with 1 tsp of cinnamon honey that I have premixed. Spread that on the cookies and Wow! This is really a very satisfying healthy snack in my opinion.  

Apple Spice Oatmeal Breakfast Cookies

Apple Spice Oatmeal Breakfast Cookies ~ for those who would rather not bake with bananas, this might be the breakfast cookie recipe for you!

Christine T, a reader of the blog, wondered about using all applesauce in one of the breakfast cookie recipes ~ just forgetting the banana altogether.  She also mentioned adding chopped apples & some extra spice.  Sounded interesting, so I made a batch using her thoughts as my inspiration.

Skipping the banana and using only applesauce seems to work just fine.  The texture is a bit different from the other breakfast cookies that include banana, they don't seem quite as chewy to me.  I still prefer them when made with bananas, but, it's a nice option if you don't like bananas or don't happen to have any bananas around when you want to make a batch of breakfast cookies.   I did include a little honey to make up for the loss of the sweetness that the bananas would have provided.  Next time, I might up-the-spices for an even bolder flavor.  You could even add a bit more honey, just depends on how sweet you like your cookies; maybe throw in some chopped walnuts, too.  If anyone tinkers with the recipe even more, please leave a comment and share what you did ~  I'm sure those who don't like bananas will be thrilled.

Christine T ~   Thanks so much for the idea to create a new breakfast cookie flavor using only apples!  Hope you like them.  :)


Apple Spice Oatmeal Breakfast Cookies
12 ~ 16 cookies

Ingredients

• 1 1/2 cups old fashioned oatmeal
• 1 cup unsweetened applesauce
• 2/3 cup diced apple ~ your favorite kind
• 1/4 cup raisins
• 1 Tbsp honey
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 1 tsp cinnamon
• 1/2 tsp nutmeg
• 1/4 tsp allspice

Directions

Preheat heat oven to 350 degrees.

Mix all ingredients together & let cookie dough sit for 10 minutes, so the oats can absorb some of the moisture.

Drop cookie dough, by spoonfuls, onto a parchment paper lined cookie sheet & flatten cookies into circles.

Bake approx. 20 - 25 minutes, or until golden & done.

Remove from oven & let rest on cookie sheet for 5 minutes, then move to cooling rack.
 
Store in a covered container when completely cool.

PB2 Chocolate Peanut Butter Oat Breakfast Cookies

PB2 Chocolate Peanut Butter Oat Breakfast Cookies ~ Using PB2 Powdered Peanut Butter makes these cookies lower in fat since it has 85% less fat calories than traditional peanut butter.

I've been craving chocolate & peanut butter lately, must be because of the bag of Halloween candy we still have hanging around the house.  So, I decided to channel that craving into making a new batch of breakfast cookies.  Using ~ PB2 Powdered Peanut Butter ~ instead of traditional peanut butter makes these cookies lower in fat, but with all the flavor.  These breakfast cookies are flour, egg & dairy free.  Hope you enjoy this new flavor spin. 


PB2 Chocolate Peanut Butter Oat Breakfast Cookies
makes 18~24 cookies, depending on size

Ingredients

• 1/3 cup PB2 Powdered Peanut Butter (regular or chocolate flavored)
• 1/3 cup water
• 2 bananas, mashed until creamy
• 2/3 cup unsweetened applesauce
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 2 Tbsp dark cocoa powder
• 2 cups quick oatmeal, uncooked
• 2 Tbsp raisins
• 2 Tbsp carob chips (or chocolate chips)

Directions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Mix, in a small cup ~ PB2 Powdered Peanut Butter with water and stir until completely blended.  Set aside.

Combine the mashed bananas, applesauce, vanilla extract and cocoa powder in a large bowl.  Stir thoroughly, add the PB2 mixture and stir again until well combined. Stir in the remaining ingredients and let sit for 10 minutes. 

Drop cookie dough, by spoonfuls, onto a parchment paper lined cookie sheet & flatten cookies into circles.

Bake approx. 20-25 minutes, or until done to your liking.

Remove from oven & let rest on cookie sheet for 5 minutes, then move to cooling rack.
 
Store in a covered container when completely cool.

Cranberry-Pumpkin Oat Breakfast Cookies

Cranberry-Pumpkin Oat Breakfast Cookies ~ The ruby red cranberries are a perfect match for the pumpkin.  If you want a real treat, add some white chocolate chips & make this breakfast cookie really special!

