14 Jul Simply Homemade Series: One Bowl Breakfast Cookies

Summer is in full swing and for us that means early morning drop-offs for my oldest daughter at our neighborhood pool. During the school year, one of the luxuries of homeschooling is that we can take our time with breakfast in the mornings, but here I am during summer shlepping my kid out the door by 8:20am M-F. I have to quote Alanis Morisette here and just say, “Isn’t it ironic? Don’t ya think?“

For those mornings when you need to get out the door early but want to make sure your kids have sufficient energy for their activities, these healthy breakfast cookies are a great option. I don’t know about you, but the longer I’m a mom, the more likely I am to try something another mother has tested, made successfully, and actually watched their whole family eat with satisfaction. Ain’t nobody got the time for more #pinterestfails, know what I mean?

So when one of my friends posted this recipe on Facebook about 3-4 years ago with rave reviews about how her kids gobbled it up, I was game to try it out. I have not made this recipe once, but DOZENS of times and every single time after about 3-4 days all the cookies are gone. And if you are all about alleviating stress, think about this scenario: Your kid wakes up at 6:30 a.m. saying they are hungry and “What’s for breakfast, mom?” You instruct them to go get a breakfast cookie out of the fridge and read a book. Then you roll back over and sleep for another half hour.

These breakfast cookies are also great for lunch (with boiled eggs, cheese slices, and/or cut up veggies to accompany). They are also great for afternoon snacks. And if there could be more great things to add, these cookies are a great way to use up those really ripe bananas when you just don’t feel like making banana bread. Without further ado, here’s the recipe:

One Bowl Breakfast Cookies

1 cup flour (of your choice)

1 1/2 cups oats

1/2 tsp. baking powder

1/2 tsp. baking soda

1/4 tsp. salt

1/2 c. brown sugar

2 eggs

2 tbsp. oil

1 very ripe smashed banana

1 tsp. vanilla

1 cup dried fruit

Directions: Mix together all the wet ingredients first. Then add in the dry ingredients to the bowl. Last, add the dried fruit. Use 1/4 or 1/3 cup measuring cup to scoop dough onto a parchment paper lined cookie sheet (because who wants to scrub down cookie sheets, right?). Then pop them in the oven for 12 minutes (give or take a few – watch the oven your first time to see if they need a few mins more or less).

Add-ins: I like to vary these by adding chopped walnuts or pecans, different types of dried fruit (we like chopped up dates or raisins), cinnamon, chocolate chips, chia or flax seed, shredded coconut. I usually choose 2-3 add ins.

Note: I usually quadruple (yes, quadruple) this recipe because there are six hungry people in my family, so if you have a large family I recommend at least doubling the recipe, if not, um, quadrupling like I do 🙂

If you try this recipe, let me know how they turn out and what your favorite add-ins are!