Cookies for breakfast. On Monday! You know this week has to be good.
I didn’t make them alone. Oh no.
I had a little helper.
She was a tad bit excited.
This is Morgan — my best friend’s daughter and the sister of the baby with the wild faces. We hit it off instantly; we’re practically the same person.
She might be the most well-behaved, polite, and genuinely sweet child I’ve ever met. That means I’ve decided I can only have kids if someone guarantees me an exact clone of her. Fair, right?
Also: she wore a toddler apron. Adorable.
I told Morgan we were making “healthy” cookies — cookies you could eat for breakfast. She was game. I didn’t mention that I sometimes eat regular cookies for breakfast; she actually eats vegetables and I didn’t want her to think less of me.
She did everything: mashing bananas, whisking the egg, dumping in the flour, and sneaking chocolate chips. I kept telling her to “smile really big!” so I could capture her face for these photos. She obliged, even while eating cookies and possibly wanting to punch me. I love this kid.
I worried our last-minute mashup of ingredients would flop and taste like chalk. Thankfully, I was wrong. These cookies are pleasantly flavorful thanks to banana, honey, brown sugar, cherries, and of course chocolate — a mandatory breakfast ingredient in my book.
They’re slightly cakey but not overly so, with just enough wholesome taste to feel breakfast-appropriate. Full disclosure: I don’t actually need to justify eating cookies for breakfast, but these do make it easier to claim they’re a morning treat.
Breakfast Cookies
Makes about 12–16 cookies
1 large egg
1/4 cup loosely packed brown sugar
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 medium ripe banana, mashed
1 1/2 tablespoons honey
1/4 cup unsalted butter, melted and cooled
1 1/2 cups whole wheat pastry flour
1 cup old-fashioned oats
2 tablespoons ground flaxseed
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
1 teaspoon baking soda
2 tablespoons peanut butter, melted
1/2 cup chocolate chips
1/4 cup dried cherries (or dried fruit of your choice)
Preheat the oven to 350°F (175°C). In a bowl, whisk together the flour, oats, salt, baking soda, cinnamon, and flaxseed; set aside.
In a large bowl, whisk the egg and brown sugar until smooth. Add vanilla, mashed banana, melted and cooled butter, and honey; mix until combined. A few banana chunks are fine.
Gradually fold the dry ingredients into the wet mixture with a large spoon until the batter comes together. Stir in the melted peanut butter, then fold in the chocolate chips and cherries until evenly distributed.
Using a 1/4-cup measure, an ice cream scoop, or a large spoon, drop dollops of batter onto a nonstick baking sheet about 2 inches apart. Bake 10–12 minutes, until set and lightly golden around the edges. The cookies won’t spread much; they’ll hold their shape and puff up slightly.
Looks like Mondays might be okay after all.