Frances (a reader of the blog) left me a comment, sharing some of the changes she made to her batch of the Banana Oat Breakfast Cookies.  She substituted some pumpkin for part the applesauce, omitted the nuts & upped the raisins.  It sounded really good, so I decided I wanted to try the pumpkin swap too, but I had another spin in mind... I also cut the nuts (heehee, that just made me giggle), but wanted to use all cranberries this time around, instead of raisins.  I also included some honey, since the pumpkin just doesn't have the same sweetness as the applesauce.  I topped a few of the cookies with white chocolate chips, just because it sounded it good. (it was)  I'm guess I'm still on the pumpkin kick ~ hope you are too.  Enjoy!

Cranberry-Pumpkin Oat Breakfast Cookies

makes approx. 18 cookies, depending on size

To see the nutritional info, go over to the CalorieCount site ~ click here.

Ingredients

• 2 ripe bananas ~ mashed with fork until smooth & creamy
• 1/2 cup canned pumpkin puree
• 1/2 cup unsweetened applesauce
• 2 Tbsp honey
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 1 tsp cinnamon
• 1 1/2 cup old fashioned oatmeal ~ uncooked
• 1/3 cup dried cranberries (or more, to taste)
• 1/4 cup white chocolate chips (optional)

Directions

Preheat heat oven to 350 degrees. 

Mix mashed bananas, pumpkin, applesauce, honey, vanilla extract & cinnamon in a large bowl until well combined.

Stir in the oatmeal & cranberries.  Let 'dough' sit for 10 minutes.

Drop cookie dough, by spoonfuls, onto a parchment paper lined cookie sheet & flatten cookies into circles.  (press a few white chocolate chips into the cookies, if using)

Bake approx. 20-25 minutes, or until golden & done.

Remove from oven & let rest on cookie sheet for 5 minutes, then move to cooling rack.
 
Store in a covered container when completely cool.

 

Pumpkin Flax Breakfast Cookies ~ Melissa's Version

Pumpkin Flax Breakfast Cookies ~ This autumn breakfast cookie is perfect for the crisp days of fall.  They're full of the spicy tastes of your favorite pumpkin pie and the goodness of whole oats & ground flax - add the Spiced Pumpkin Spread for an extra special treat!

Melissa F., who is a reader of the blog, shared her Pumpkin Flax Breakfast Cookie recipe in the comments of my Banana Oat Breakfast Cookies post awhile back.  I've patiently been waiting for fall to arrive before making her cookies, there's something about baking with pumpkins that just seems so right this time of the year.

I've tweaked Melissa's recipe, just a bit ~ by adding some ginger, honey & extra oats.  I think this Pumpkin Flax Breakfast Cookie is perfect for the cooler weather of autumn and topping the cookie off with some of the Spiced Pumpkin Spread (from my Spiced Pumpkin Dip recipe/post - excluding the optional Greek yogurt) makes the cookies extra special. 

Now, all I need is a Pumpkin Latte and I'm good for the afternoon.  :)  Thanks so much for sharing your recipe with us, Melissa!!


Pumpkin Flax Breakfast Cookies ~ with optional Spiced Pumpkin Spread
makes 24-30 cookies, depending on size

Ingredients 

• 3/4 c applesauce
• 3Tbsp honey
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 1 1/4 tsp cinnamon
• 1/2 tsp nutmeg
• 1/4 tsp ginger
• 1/4 tsp allspice
• 2/3 c pumpkin puree
• 1 medium banana, mashed until smooth
• 1 3/4 cup old fashioned/rolled oats
• 1/4 c ground flax seed
• 1/4 cup raisins, or to taste (or cranberries or a mix of the two)
• 3Tbsp chopped walnuts

~ OPTIONAL ~ Spiced Pumpkin Spread  aka Spiced Pumpkin Dip ~ (see my Spiced Pumpkin Dip post for the recipe) ~ Here, I've used the dip as a sweet & tasty spread/icing, applied just before eating the cookies.  I just love it when a recipe can be used in different ways!

Directions

Preheat heat oven to 350 degrees.

Mix vanilla extract, honey & spices into the applesauce.

Blend applesauce mixture with all other ingredients & let sit for 10 minutes

Drop cookie dough, by spoonfuls, onto a parchment paper lined cookie sheet & flatten cookies into circles about 1/2" thick.

Bake approx. 25-30 minutes, or until golden & done.

Remove from oven & let rest on cookie sheet for 5 minutes, then move to cooling rack.

Eat the breakfast cookies plain or spread with a generous coating of the optional Spiced Pumpkin Spread (Dip).
 
