Funny. I thought I had the most brilliant idea — and I did, but I’m far from the only one. Granola Breakfast Cookies are apparently quite the thing.

Creating and New Opportunities

Recently I’ve had the opportunity to begin creating recipes and menus for guest hosting at a friend’s newly acquired Bed and Breakfast, The Metamora Inn. I decided to work on a wholesome grab-and-go, granola cookie sufficient nutritionally to be considered breakfast for a little appetite or a ‘first breakfast,’ so to speak, if one’s morning is long. I’ve baked and rebaked, getting my ingredients and measures just right.

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While researching a name for said cookies, I discovered, to my dismay, I’m seriously not the first to come up with this grand idea. Apparently, I’m way behind times -like WAY behind. And I got discouraged, setting my recipe aside.

Baking and Re-Baking

However, this morning I happened to have a lonely, over-ripe banana hanging around the kitchen that needed to meet its purpose in life, so I baked a new batch of my cookies, ‘testing’ one last time. Frankly, they turned out just right, crispy on the outside, chewy in the center, and spiced up perfectly amazing. My morning coffee was blessed with an unexpected delight — and almost no guilt. Crafted with all-natural, whole foods, these babies are packed with excellent nutrition — no refined stuff or anything like that to muck things up. A delicious gem, I decided it must be shared, even if there are a million others to contend with.

Relatively easy to whip together, there’s no need for a sink full of dishes to prepare. Simply add the ingredients in the order listed to one medium/large bowl, and in very little time — with even less effort — you’ll have yourself some home-baked granola-loaded deliciousness that will give cause to wonder where you’ve been all your life — or maybe that’s just me, but whatever. We’re talking early morning thoughts, after all.

Like many other baked goods, these are their utmost best, consumed the same day as fresh-baked. But no matter, they will stay yummy for a few days, though they, unfortunately, lose a good bit of their crunch while sitting around — one of my favorite parts. Given that one caveat, they also freeze well. After defrosting, I like to give them a quick 2-minute or so warm-up in the oven, and they’re good to go.

Back in the day when all our kids were home, I liked to double and triple recipes that were small like this one, never entirely understanding the point of the mess with such little yield. But now I get it. Stache and I can only healthfully get so much down before quality declines, so recipes producing only one-dozen cookies – have their place. Enjoy!

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Granola Breakfast Cookies

Crispy on the outside, chewy in the center, these wholesome granola-loaded cookies are nutritiously worthy of being called Breakfast - and they're delicious! Less refined than a traditional oatmeal cookie, these rustic, healthful beauties deliver a naturally sweet treat without the guilt.

Course Breakfast

Cuisine American

Prep Time 15 minutes

Cook Time 15 minutes

Total Time 32 minutes

Servings 12 cookies

Ingredients

• 2 medium Egg whites (only) Egg yolks will soften your cookies - use them in something else. The crispy edges of these cookies are a significant delight.
• 1 medium Over-ripe Banana mashed (1/2 cup)
• 1/4 cup Real Maple Syrup (none of the fake stuff)
• 1/2 cup Chunky, natural Almond Butter
• 1 teaspoon Real Vanilla Extract
• 1/2 teaspoon Salt (I used Pink Himalayan, but any will do)
• 1/2 cup Almond Flour Trader Joe's or Bob's Red Mill
• 1/2 teaspoon GF Baking Soda
• 1 1/2 cups GF Rolled Oats
• 1 1/4 teaspoons Ground Cinnamon
• 1 1/4 teaspoons Ground Ginger
• 1/8 teaspoon Ground Nutmeg
• 1/8 teaspoon Ground Cloves
• 1/2 cup Dates chopped medium/small (Pictured: I was a mite bit shy of enough dates, so I finished filling the measure with dried currants)
• 1/2 cup Dried Apricots chopped medium/small
• 1/2 cup Walnut pieces chopped small
• 1/4 cup Unsweetened Coconut Flakes
• 1/4 cup Dark Chocolate Chips

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees and line baking sheet with parchment paper. In a medium-large bowl, add the egg whites and whisk vigorously.
   
2. Add the mashed banana and real maple syrup. Whisk hard to keep the mixture airy and light.
   
3. Add almond butter, vanilla, and salt, whisking together until well combined.
   
4. Add almond flour, baking soda, oats, and all of the spices. Fold together until just mixed.
   
5. Fold in the prepared dates, apricots, walnuts, coconut flakes, and chocolate chips.
   
6. 
7. Using a 1/4 cup measuring cup, place 6 evenly spaced mounds of dough on the prepared baking sheet. Gently press the dough with a fork to an approximate 3/4-1 inch thick flattened round.
   
8. Bake at 350 degrees for 15 min. or until the cookies are beginning to turn lightly golden brown. Remove from oven and allow cookies to rest on the hot cookie sheet for another 2 minutes. Place the first batch of cookies on a cooling rack and repeat the baking process for the second half of the dough.
   
9. If possible, serve fresh when cookies are still slightly warm. Yum!

Recipe Notes

Naturally delicious and Gluten-Free!