Today I want to share my original recipe for Kate’s breakfast cookies.
Did I say breakfast cookies?
Yes. I. Did.
When my kids were little we always joked about how they wished they could eat cookies for breakfast. I toyed around with recipes I found, or was given, but if they were actually healthy, they never really tasted very good. Or if they tasted good, they were not actually very healthy. The eternal conundrum.
Fast forward a “bunch” of years.
If you read my blog, you know both my kids are now in college (sniff…sniff…I miss you guys!) Last month I sent them each a few dozen shortbread chocolate chip cookies for Valentines Day. A few weeks later I was talking with my son at OU. He said he liked them so much he’d been eating them for breakfast – and had just finished his last two. I literally burst out laughing! Some things never change.
So, I decided maybe it was time to give breakfast cookies another try. There are so many healthy ingredients readily available in the grocery store these days, and I’ve discovered healthier alternatives and new techniques over the years. I created a recipe this past week that I think they – and you – will love! I’m going to send some to the kids at school…and get their brutally honest opinions. The husband gave me a two thumbs up;)
Now…this is not a Toll House chocolate chip cookie. This is a healthier, higher fiber, protein packed treat! And, honestly, I think it tastes awesome (but of course I’m a little biased.) The key to these cookies is the ground oatmeal and the brown sugar. I’ve found a few recipes over the years that use ground oatmeal and only brown sugar seem to allow baked goods to keep their “softness”.
These are super easy to make! The only ingredient that may be difficult to find is the wheat bran. If they don’t have it at your local grocery store make a Whole Foods run – that’s where I get mine. Or get it online – Amazon also sells it.
Grab two of these for breakfast on the go. They’re great with milk, tea or coffee. (I’m eating one right now with a cup of coffee from Rev Roasters – will tell you about them another time.) Or pack a few in a baggie and throw them in your purse or backpack with a water bottle. I packed two of them in my purse for a snack while my friend and I walked around the American Craft Council show last Friday. They were delicious and they kept my hunger at bay.
Because of the oatmeal, wheat bran, cranberries and pecans, this is also a great way to get some much needed fiber into the diets of kiddos (or grown ups) who…shall we say…need a little extra…ummm….help. Let them eat one or two a few days in a row and they should feel better. The best part is they will have no idea that the delicious cookies they ate were what helped.
Please give this recipe a try and let me know how you like them.
XO
Kate
- 1 Cup Quaker "Old Fashioned Oats" - ground into powder in your food processor
- 1 Cup Wheat Bran (I use Bob's Red Mill Unprocessed Miller's Wheat Bran)
- 1 Cup Whole Wheat Flour
- 1.5 teaspoons of baking powder
- 1.5 teaspoons of baking soda
- ½ teaspoon of salt
- ½ cup of butter ( 1 stick) softened
- ½ cup of brown sugar firmly packed
- 2 teaspoons of vanilla
- 2 Eggs
- orange zest from one orange
- 1 Cup of chopped pecans
- ½ Cup of dried cranberries (I used the lower sugar ones )
- 1 Cup of mini chocolate chips
- Put the 1 cup of Quaker "Old Fashioned Oats" into your food processor and run it for about 3 minutes or until the oatmeal no longer looks like oats, but is a slightly grainy powder - like flour;) Leave it there for now.
- Put the ½ cup of softened butter and the 1 cup of brown sugar into a large bowl and mix for several minutes - until light and fluffy.
- Add two eggs to this mixture and continue to mix for another one to two minutes.
- Add 2 teaspoons of vanilla and mix until well incorporated
- In a separate bowl add the ground oatmeal powder from your food processor, then add the wheat bran, the whole wheat flour, the baking soda, baking powder and salt. Use a whisk to mix them all together well.
- Add the orange zest to this mixture of dry ingredients and whisk well to distribute.
- Add the dry flour mixture to the large bowl containing the butter/sugar/egg mixture and mix well to incorporate. Scrape down the sides if using a stand mixer to make sure you get it uniform.
- Add the 1 cup chopped pecans, the ½ cup of dried cranberries and the 1/ cup of mini chocolate chips all at the same time and mix just until incorporated - about 30 seconds.
- Put parchment paper on your baking sheet and roll dough into small balls - approximately 1.5- 2 inches in size. Place 12 balls onto the cookie sheet and press down balls with your fingers or the bottom of a floured glass to make 12 flat disks about 3 inches wide;).
- Bake in 350 degree oven for approximately 12 minutes - just until bottoms of cookies start to look golden...not dark brown please;)
- Cool and enjoy with a glass of milk or a cup of coffee or tea! SO YUMMY right out of the oven!
- Makes approximately 24 cookies. Leave out what you will eat in a day or two. Put the rest in a zip lock bag, seal and put in the freezer. Take them out when the first batch is gone. Voila! Fresh cookies at your fingertips!
I grew up just north of Boston, close to incredible Italian bakeries. If you couldn’t find something where we lived, you could be in Boston in 30 minutes, go to the North End and find almost anything. I have to confess, I took it for granted. I know, I know. How could I take something like that for granted? I guess I just thought they were everywhere. If you live in an area of the country where there are authentic Italian bakeries, first don’t take it for granted and second, please have an anginetti cookie for me!