Store plain cookies in a covered container when completely cool. 

Enjoy for breakfast, for an afternoon snack with tea/coffee or just about anytime!

Peanut Butter Oatmeal Raisin Breakfast Cookies ~ Kimberly's Version

Peanut Butter Oatmeal Raisin Breakfast Cookies ~ This breakfast cookie is sweetened with bananas, applesauce & raisins.  It's gets its high protein from ~ peanut butter, vanilla protein powder & egg.

Kimberly, (one of the readers of the blog) shared her tweaks to the original Peanut Butter Banana Oat Breakfast Cookies ~ recipe.   In her version she added an egg, raisins, cinnamon & baking powder ~ & she left out the extra nuts, butter extract & carob/chocolate chips.  Cool!  It sounded like such a neat spin, I just had to give it a try ~ so I made them today.  She turned the recipe into what I'm calling the ~ Peanut Butter Oatmeal Raisin Breakfast Cookies.  Her version is very good & just as easy to make as the original version.  We treated ourselves & 'frosted' some of the cookies with a few spreads that we like.  (I've got a picture down below showing all the different ones we tried out) 

Kimberly, thanks so much for sharing your version of the peanut butter breakfast cookie!  You ROCK!  :)

Updated 9/6/2012 ~ I worked up the nutritional info over at Calorie Count.com  ~~ CLICK HERE ~~ for the breakdown.

Peanut Butter Oatmeal Raisin Breakfast Cookies ~ Kimberly's Version

makes 16 - 24 cookies, depending on the size you like your cookies

• 2 ripe bananas, mashed until smooth & creamy
• 1/3 cup peanut butter
• 1 egg, well beaten  
• 2/3 cup unsweetened applesauce
• 1 scoop vanilla protein powder 
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 1 tsp cinnamon (or more, to taste)
• 1/2 tsp baking powder
• 1 1/2 cups quick oatmeal  ~ uncooked  
• 1/4 - 1/3 cup raisins

Preheat heat oven to 350 degrees.

Mix, in a large bowl ~ mashed banana & peanut butter until completely combined.  Then add in the applesauce, beaten egg, vanilla protein powder, cinnamon & vanilla extract ~ mix again until all are completely combined.

Add in the oatmeal, raisins & baking powder to the banana mixture & combine.

Let dough rest for 10 minutes.  Dough will be 'thinner' than my other breakfast cookies ~ more like a really thick batter.

Drop cookie dough/really thick cookie batter ~ by spoonfuls ~ onto a parchment paper lined cookie sheet.  Shape the cookies into circles, the batter should stay where you put it, if it's just a tad too thin, add an extra tablespoon or two of oats.  The cookies should not spread when baking.

Bake cookies approx. 20-30 minutes, or until golden brown & done. (cooking time really depends on how big you make your cookies & if you like them a bit more soft in the middle)  Remove from oven when done & let rest on cookie sheet for 5 minutes, then move to cooling rack.  

 
Cool cookies completely, then store in a covered container. 

 **  For a special treat ~ check out some of the optional cookie 'frostings' below  :)  **

Enjoy! 

 ~ OPTIONAL ~ 

Today, as a special treat, we've been enjoying adding some flavored spreads to the tops of these breakfast cookies.  So far, we have 'frosted' the breakfast cookies with:

• Speculoos Cookie Butter from Trader Joe's (it tastes like gingerbread ~ J really likes it)
• peanut butter mixed with honey
• plain peanut butter
• Nutella

We all love having a 'special treat', every now & then.  Especially when it's eating a 'frosted' cookie!  

P.S. ~ I had some extra cookie dough/batter that wouldn't fit on the cookie sheet, so I cooked it like a pancake. One word ~ A W E S O M E !!!  I just topped it with some butter & skipped the syrup. I really enjoyed it.  I'll have to explore that avenue in the future.  :)    If you have some cookie dough/batter left over, why not give it a try, too ~ you might find you like it as much as I did.

 

~ Other NUT BUTTER / SEED BUTTER variations to consider for this breakfast cookie ~

For a different spin on these breakfast cookies, you could change up the Nut Butter or Seed Butter that you use.  You can purchase different kinds of nut/seed butters...  Or, you could make your own nut/seed butter, if you're so inclined.  (making my own homemade nut/seed butters recipes sounds intriguing,  I might be trying that out soon) ~ Some different kinds of butters that might be interesting to try in these cookies:

Almond Butter

Hazelnut Butter

Soybean Butter

Sunflower Butter

Cashew Butter

Hemp Seed Butter

Sesame Seed Butter ( aka ~ Tahini )

Pumpkin Seed Butter

Walnut Butter

Pistachio Butter

Pecan Butter

Macadamia Nut Butter

Overnight Oatmeal Cookie Dough Breakfast Cookie

Overnight Oatmeal Cookie Dough Breakfast Cookie ~ An unusual & tasty way to make a breakfast cookie ~ it sets up overnight in the fridge.

