Saturday September 21, 2013 (Better than Granola Bars- breakfast cookies)

Better than Granola Bar Breakfast Cookies

If you are anything like me, you have to drag yourself out of bed in order to get breakfast taken care of for the kids if not just for yourself. I can do it, but most mornings I totally wimp out and let the kids have cereal/granola bars or even the dreaded pop tart because I'm not in the mood to fight them. I started the school year off with making home-made muffins for breakfast, then realized that they were going to get tired of them quickly. So back to the drawing board, then I remembered making these "low cal" healthy oatmeal cookies and lightbulb! Why not make breakfast "cookies" The best part, my kids don't even know they are healthy (insert evil laughter here) because I call them "cookies" and what child if offered a cookie for breakfast wont jump at the chance. The best part is these cookies are completely customizable, make them like your favorite granola bar! Plus they store well in an air tight container and stay soft, have no preservatives and they can be gluten free depending on what you decide to add of course. The recipe also doubles/triples well. They may not look pretty, but they taste great!

Base Recipe

2bananas 

(I used the ones that were starting to turn brown on my counter and they worked just fine)

1.25cups oatmeal (I used quick oats but you could use any kind)

That's it! Seriously! You just mash the bananas till they are nice and smooth and then stir in the oatmeal. I used a medium sized ice cream scoop then pressed them down a little bit. Bake at 325 on a lined cookie sheet for 15min and your done! (This recipe yielded about a half dozen cookies)

Here are some ideas for add ins!

Chunky Monkey Breakfast cookies

Base Recipe

2-3TBSP chocolate chips

2-3TBSP peanut butter

Cinnamon Raisin Breakfast Cookies

Base Recipe

1/4cup raisins

1TBSP cinnamon

Almond Joy Breakfast cookies

Base Recipe

1/4cup shredded coconut

1/4cup chocolate chips

1/4cup sliced/chopped almonds

Tropical Breakfast cookies

 Base Recipe

1/4cup shredded coconut

1/4cup dried pineapple/mango

Stay Healthy Breakfast cookies

Base Recipe

2TBSP Almond butter

1TBSP Honey

2TBSP Cinnamon

If you come up with any other great combos feel free to share them with me! If they are not sweet enough for you I recommend using honey instead of sugar, it tastes better without changing the consistency of the cookie.