Breakfast cookies recipe

On Tuesday, I had an early-morning Zoom cookie-making session with my young nieces in California (it was Monday afternoon for them). They made some pretty spectacular sugar cookies, while I watched, chatted, and mixed together my own breakfast cookies.

Cookies for breakfast are absolutely allowed in my house. I’d like to share my own recipe with you. The recipe has a peanut butter and oat base, with a tasty and healthy mix of nuts, dried cherries, and cinnamon. The cookies are perfect at breakfast or any time of day.

If you’re not a fan of peanut butter, any nut butter would work. If you like to tweak recipe ingredients, I recommend keeping the nut butter, fruit, oat, and nut ratios in place, so the cookies have a nice textural balance. Try toasting the nuts before chopping them, for maximum flavor. I used dried cherries for the bright flavor that complements the buttery, nutty ingredients.

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BREAKFAST COOKIES

Makes 24 cookies.

Preheat oven to 350 F. Prepare a cookie sheet, electric mixer, large bowl, mixing and measuring spoons/cups, and spatula.

Ingredients:

1/2 cup unsalted butter, softened

1/2 cup packed brown sugar

1/3 cup granulated sugar

1/2 cup peanut butter

1 large egg

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

3/4 cup all-purpose flour

1 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon cinnamon

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/2 cup old-fashioned oats

1/4 cup pecans, lightly toasted on a dry pan, then chopped coarsely

1/4 cup pistachios, lightly toasted on a dry pan, then chopped coarsely

2 Tablespoons raw pumpkin seeds

3/4 cup dried Montmorency cherries (I used Stoneridge Orchards brand)

Instructions:

In a large bowl, beat together the butter, sugars, and peanut butter until fluffy.

Mix in the egg and vanilla.

With the mixer on low speed, beat in the flour, baking soda, cinnamon, and salt. Then mix by hand the oats. Finally, mix by hand the toasted nuts, pumpkin seeds, and dried cherries, so the ingredients are evenly distributed.

With the oven ready at 350 F, form dough into balls about 1 – 1.5 tablespoons in size. Place them 2 inches apart on a cookie sheet. Do not flatten. Bake for 10-12 minutes, or until the tops are just set.

When removing from the oven, it is ok to flatten each cookie a little with a spatula (optional). Remove cookies from the cookie sheet after a couple of minutes, then cool them completely on a rack or parchment paper.