"Clean" Banana-Oat Breakfast Cookies

Want an easy, healthy, crazy-delicious breakfast cookie recipe?  How fortuitous - that's exactly what I have for you today!  In our efforts to clean up our eating acts around here, I've been looking for ways to make breakfast a little more simple.  I used to love a good toaster waffle or microwave sausage patty, but those are now "no-no's" (have you read the ingredient list on some of those things?  Yikes!)  But getting up each morning and making breakfast from scratch is like, totally out of the question because I am SO not a morning person.  In my quest to find something somewhat nutritious that could be made ahead and thrown at my toddlers from the couch, I ran across this post from Sally's Baking Addiction.  When I first scanned the recipe I was like, "No eggs?  No butter?  How can these possibly taste good or even come out tasting remotely like cookies?"  Nevertheless, I gave them a try.  

Whoa.  *heavens opening*

These things are goooood, ya'll.  And since there's no uncooked egg in the dough, you can basically just go to town on the mixing bowl (not that I did that.)  However, I highly recommend baking them before consuming, as it just keeps getting better once they're warm.  These are thick, chewy, sweet, and will keep you and your kids full through the morning.  I plan on subbing the peanut butter out for almond butter next time (hubby doesn't like peanut butter - total weirdo) and adding some sliced almond and raisins.  The possibilities are endless - what are you waiting for?  Go make them! 

What you need:

2 1/3 cups "quick" oats (or rolled oats, pulsed about 5x in a blender/food processor)

2 ripe bananas, mashed

1/4 cup honey (or pure maple syrup)

1 cup any kind of nut butter (I used peanut this time)

1 tsp salt

1 tsp cinnamon (optional)

Add-ins: dried fruits (I used a blueberry, pomegranate, cherry mix), sliced almonds, walnuts,

 chocolate chips, etc.  Get creative!

What you do:

Preheat oven to 325 degrees.  

Line a sheet pan with parchment paper (or just lightly spray with cooking spray if you're 

constantly forgetting to pick up parchment paper, like me.) 

Mix up all the ingredients in a large bowl with a wooden spoon or large spatula.  The dough will be very sticky and thick.
Try not to eat all the dough before baking.  This part is tough, ya'll.
Drop onto prepared pan, about 3 tablespoons per cookie.
Flatten the cookies out and shape them up - these puppies don't spread in the oven.
Bake for around 15 minutes.
Let them cool completely and then ENJOY!

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