RECIPE: Breakfast cookies

I recently sent out an email to a handful of running friends asking what their go-to running meals were. I was researching for an article I was writing. Many of them replied with similar answers, but there were a few that sparked an interest in me as I had never tried that combination before. 

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Being a huge fan of Angela Liddon (the author of Oh She Glows), I was excited when I read that her Flourless Thumbprint Breakfast Cookie was one of Dylan Wykes’ favourites, it seemed wrong not to try it myself. Packed with good nutrients and no added sugar (except the jam), these cookies are perfect before a run, or as a tea time snack. Make sure to make the thumbprint well deep enough so that the jam doesn’t spill over when it gets warm – I made that mistake! Otherwise these cookies are super easy to make, and very versatile in their contents. Mix it just by doing different flavours of jams, or adding in various nuts/seeds, or changing the nut butter garnish on top. Have fun with it!

Flourless Thumbprint Breakfast Cookies
(Recipe from Oh She Glows)

Yield: 10-12 cookies

INGREDIENTS

2 cups rolled oats
1 cup mashed ripe banana (about two very large ones)
3 tbsp chia seeds or ground flaxseed
1 tsp cinnamon
1/8 tsp fine grain sea salt
8 tsp jam
Peanut butter (or almond or sunflower seed butter), for serving (optional)

DIRECTIONS 

1. Preheat oven to 350°F and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
2. In a food processor, add the oats and pulse until a coarse meal forms. Don’t process it into a flour, some big flakes are good.
3. In a large bowl, stir together the processed oats, mashed banana, chia seeds, cinnamon, and salt until combined. The mixture will be very wet and dense.
4. With a retractable ice cream scoop or a spoon, scoop the dough into 10 mounds. (The cookies do not need to be spaced far apart on the baking sheet as they don’t spread out.) Press your thumb into the centre of each cookie to create a well. Fill each well with 1 heaping teaspoon of jam.
5. Bake cookies at 350°F for 11 to 13 minutes, until the cookies are slightly firm on the outside, but soft and doughy in the middle. Transfer cookies to a cooling rack for 10 minutes.
6. If desired, pile on your favourite nut butter. These cookies also taste great with a pat of coconut oil on top!