Cookies for Breakfast!

Yes, please!

These chewy, oaty, and simply fun to eat breakfast treats will give you a reason to jump out of bed. They are made with nourishing whole-wheat flour, satisfying whole-rolled oats, and then bumped into the over-the-top fantastic category with favorite add-ins like toasted nuts and plump dried fruits. I credit my mother with inspiring the baking of these cookies. She visited two weeks ago and asked if we could bake a healthy oatmeal cookie she could eat for breakfast. I thought, 'sure, why not!' So we did. And they were incredible.

I don't like my breakfast to have much added sugar....I get more than enough of that as I continue throughout my day. So I love the fact that these cookies contain only natural sugars for the perfect amount of sweetness. So far I've made two varieties, and I've included both recipes here. One recipe, while still being very healthy, contains oil and more honey than the second variation, which is lower in sugar and omits fat. Both are delicious and both are good for you.

I plan to make more flavor varieties and I'll be sure to share those with you! The next batch I have been dreaming of will use the same basic breakfast cookie recipe, but will include shredded carrot, coconut, raisin, toasted walnut, and crushed pineapple ... I am hoping that it will be everything I love about carrot cake but made appropriate for breakfast.

Try out this morning delight for yourself. It's easy enough, but so satisfying and smile inducing you'll be baking a new batch every week. Since I first made them, M has been grabbing one off the counter every morning and keeps asking for more, and when I get into work every day I sit down at my desk, unwrap my own and get ready to enjoy eating every last bite. Seriously, can the start to the day get much better than that?

Variation 1: Classic Oatmeal Breakfast Cookies
Ingredients:
 Dry:
1 cup whole wheat flour
1 1/2 cups of whole rolled oats
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
3 Tbsp Cinnamon
1/2 tsp Pumpkin Pie Spice (optional)
Wet
1/2 cup honey
1/2 cup oil
1 Tablespoon Molasses
1 egg (beat together with 1 Tbsp Water)
1 tsp Vanilla
Add ins I used: 1/2 cup dried cranberries, 1/4 cup unsweetened coconut, 1/4 cup sliced almonds

Directions: 
In a large bowl, mix all the dry ingredients together. In a medium bowl, mix all the wet ingredients together.Form a well in the middle of the dry ingredients and pour in the wet, then stir until just combined. Fold in the Add-In ingredients until evenly distributed. Place bowl in fridge for 20 minutes hour to get firm. Preheat oven to 340 degrees. Using wet hands, form 1.5 inch balls, then press down onto a cookie sheet to flatten. Repeat until all of the mixture is gone. One batch will make from 12-15 breakfast cookies. Bake 12-15 minutes or until the edges are just golden-brown.


Variation 2: Slightly less fat and lower sugar version
Follow directions as above, except omit oil and honey as specified. Instead, use 1/2 cup cinnamon apple sauce, 1/4 cup peanut butter, and 1/4 cup honey. Add ins for that version were 1/2 cup dried blueberries, 1/4 cup unsweetened coconut, and 1/4 cup chopped dry-roasted peanuts.