When I put these on the table for breakfast one morning, the boys looked at me in wonder and awe, and asked if it was really okay if they had them for breakfast. I began to doubt myself…wondering if it was going to be too easy to find ice cream as a healthy alternative, too! But nope, these are great healthy cookies that we now have for a special occasion, and I don’t feel a bit guilty…except when I have just one more cause they’re so darned good!
Breakfast Cookies
Mix this:
- 1 C Melted Butter or Coconut Oil
- 3/4 C Raw Honey (regular if you don’t have raw will do)
- 2 eggs (out of eggs? No Problem – click here)
- 1/2 C Buttermilk (and if you don’t have any buttermilk on hand, click here)
- 1 tsp vanilla extract (the good stuff)
Then mix this and add to wet:
- 1 2/3 C Whole Wheat Flour
- 1/3 C ground flax seed (if you don’t have this, just do a full 2 C whole wheat flour)
- 2 C Rolled Oats (also known as pinhead or Old Fashioned)
- 1 tsp baking soda
- 1 tsp salt
- 1/2 TB cinnamon
Blend in this:
- 1/2 C raisins or other dried fruit
- 1/2 dried carrots, rehydrated (I got mine from Peak Season Foods)**
- 1/2 C chocolate chips – the darker the better
- 1/2 C sesame seeds or other nuts
Some other options: poppy seeds (though I only did about 1/4 C) coconut flakes (you’ll need to add a bit more liquid if you use these), non-flavored or vanilla flavored protein powder, pureed pumpkin.
**To rehydrate the dried carrots, simply place them in a bowl full of warm water for about 15 min. Mix all of your other ingredients while the carrots rehydrate. You don’t want to add them in until they’ve been rehydrated so that they don’t pull moisture from your cookie.
To Bake:
Preheat your oven to 350. Mix dry ingredients in one bowl, wet ingredients in another, then add the wet to the dry and mix only as long as needed until it’s incorporated. Then fold in the additional ingredients. If you find that the mixture is still a bit crumbly, or the oats don’t seem to be fully hydrated, use a bit more milk.
In rounded tablespoons or with a cookie scoop, drop dough onto a cookie sheet lined with parchment paper and cook for about 12-15, but watch to check yours after 10 min. These do not spread much and are a cake-like consistency.
You can freeze uncooked dough balls for making fresh cookies down the road. We found that frozen cookies already cooked tend to be a bit crumbly, so will forgo the energy savings of one big cooking session to freeze the dough and cook the morning of. Just add a minute or two to your cook time.
We serve this with some greek yogurt with a drizzle of honey, or applesauce or Nutty Pumpkin Granola.
Why dried carrots? They’re great in our food storage even when we don’t have carrots in season or fresh ones in stock. I can store the ones from Peak Season and NOT have to worry about shredding them myself, or the mess it makes (you should’ve SEEN my shredder attachment on my mixer after I made fresh carrot cake last year – it is STILL tinted orange!), and they are so full of goodness! Plus, they add a nice, sweet, light crunch to the cookie that I love.
Dried Carrots – The Orange Power Food
Often taken for granted as a common vegetable, regular carrot consumption is encouraged as a tasty multi-nutrient food for all ages and diets. Peak Season Foods produces a diced dried carrot piece that can be used in a variety of snacks and entrees.
Dried carrots are widely known as one of the best sources for beta-carotene and its valuable levels of the antioxidant vitamin A which, based on preliminary research, may support good eyesight and overall health for the skin, digestive system, teeth and disease prevention. In addition to the Nutrition Facts shown in the accompanying table, carrots:
- Serve as one of the best sources for beta-carotene, with an 80g serving of cooked carrots providing over twice the Daily Value of vitamin A.
- Are a good source of dietary fiber supporting digestive health.
With high antioxidant vitamin A levels contributing to overall wellness and disease prevention, dried carrots can be an important part of your health and wellness strategy.
I found the original idea here: Heavenly Homemakers . Laura adds a great tip about soaking the grains overnight to make them more easily digestible. Here are some other varieties: Ellie Krieger, Good Cheap Eats, Cooking with My Kid.
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Becky is a wildlife enthusiast and pet and livestock care expert with a diploma in canine nutrition. With over a decade of experience in animal welfare, Becky lends her expertise to Simple Family Preparedness through insightful info about pets, livestock, bee keeping, and the practicalities of homesteading.