Breakfast Cookies

http://watching-what-i-eat.blogspot.com/2012/06/peanut-butter-banana-oat-breakfast.html

Peanut Butter Banana Oat Breakfast Cookies with Carob / Chocolate Chips
Peanut Butter Banana Oat Breakfast Cookies ~ These cookies have the great flavor of peanut butter, are power packed because of adding protein powder and are egg & flour free and are sweetened with bananas & applesauce. If you want to indulge, add some chocolate or carob chips & take the flavor up to the next level!

They go perfect with a cup of coffee...
Peanut Butter Banana Oat Breakfast Cookies with Carob / Chocolate Chips (optional) ~ I've come up with another recipe/spin on my original Breakfast Cookie. This newly created recipe turned out so good & we ate it so quick ~ it barely lasted two days around here. This time my recipe includes peanut butter, vanilla protein powder, chopped nuts ~ and a carob / chocolate chip option that is really wonderful. Hands up if you love the flavor combo of Reese's Peanut Butter Cups ~ pb & c, ROCKS! Nutella, spread on top of these cookies, is another winner in my book & the boys agree. Roy told me these cookies really helped to keep the hunger pains away when he had them for a late afternoon snack. The extra protein from the peanut butter & the vanilla protein powder give them that little extra bit of oomph, to give them even more staying power than the original Breakfast Cookies. Very cool!

The cookie is soft, thick & chewy (it reminds me of 'Grandma's Cookies' brand) ~ with the great taste of peanut butter & the extra goodness from the vanilla protein powder. I think the taste & the texture is even better the second day, the flavors seem to develop more as the cookie sits. If you're a fan of peanut butter cookies, give this new Breakfast Cookie a try.

I'm really digging eating these different Breakfast Cookies in the mornings... How about you?

** Updated 7/15/2012 ~ If you are having a hard time finding vanilla protein powder or butter extract, you can make the cookies without them, no need to replace them with anything else. The texture/flavor will just be a little bit different.

If you don't like or don't/can't eat peanut butter, you might try using your favorite nut butter instead. ((or even soy butter for those who want the flavor / taste of peanut butter without actually using a nut butter)) Just change the name of the cookies to match the name of the new nut butter ((or soy butter)) used.

http://www.wisebread.com/whats-cooking-breakfast-cookies-for-the-life-hacker-on-the-go

Many of the breakfast cookie recipes I’ve seen online will have your arteries completely clogged by the very next day. I really like this one that I modified from the original to be fat free and have a little more flavor. You can also double this for a large batch.

This recipe is extremely healthy and easily beefed up with various add-ins to suit your preferences. It's also a great way to use up those extra bananas in a low calorie way and has absolutely no processed flour.

Here we go: 3 mashed bananas (ripe), 1/3 cup apple sauce, 2 cups uncooked quick-cooking oats, 1/4 cup skim milk, 1/2 cup raisins (or any other dried fruit you want to add), 1 tsp vanilla, 1 tsp cinnamon and 1 tbsp Splenda , sugar or other sweetener.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Mix all ingredients in a bowl really well. Let this mixture stand for at least 5 minutes to let the oats become good and hydrated. Heap the dough by teaspoonfuls onto a greased cookie sheet. Bake for 15-20 minutes and let cool.

Variations: If you add some chopped nuts, you have a grab and go breakfast that includes protein as well as fruits and grains. Dried cranberries are also a great addition if you don't care for raisins, which some people don't. Cardamom fans may want to substitute that spice for the cinnamon.

You can make a huge batch of these and then freeze some, leaving a few to be snagged each morning while you and your other family members are on the way out the door.

It's important to note that this is not a dessert type of cookie, so it will not be what you are used to eating when you think cookie. These are also very moist, due to both mashed bananas and apple sauce being included. It's basically oatmeal with add-ins for breakfast that you can eat from your hand.

This made a huge difference in how well we were able to stay on track nutrition wise. They are a really power-packed cookie (particularly with chopped nuts) that can help you make it through to lunch without binging.

Another bonus? You don't have any oatmeal bowls to wash out in the morning! The dishes for these little babies are done once, when you first bake them. Love that!