Breakfast Cookies

​Well, the kids have been back in school for over 2 weeks and we are still working on our morning routine.  We are all trying to get used to getting up early again and getting ready for school quickly and efficiently.  Sometimes it helps them get out of bed just a little bit quicker if I have something yummy on the table for breakfast.  If your kids need a little extra incentive to get out of bed in the morning like mine do , these breakfast cookies might be just what you need.  The best part is that if they're running a little late, they can take one to go.  (They'll be the envy of all the other kids on the bus.)

Breakfast Cookies 
1 cup walnuts
1 1/2 cups old-fashioned rolled oats
​1/3 cup whole wheat flour
1/2 cup ground flax meal
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 cup almond butter
1/4 cup canola oil
1/4 cup blue agave nectar
1/3 cup brown sugar
1 egg
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 cup dried cherries
1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 375.  Pulse walnuts in a food processor until fine.  Add flour, oats, flax seed mill, baking soda, salt and cinnamon.  Combine almond butter, oil, agave, brown sugar, egg and vanilla.  Add walnut-oatmeal mixture.  Stir in chocolate chips and cherries. 

Using a cookie scoop, drop onto silpat lined baking sheets.

​Bake 10 minutes.  Cool 5 minutes on tray.

​Ever get the feeling that some recipes were just not meant to be?  I was well into the process of making these breakfast cookies from allrecipes.com for the very first time when I discovered that I didn't have an important ingredient - almond butter.  No problem, I could easily substitute peanut butter.  Wrong again - no peanut butter in the house either.  After some debate about whether to scrap the recipe altogether, I left everything on the counter - went to Wal Mart and bought a jar of Almond Butter.  I am happy to say that I came home and finished my cookies but while I was uploading pictures, I accidentally deleted some that I had taken of the cookies.  Seriously?

Don't be deceived by all of the hassle that I went through to make these cookies.  They really were worth an extra trip to the grocery store.  They were delicious and not just for breakfast.  They make a great after school snack and post workout snack too.

​Ciao!

Click here for a printable version of this recipe