Esme’s been on a breakfast bender lately. I don’t know what made me think of an old favourite of mine but about a month ago I offered her an almond butter banana sandwich. Porridge is her usual request but some days I just don’t feel like all the stirring and the gucky pot. She was skeptical at first but after the first bite her eyes got big. “I love this!” And she’s asked for it most mornings since.
I keep reading about breakfast cookies lately and I started wondering if the flavours of Esme’s favourite breakfast could be worked into a cookie. Hell yes they can. To get the full effect you need to use quite ripe bananas (the first time I made them I used just ripe bananas and the flavour was too subtle. I much prefer almond butter to peanut butter but you could certainly use it if that’s what you’ve got. As you can see these are giant cookies but with just a little fruit and yogurt it’s a nicely balanced meal. Plus, I like that if your morning is really turned sideways you could hand one to your kid to eat in the car on the way to school. Of course you could eat these any time of day but the kids cracked up at being told to “Eat their cookies, we’re late for school!”
photos by Maya Visnyei
Almond Butter Banana Breakfast Cookie
1 ripe banana
1 egg
1/3 cup maple syrup
1/2 tsp vanilla
1/2 cup almond butter
1 cup spelt flour
1/4 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/4 cup ground flax or flax meal
1 cup oats
1/2 cup shredded coconut
Method
Preheat the oven to 375 degrees
In a large mixing bowl, mash up your ripe banana then add the egg, syrup, vanilla and the almond butter and blend with an electric mixer.
In another bowl, stir together your dry ingredients. Now add the dry to the wet in three additions, mixing well between each one.
Line a cookie sheet with parchment. Use a half cup measure to scoop out batter onto the parchment, leaving 2 or 3 inches between each. Pop into a hot oven and bake for 12 to 14 minutes. Allow to cool for a few minutes before removing from the sheet and cooling completely on a rack.
I have been searching for a good breakfast cookie for my toddler – the last few have been flops (literally and figuratively). No time for baking this week, so I’ll have to try it out this weekend!
These look great! However, my daughter may be allergic to flax – can I leave it out?
These look awesome! I love taking things like this with us when we go out, just for a snack. But they look perfect for breakfast too. I love the ingredients list – nothing I wouldn’t want my kids eating first thing in the morning
Hi Amy,
Yes, you could definitely leave out the flax…. wondering if you tried bran instead how that might work. I think it would. If you just want to leave out the flax, add just a touch more oats to compensate. Let me know how it goes! And Gin, I hope these do the trick for you!
Thanks so much for reading,
C
This recipe is fantastic. Our daughter loves it. This healthy cookie has become a favourite in our household. I have to make some more tomorrow. Thanks for sharing!
These are delicious! I added about a 1/4 tsp of salt and a 1/4 cup of mini chocolate chips because I had some to use up. So tasty. Thanks for a great recipe, Ceri!
These look amazing. Can’t wait to try sneaking a healthy cookie into the kids and hub. Can I omit the coconut…we’re not big fans.
I’ve made these cookies 3x in the past few days now – we really like them. I’ve tried a few different things: all-purpose flour instead of spelt, honey instead of maple syrup, wowbutter instead of almond butter. I’ve added chocolate chips and dried cranberries instead of the coconut (about 1/2 cup each). The taste is great, and I love that they’re quite healthy for a cookie. I have trouble with them being crumbly though – any suggestions?
[...] almond butter breakfast cookies from Sweet Potato Chronicles - with a couple of extra additions as I have the tendency to pack just about every baking [...]
I LOVE these cookies. I wanted to make them this morning but I do not have any bananas. Is there something I can substitute so that I don’t have to run to the store?
Hi Elise,
Sorry I’m only seeing this now! Did you sort something out? I was thinking maybe applesauce?? How did it turn out?