I was surfing around the web the other day, looking at other breakfast cookies & came across this recipe for a breakfast cookie that ~ requires no cooking, sets up overnight in the fridge, tastes like oatmeal cookie dough & can be made as either vegan or vegetarian ~ depending on the milk & protein powder you use.  It intrigued me, so I made it that night & enjoyed it for my breakfast the next day.  It's simple to do ~ you mix up all the ingredients the night before, spread the 'dough' on a plate & leave it in the fridge overnight. Easy-peasy.

In the morning you have your breakfast cookie ~ the raw oats absorb all the moisture from the other ingredients & firm up into a 'dough-like' oatmeal cookie.  It sorta reminds me of the containers of 'overnight fridge oats' I used to make years ago, except this version is made on a plate & is more dense & 'dough' like. (the 'overnight fridge oats' have more liquid & add-ins in them)

It's an easy recipe & if you're looking for another unusual way to make your morning oats, I'd give this method a try.  I don't think it's ever too early in the day to enjoy a little 'oatmeal cookie dough'.  How about you?   :)

Double Apricot Almond Breakfast Cookies with Sweet Almond Butter

I had some apricots that were really ripe, so I decided to use them in a batch of Breakfast Cookies.  The new flavor I come up with is ~ Double Apricot Almond Breakfast Cookies.  I added a little bit of honey to this recipe to enhance the flavor of the fruit, but you could leave it out (or use another type of sweetener), if desired.  I really enjoy the combination of the flavors of apricot & almond together ~ they seem made for each other.  I decided to include a spin on 'icing' for this cookie, because I was in the mood for something that was a bit fancier this time around.  Since I was already using almond extract, almond butter was the logical choice.  Besides, I'm a big fan of sweetened almond butter ever since I made ~ Semla.  (the much loved Swedish Almond Cream Pastry Bun ~ check out my easy version of the traditional Semla recipe here)

Having all this fresh seasonal fruit around really makes for some tasty & unusual Breakfast Cookies ~ Enjoy!

Double Apricot Almond Breakfast Cookies ~ with Sweet Almond Butter

makes 16 cookies

Ingredients

• 1 1/2 cups old fashioned oatmeal ~ uncooked
• 1 ripe banana, mashed with fork until creamy 
  
• 2/3 cup unsweetened applesauce
• 2/3 cup pureed apricots (about 4-5 fresh or canned (drained) 
• 1/4 cup dried apricots, chopped (regular or unsulfured)
• 3 Tbsp almonds, or to taste ~ slivers, sliced or chopped (or nut of your choice) 
• 2 Tbsp honey (optional)
• 1 tsp almond extract
• 1 tsp cinnamon (or more, to taste) 

Sweet Almond Butter

• 3 Tbsp Almond Butter (or your favorite nut butter)
• 3 Tbsp Greek yogurt, non-fat or low-fat
• 4 packets Equal, or to taste (or your favorite sweetener of choice)
• 12 whole almonds for garnish (optional)

Directions

Preheat heat oven to 350 degrees.

Mix mashed banana, pureed apricot, honey, almond extract & cinnamon into the applesauce ~ until completely combined.

Combine the applesauce mixture with all remaining ingredients & let sit for 10 minutes

Drop cookie dough, by spoonfuls, onto a parchment paper lined cookie sheet & flatten cookies into rounds.

Bake cookies approx. 30 minutes, or until golden & done.  While the cookies are baking, mix all of the Sweet Almond Butter ingredients together & store in the fridge until ready to use.

Remove cookies from the oven & let rest on cookie sheet for 5 minutes, then move to cooling rack.  Cookies will firm up/sweeten up as they cool.  When cool, serve with the optional Sweet Almond Butter & garnish each cookie with an almond ~ if using.
 
Store completely cooled cookies in a covered container.  Store any remaining Sweet Almond Butter in the fridge.

*  If serving the cookies with the optional ~ Sweet Almond Butter ~ wait until you are ready to serve the cookies before spreading the nut butter on  top.