Oatmeal Breakfast Cookies

Yes, I said it, breakfast and cookies...together...for breakfast.

I don't know about you, but sometimes I just want a quick breakfast.  I don't want to spend a long time fixing it, I just want to grab it and eat.  So, a breakfast cookie appealed to me.

I found this Oats & Pumpkin Breakfast Cookie recipe and gave it a try.  I replaced the sugar with date sugar, but was having a hard time getting it sweet enough to make me happy.  However, I also didn't want to use a ton of date sugar either, so I added some raisins.  We were happy with the results, but I kept thinking about that recipe.  The thought came to me, use some banana.  Of course, that sweetens things up nicely, and so I did, and I am happy with the changes I made.  I altered the initial recipe in other ways too, so I will include the altered recipe below.

First, some notes.  I don't know about you, but when a recipe calls for a partial container of something, I am not always very good about using up what is left, so doubling the recipe and throwing a banana in helps me use a full 15 oz. can of pumpkin.

For honey and other liquid sweeteners, I often substitute them with the same quantity of date sugar (ground dried dates) plus the same quantity of water.  I forgot to add the water the last time, and it turned out fine, but the water might help it be more moist (but they were fine without it).

For the flax seeds, I substituted with chia seeds.  As I understand it, you can't get the nutrients from flax seeds without grinding them up -- either with your teeth or something else.

I haven't tried it yet, but I am guessing these could be kept in the freezer.  You might want to freeze them individually before putting them in the bag together so they will seperate easily.

One more thing, I enjoy a couple of these with a nice cup of hot tea.

Here is the recipe I ended up.

Oatmeal Breakfast Cookies

4 c. old fashioned oats
15 oz can of pumpkin (not pie filling)
1 ripe banana, mashed
1/2 c. date sugar
0 - 1/2 c. water
a generous 1/2 c. peanut butter
1 c. chia seeds
4 t. pumpkin pie spice
1 - 2 c. raisins

Mix all the ingredients well (I use my mixer).

Using about 1/4 c. (I used an ice cream scoop that has a release lever), make a cookie (or just flatten it on the cookie sheet) and put it on a cookie sheet lined with parchment paper.

Bake at 350 degrees for 10-12 minutes.

I store mine in the refrigerator.