Healthy Oatmeal Breakfast Cookies For A School Run Friendly Brekkie On The Go!

Do you ever have one of those weekday mornings where nothing seems to go right? Everyone is in slow-motion (except the clock), school bags/shoes/keys are MIA, and the lunch boxes are yet to be packed. All that remains in the fridge is half a lemon and a plethora of condiments and salad dressing you don’t remember buying. And then comes breakfast. It seems children scatter and take cover at the mere sound of the word, especially when you’re running late. And if by chance the breakfast God’s shine down on you and the kids willingly sit down to eat a bowl of cereal, it can take until about lunchtime until they’re finished. Aren’t kids the cutest when they eat Cheerios One. By. One.  If any of this sounds remotely familiar, these cookies will be your morning-time savior.

Don’t let the cookie label fool you; nibbling away at a couple of these can be just as healthy and filling as a bowl of hot oatmeal. But their natural sweetness and distinctive cookie-shape is enough to get the kids interested in breakfast all over again (and who doesn’t want cookies for breakfast?!). I’ve also found they are great broken up into pieces sprinkled over yogurt and also freeze beautifully. I typically keep at least a dozen in the freezer for those morning where I feel I’m about to surrender. The best part, take em’ to go and have breakfast in the car. Save yourself some time and energy trying to locate the kid’s socks which are most likely sinking in the fish tank or tucked away in the tupperware drawer.

Healthy Oatmeal Breakfast Cookies

Makes approx. 3 dozen

Ingredients

• 3 ripe bananas, mashed
• 3 cups instant or rolled oats*
• 1 cup raisins, cranberries, or diced apricots (or a combination of all 3, or whatever you have on hand)
• ½ cup apple sauce
• 2 tablespoons honey
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 teaspoon cinnamon
• ½ teaspoon nutmeg
• ½ teaspoon salt

*Although either type of oat will work, you may also use a combination of both. Rolled oats will give the cookie a chewier texture

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 325 degrees Fahrenheit. Line baking sheets with parchment paper and lightly coat with non-stick spray.
2. Place all of the ingredients in a large bowl and mix well with a rubber spatula to combine.
3. Using a cookie scoop or large spoon, place a rounded tablespoonful of dough on the cookie sheet, about 2 inches apart. *Cookies will NOT spread so you need to gently compact them down with the back of a spatula or the palm of your hand. The cookies will pretty much come out of the oven looking exactly how they went in, so be sure not to skip this step.
4. Bake the cookies for 15-17 minutes, or until they’re lightly golden around the edges.   Let cool on the pan for 5 minutes then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely. Store up to a week in an air-tight container.