Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Breakfast Cookies

By: Julie

Time:  20 min

Serves:  15 2-inch cookies

While researching nutrition and learning some scary things about processed foods and refined sugar, (come on Julie, you already knew them deep down inside), I vowed to make changes in our nutrition at home for the month of December.  To stave off some of that Christmas gluttony that you KNOW is coming my way.  Mmmmm pie.  And WINE, oh the wine…  Ahem.  Anywho.  My husband and I are loving the veggie infusion.  We feel good, we have more energy –  I wish I could say I’m sleeping better but I have a 4 month old baby, so… no.

You know who’s NOT on board?  My three -and-a-half-thank-you-very-much year-old daughter.  She is a picky eater.  For the first two years I did a decent job with her nutrition.  Somewhere along the line processed foods snuck in there.  A fishy cracker here (fondly referred to as shut-up snacks in our house), a piece of bologna there… and wonders of wonders, the breakfast bear paw.  She eats one every morning before school because, in a moment of desperation, her mother gave her one as a bribe to get her into the car for day care.  And now she has one every day.  On one hand, it’s good that she’s eating because sometimes it’s very hard to get food in her mouth, (She has some tummy issues so I always feel like I’m on the losing end of a war). On the other hand, they are loading with sugar and nothing really good for you and some things that I can’t pronounce and sort of skip over with some guilt when I’m checking labels.  So.  Because of my new vow to feed her good things NO MATTER WHAT, I had to search for a bear paw replacement.  Enter the Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Breakfast Cookie.  I saw these cookies on a fitness blog and I tweaked them a bit to sweeten them, and you know what?  SHE LIKES THEM. You can totally ignore the maple syrup, vanilla, and nuts and these turn out perfectly good.  I’ve also made them with raisins or cranberries and almonds but they tasted too “healthy”.

These cookies also have the benefit of being paleo friendly and gluten-free if such things are important to you.  And vegan/vegetarian as well.  Who could ask for more?

Note:  If you are allergic to gluten you know to check to make sure your oats and chocolate chips are certified gluten free right?  

You will need:

• 1 cup quick oats
• 2 very ripe bananas
• 1/4 cup chocolate chips
• 1/4 cup toasted pecans
• 1 tsp real vanilla extract
• 1 tsp natural maple syrup
• pinch of salt

Preheat oven to 350F and grease a cookie sheet.  For coconut oil fans: my mom used this and they stuck to the pan a bit.  I used olive oil and everything was ducky.  Your choice.

Mash the bananas with a fork until smooth.  Add oats, chocolate chips, pecans, vanilla, maple syrup and salt.  Combine well.  Spoon about a tablespoon and a half onto the cookie sheet and lightly press down.  Repeat.  These don’t spread so you should be able to get 5 rows of 3 with ease to get everything on the same pan.  Cook for 15 min until lightly brown on the bottom.  Let cool on the pan for 5 min and then move to rack.  You can eat them warm or wait for them to cool (you won’t).  Feed to tiny children and husband and tell them they are allowed to have cookies for breakfast!  WINNING!