breakfast cookies.

So after this post, I am going to try to refrain from sharing every single one of Shauna Niequist's recipes. I realize I'm being redundant since I have praised her writing and recipes in nearly every one of my posts. But homegirl can write and cook. Which means I love her. Which means I want to tell everyone about her so they will love her too. Bottom line, read her books/blog and try her recipes.

After reading Bread & Wine I wanted to run drive to Kroger and buy every ingredient needed to make all of the recipes she included. I really believe I will love each one. But since that would be busting the budget--and I'm the Budget Police this month--I found one that included mostly ingredients that we already had in our pantry. Plus, who doesn't love cookies for breakfast!? She credits this recipe as being an adaptation of Nikki's Healthy Cookies, from Heidi Swanson's blog: www.101cookbooks.com. Got to give credit where credit is due. (I hope everyone else remembers the old Sawyer Brown song that just came to my head... if not, look it up...)

Breakfast Cookies

3 large, ripe bananas

1/4 cup coconut oil or olive oil

1 teaspoon vanilla

2 cups rolled oats

2/3 cup almond meal

1/2 teaspoon sea salt

1 teaspoon baking powder

2/3 cup shredded coconut

1/2 cup chopped walnuts

1/4 cup chocolate chips

Mash bananas in a large bowl and then add coconut oil and vanilla. Add oats, almond meal, salt, baking powder, and stir to combine. Stir in coconut, nuts, and chocolate chips. Form into 12 cookies (or more if you make them smaller). Bake on a cookie sheet at 350 degrees for 14-16 minutes. 

Notes: Versatility wins again. If you don't like coconut, use more oats. If you don't like walnuts, use another type of nut or just leave them out! I would love more chocolate chips next time, just because I'm a chocoholic. I even threw in some raisins because we had them and I like to use up ingredients. I also added a dash of cinnamon because I like the flavor. I added some ground flax seed, too. I bet peanut butter would taste good in this recipe too! The possibilities are endless! This soft, moist cookie is simple, delicious, and healthy (as long as you don't eat the whole batch in one setting!). Enjoy! 

*Also, an app I have recently fallen in love with is called A Beautiful Mess. I meant to include this in the last couple of posts and I kept forgetting. It is 99cents in the app store but for someone who never purchases apps, it was worth it for the fun it adds to pictures! You can add text, borders, filters, and doodles to your photos. I love it and I bet you will too! 

Have a blessed day!