Healthy Breakfast {or Snack} Cookies

This cookie recipe, Healthy Breakfast {or Snack} Cookies, leans on oats, creamy peanut butter and mashed banana. It makes 15 cookies and takes about 33 minutes.

• Yield 15 cookies
• Ready in 33 minutes
• Prep 15 minutes
• Cook 18 minutes

Ingredients

• 2 1/2 cups oats ( for quick vs old-fashioned)
• 3/4 cup creamy peanut butter
• 1/2 cup mashed banana, about 1 medium ( for substitutions)
• 1/4 cup unsweetened applesauce
• 1/4 cup flaxseed meal
• 1/4 cup honey
• 3/4 teaspoon salt (I use coarse, kosher salt)
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1 cup raisins (chocolate chips, craisins, chopped nuts or other add-ins)

Instructions

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Line baking sheets with parchment paper and lightly grease with cooking spray. Set aside.
2. In a large bowl, combine the oats, peanut butter, mashed bananas or pumpkin, applesauce, flaxseed meal, honey or syrup, salt, and cinnamon. Mix until mostly combined.
3. Stir in any add-ins and mix until evenly combined.
4. Drop by large spoonfuls onto prepared baking sheets (I use a #20 cookie scoop which is about 3 heaping tablespoons). The cookies won't spread while baking so they can be spaced about 1-inch apart. Flatten each cookie dough mound into an even disc about 1/4-inch thick.
5. Bake for 15-18 minutes until golden but still soft. {You can bake longer for crunchier cookies.}

Cool the cookies on the sheet for a few minutes, then move them to a rack.