Let me start by saying that baking is not my jam!
Over the years I have had failures and successes when it comes to my baking skills, but with all the variables that go with preparing sweets & treats, I tend to head for the store bought and save myself the hassle.
So I started searching for baking recipes that had less than 5 ingredients and I stumbled upon a few for breakfast cookies made from quick oats, chocolate chips, and bananas?!
That got my attention for two reasons; 1. All I need is 3 ingredients to bake something delicious & 2. Kids LOVE COOKIES! The idea that I could create a recipe that’s packed with healthy ingredients, but simple to make on a busy dance morning is exactly what L&L is all about!
These Harvest Breakfast Cookies are sweet and tangy with the perfect balanced texture of crispy cookie and chewy granola bar.
The reason for such a great bakers balance? It’s the banana!
Giving the cookie its chewy texture while providing great flavor, the banana is the key ingredient in this simple recipe. It’s also the most fun to work with for kids! I have my son help with the banana mashing and its his favorite part!
I always encourage dancers to get in the kitchen! This will help further their positive eating habits and makes it simpler to have little ones try new foods when they help prepare them.
Combining the mashed banana with the other main ingredients, quick oats and you’ll have the base of your breakfast cookie. Now the fun part!
There are so many options when it comes to add-in ingredients, but for this recipe I used raisins, All spice and chilled cranberry sauce, but you can feel free to mix and match with multiple options!
Pistachios, dried fruits, cinnamon sugar, chocolate or peanut butter chips…there are so many choices! And it’s so much fun for dancers to incorporate their favorite add-ins and express there flavor palate.
Recipe Below:
Ingredients:
- 2 ripe Bananas, mashed
- 1 cup Quick Oats
- 1/2 cup Raisins
- 1 tablespoon Cranberry sauce (Recipe below)
- 1 teaspoon All Spice
Instructions:
-Preheat your oven to 350 degrees.
-Start by placing bananas in a large mixing bowl. Using a potato masher, have your dancer, or yourself, mix and mash bananas until they become a thin puree. You could also use a fork for this process, bur the potato masher is more fun for kiddos!
-Next, add the quick oats, raisins, cranberry sauce and all spice. Combine all ingredients until they are evenly mixed.
(CRANBERRY SAUCE- Combine 1 cup of cranberries, 1/2 cup orange juice and 1/4 cup brown sugar. Simmer over low-medium heat until cranberries pop, brown sugar melts and all ingredients are combine. Cool before adding to the batter.)
NOTE: I used fresh cranberry sauce primarily because I always have it in my fridge, but feel free to use canned cranberries for this recipe too. Works the same if you are short on time or don’t keep fresh cranberry sauce on hand like me 🙂
-Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and place 1 tablespoon of the breakfast batter on the sheet. Be sure to spread cookies apart evenly on tray and allow enough room for baking.
NOTE: You will need to form cookies into a ball and flatten slightly with the spoon to ensure proper baking. Just like most cookie recipes 🙂
-Place tray in the oven and cook for 12-14 minutes. Remove and allow a minimum of 10 minutes to cool and set before packing or serving.
Hope you enjoy!
