Breakfast Cookies

I saw a recent Twitter post linking to a recipe for 'breakfast cookies' and off I went to check it out. Admittedly they do sound very tasty. And I love that there is an original and an allergy make over version. However, there's a lotta sugar there. I'm all for sugar, don't get me wrong. But. First thing in the morning? Naw. Gotta get the healthy stuff in first. They'd make a good snack though.

Breakfast cookies seem like such a great idea. Portable, pre-portioned, and easy on crazy mornings because you can make them ahead of time. So, I did some surfing. (I know, I know, you're shocked.) Know what? There are a ton of recipes out there for breakfast cookies, and they all have enough sugar to equal a bowl of Fruity Pebbles.

Wait! Wait! Not all of them. I found one that sounded very respectable. Very tasty. Very healthy. Don't tell the kids that last part. I tweaked it a bit to suit our allergies, and wow! Yummy. Even the non-restricted kiddos that hang at our house loved them.

So here is my slightly tweaked version:

Breakfast Cookies

1/2 c whole wheat flour (for GF use sorghum here*)
1/2 c all purpose flour (for GF use 1/4 tapioca starch and 1/4 buckwheat or millet*)
1/4 c bean flour (It ups the protein content, I used Bob's Red Mill GF Garbanzo and Fava)
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp cardamom
1/4 tsp salt
2 tbsp butter (I use Earth Balance soy free), you could use coconut or palm oil
1/4 c safflower oil
1/4 c brown sugar
3 tbsp cane sugar
1 tbsp flax meal + 2 1/2 tbsp warm water, set aside and allowed to gel
1/4 c mashed sweet potato (no sugar added)
1 tsp bourbon vanilla
1/2 c oats (if you are GF and can not tolerate oats, use quinoa flakes*)
1/2 c bran cereal flakes (GF use flake cereal of choice- I like Mesa Sunrise)*
1/3 c dried cranberries (I used part cranberry, part currants)
-- If making GF version, do not forget to add 1/2 tsp xanthan*--


Preheat oven to 350. Lightly grease cookie sheet. In medium mixing bowl mix dry ingredients.
In a large mixing bowl beat butter, oil and sugars with an electric mixer an medium high until thoroughly combined, about a minute. Add flax/water mixture, vanilla, and mashed sweet potato and blend about 30 seconds more. Add oats, flakes, and fruit, and blend just until incorporated. Dough will be less cohesive than regular cookie dough. Using 3-4 tbsp of batter, form into a ball and place on cookie sheet. Repeat until you have 12 balls, evenly spaced. Use your fingers to lightly press the cookies out flat, about 1/4" thick. Bake 12 minutes, cookies should be slightly soft in the center. Let cookies cool briefly on the cookie sheet, then transfer to wire rack to finish cooling. Try to save some for breakfast tomorrow!

*I did not make the GF version for this batch, so I can not promise the same stellar results. I did give you the substitutes that I would use. If you beat me to making a GF version, please let me know which flours you used and how they turned out!

So, while these were incredible warm, here is the next day report. After being stored in an airtight container overnight...meh. They remind me a bit of a nutrigrain type bar. Tasty, but kinda dry. The kids all ate one. Then declared themselves done. All claimed to like them00, there were no protests. But kids eating just one cookie? Clearly this recipe is not the winner of any taste tests.