Breakfast Cookies
Those who know me on a personal level know that I am usually pretty slow-going in the morning (especially work mornings), so I have been coming up with little breakfast offerings that I can make ahead and then take to go with me as I fly out the door each morning. My goal is to have something that is high in protein and that fills me up too. You may remember the egg muffins – perfect, but I can’t eat the same thing every day, so I have experimented with this new breakfast cookie. Not only does it have about 10g of protein in one little cookie – it also keeps me full until lunch hour. This cookie is also adaptable to whatever dietary restrictions you’re working with; example: want to go vegan, use flax eggs instead of real eggs. If you have a peanut allergy, use one of the many non-peanut nut butters that are available. For those who struggle with gluten or grain intolerances, simply pick the gluten-free oats. It’s so simple!
Ingredients:
3 ripe bananas
2 eggs
½ cup natural peanut butter
2 tbsp maple syrup (or agave syrup or liquid honey)
1 tsp vanilla extract
2 cups quick oats
3 tbsp hemp hearts
½ tsp baking powder
½ tsp baking soda
1 tsp cinnamon
1 tbsp poppy seeds
1/3 cup unsalted pepitas (shelled pumpkin seeds)
1/3 cup unsalted chopped or slivered almonds
1/3 cup golden raisins
1/3 cup unsweetened shredded coconut
Optional: ½ cup chocolate chips
Preheat the oven to 325F and line a couple of cookie sheets with baking paper. In a large bowl, combine all of the wet ingredients. Next add the dry ingredients and divide the dough evenly onto the cookie sheets. I made them fairly big – about palm sized – and flattened them out a bit. Bake for about 18-20 minutes and let cool completely before packaging for storage; keep in an airtight container in the fridge for up 5 days, or keep them in the freezer if you like. This batch made 18 cookies and they are hearty, but like I mentioned, it’s a breakfast-to-go, not a little treat on the fly! You can make them smaller to trick yourself and then have two instead of one? Either way, these cookies are a quick and healthy way to get some extra fibre and a lot of protein with minimal prep time in the morning!