Cookies for Breakfast
By Stacy Kennedy, MPH, RD, CSO, LDN; Reboot Nutritionist
If your days are anything like mine, mornings are organized chaos involving speed, serenity and serious mental focus to get everyone out the door on time, well nourished and in a happy mood ready to tackle and enjoy the day. No wonder almost 20 percent of Americans skip breakfast.
One way to help make mornings less hectic is preparation. One of my sons wakes up starving the other not hungry at all. To satisfy both appetites and meet my mom-approved nutrition requirements, I like to create recipes over the weekend in batches. That way, we have something easy to grab and go on weekday mornings.
These raw breakfast cookies are a healthy spin on traditional pastries but without the refined sugars. Besides the amped up fiber from oats, nuts and seeds, these gems are loaded with immune and metabolism supportive minerals like selenium, magnesium and zinc. Enjoy a gluten-free, dairy-free, vegan, portable breakfast that’s sure to please everyone. This recipe is easy to customize as well. If dark chocolate isn’t your thing, try adding blueberries (fresh or frozen), goji berries or your favorite dried fruit like cranberries instead.
Here’s another fun and easy leftover breakfast idea… take leftover Sunday Morning Cinnamon GF Waffles and add a smear of almond butter and slices of banana, then fold in half for a super-fast and healthy breakfast “sandwich.”
Looking for more breakfast ideas?
Ingredients
- ½ cup coconut oil, melted
- 2 tbls maple syrup
- 1 tbsp water
- 2 tsp vanilla
- 1 ¼ cup gluten-free rolled oats
- ¼ cup sunflower seeds
- ¼ cup nut butter (almond, peanut, hazelnut, cashew, etc.)
- 3 tbls ground flax seed
- ¼ cup dark chocolate chips
- 1/2 cup unsweetened, organic applesauce
- 1 tbsp cinnamon
- ¼ tsp sea salt
- ¼ cup chopped Brazil nuts
Directions
- In a large bowl, combine coconut oil, maple syrup, applesauce, water and vanilla
- Add oats, sunflower seeds, nut butter, flax seed, chocolate chips, cinnamon and salt to bowl. Combine well.
- Stir in the Brazil nuts
- Cover and refrigerate for at least one hour.
- Form about 24 balls with the batter. Place the balls on a parchment-lined tray or cookie sheet. Flatten each ball with a fork to make a cookie shape.
- Freeze or refrigerate for 1 to 2 hours or overnight.
Prep Time: 20 minutes
Cook Time: 120 minutes (freezer/refrigerator time)
Total Time: 2 hours, 20 minutes
Servings: 12 (two cookies is one serving)
Substitutions
Chocolate Chips – fresh or frozen blueberries, goji berries, dried cranberries, raisins or apricot.
Maple Syrup – honey, molasses
Applesauce – mashed banana
Coconut Oil – grass-fed butter
Ground Flax + Water – pasture raised eggs
Calories: 207
Fat: 17
Sodium: 68 mg
Carbohydrates: 13
Sugars: 4 g
Protein: 4 g