Wholesome Breakfast Cookies
When I say "breakfast cookie," I mean a cookie that contains breakfasty ingredients and is totally appropriate to be eaten for the first meal of the day. Not that I think it's unacceptable to consume a regular type of cookie for breakfast, but it's just that these cookies are REALLY breakfast-appropriate. Like, they have oats in them. And seeds. And nuts. And no flour or refined sugar.
So really, these wholesome breakfast cookies are probably more nutritious than your breakfast cereal. Just add milk. And coffee. Obviously.
For real, these cookies are nutrient-packed. First, there's a full two cups of nuts used in this recipe. The nuts act as both the flour and the fat in this recipe. So these breakfast cookies are flourless. And butter-less. And oil-less. And banana/applesauce-less.
Just toast the nuts. YOU MUST. If you skip the toasting process, these breakfast cookies will be meh, at best. But if you toast the nuts, these cookies will be mind-blowing.
And then there's oats. For crunch and chew and fiber and heartiness and our breakfast theme.
And then there's chia seeds. And ground flax seeds. Both are there less for flavor and more for nutrients, if we're being honest. But don't worry, the seeds definitely don't hamper the rich, amazing flavor of these breakfast cookies.
The sweeteners used in these wholesome breakfast cookies are coconut sugar and honey. I couldn't solely use honey, because then the cookies would spread too much and have a weird texture. But the combination of the coconut sugar and honey gives these cookies just the right amount of sweetness along with the BEST TEXTURE EVER.
Because these breakfast cookies are CHEWY. And you know I love me some chewy cookies. Which honey and nut butter are really helpful for. Both of those ingredients tend to lend a super chewy texture to cookies. YASSSS.
And of course, there's chocolate. I had to. I mean, it's cookies we're talking about. So I'm going to have to stick chocolate chunks into the mix if I can. And I can. Hot, melty chunks of glistening, dark chocolate. So much yesness.
Also, after you toast your nuts, all you gotta do is grind them in a food processor until they turn into a smooth butter. And then add in the rest of the ingredients and blend. Yep -these breakfast cookies are that easy.
Oh, and besides for chewy, these wholesome breakfast cookies are also really soft. Soft and chewy. Sorry - no crispy edges here. Crispy edges are nice, yes, but the insane chewiness and softness of these breakfast cookies will just have to suffice.
And did I mention that these breakfast cookies are flavor-packed and rich and addictive? Go get em.
wholesome breakfast cookies
Yield: about 25 cookies
2 cups assorted, raw nuts (almonds, walnuts, pecans, or cashews)
1/3 cup coconut sugar (can sub 1/4 cup packed brown sugar)
3 tablespoons honey
1 egg
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
2/3 cup chocolate, chopped (or chocolate chips)
1/3 cup oats
1 tablespoon ground flax seeds
1 tablespoon chia seeds
Preheat oven to 350 F. Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper.
Spread your nuts onto baking sheet and toast for about 10 minutes, or until they're lightly browned and emit a nutty aroma.
Process the nuts in a food processor until the mixture is completely smooth and resembles a nut butter. Blend in the coconut sugar, honey, egg, vanilla extract, baking soda, and salt until smooth.
(If mixture is hot from the toasted nuts, allow it to cool ((can place bowl with mixture in fridge)) before adding in the chocolate.)
Stir in the chopped chocolate, oats, and flax seeds, and chia seeds by hand last.
Using a medium cookie scoop, drop mounds of dough onto prepared baking sheets, spacing them out to allow for some spreading. Bake cookies for 8-10 minutes, or until the edges are just beginning to get golden.
Let cookies firm and cool before moving them.
