Category: Breakfast Recipes

Cherry Chocolate Breakfast Cookies

 

These chewy and fiber-rich cherry chocolate breakfast cookies are the perfect start to your day! Each cookie is full of protein, antioxidants and old-fashioned oats for a satisfying grab-and-go breakfast. 

Breakfast is one of my favorite meals although I typically start my day with a strong cup of coffee. Whether it’s a skillet full of eggs and homestyle potatoes or a stack of pancakes, breakfast food just covers all of the bases to feed any craving. To earn the title  of “Breakfast Cookie”, this recipe adds only a little bit of pure maple syrup to sweeten, relying on the natural sweetness of ripe banana, dark chocolate chips and dried cherries. Feel free to omit the maple syrup though if you want a less sweet cookie. You’ll notice even with the maple syrup, these are not an overly sweet cookie. These cookies aren’t just great for breakfast; keep them handy for a quick afternoon snack or post workout fuel.

The ripe banana also takes the place of added fat, making for a super moist and chewy cookie. I have nothing against fat and I’m a big proponent of healthy fats, from grass-fed ghee and avocado oil. But sometimes it’s fun to play around with using bananas, applesauce, zucchini and even avocado in place of fats in recipes.

One of the best parts about this recipe is there’s no need to use a hand-mixer or standing mixer. Just one medium mixing bowl. Once all of the ingredients are mixed thoroughly, the dough is refrigerated. This allows the oats to absorb the moisture and create a sticky texture that will help the cookies hold together. Next, 1/4 cup scoops of the oat dough are scooped onto a baking sheet and formed into round cookies. This eliminates the worry of the cookies spreading. Enjoy cookies with a big glass of your favorite milk or coffee for dunking!

Tip: I used slightly damp fingertips to form the cookies to help prevent the oats from sticking to my hands and shape easier. 

Cherry Chocolate Breakfast Cookies

Cherry Chocolate Breakfast Cookies

Cherry Chocolate Breakfast Cookies

Ingredients

  • 2 cups + 1/2 cup old fashioned oats, divided
  • 2 large eggs
  • 1 large ripe banana, mashed
  • 2 tbsp pure maple syrup
  • 1 tsp vanilla bean paste
  • 1/4 tsp cinnamon
  • 1/4 cup dried cherries
  • 1/4 cup dark chocolate chips
  • 1/8 tsp sea salt
  • 1 tsp baking powder

Instructions

  1. Preheat oven to 350ºF and line a large baking sheet with parchment paper. Add 1/2 cup of old fashioned oats to a food processor and pulse until ground like flour. Set aside.
  2. In a medium mixing bowl, whisk together egg, mashed banana, maple syrup and vanilla bean paste. Stir oat flour, 2 cups of oats, cinnamon, sea salt and baking powder into mixture until moist. Stir in chocolate chips and dried cherries. Chill in refrigerator for 15 minutes.
  3. Scoop out 1/4 cup mounds of dough onto prepared baking sheet. Use fingertips to shape into cookies. Bake for 13-15 minutes. Cool on baking sheet for 15 minutes. Store in a airtight container for up to 1 week.
https://freshandfit.org/cherry-chocolate-breakfast-cookies/

Honey Pistachio Overnight Oats and Granola

Chewy oats and crunchy granola combine in this chilled breakfast fit for a summer morning. I usually tend to skip breakfast in the morning in favor of a big mug of coffee. However, breakfast dishes are among some of my very favorite things to eat. Living alone, I will happily enjoy an oven-baked frittata for dinner or a big bowl of oats with berries as an evening snack, while watching guilty pleasures like the bachelorette or the real housewives of anywhere.

My favorite thing about oats is that you can bring them to life by adding unique toppings, from sweet with dried fruit to savory with a runny egg and bacon on top. In this honey pistachio overnight oats and granola you’ll find plenty of toppings to feed your sweet tooth. You can use any preferred toppings you may have on hand. Pecans, walnuts or almonds can be subbed for pistachios. Sliced bananas, strawberries and  blackberries can be used. Pure maple syrup or coconut sugar make delicious alternatives to honey.  Overnight oats make great meal prep recipes for busy mornings. Simply add the dry oats along with your favorite dairy or dairy-free milk and allow the oats to soak overnight. This recipe serves two, but feel free to keep it all to yourself!

Honey Pistachio Overnight Oats and Granola

10 minutes

10 minutes

Yield: 2 servings

Honey Pistachio Overnight Oats and Granola

Ingredients

  • 1 cup quick oats
  • 1 1/2 cups unsweetened almond milk
  • 1/2 cup granola
  • 1/2 cup blueberries
  • 1/4 cup chopped pistachios
  • 2 tbsp unsweetened coconut flakes
  • 2 tbsp dried cranberries
  • 2 black mission figs, halved
  • 2 tbsp pure honey or maple syrup

Instructions

  1. Soak oats and almond milk in a small jar or bowl for 6-8 hours.
  2. Pour soaked oats into serving bowl and stir. Top with granola and suggested toppings. Drizzle honey on top. Serve with additional milk, if desired.
https://freshandfit.org/honey-pistachio-overnight-oats-granola/

Cherry Coconut Overnight Oats with Flahavan’s Irish Oats

Overnight oats are summer’s answer to traditional cooked oatmeal. Oats soak in milk overnight to soften and plump the oats, tenderizing them to a creamy and wholesome breakfast. Because of their light flavor and chewy texture, oats beg to be topped with all sorts of mix-ins to jazz up the taste. I chose cherries and dried unsweetened coconut to suit the summer season. Cherries are only available in my neck of the woods during the warmer months, so I like to stock up and get my cherry fix while I can. Cherries add a tart, sweet flavor to the oats and are full of antioxidants helping to fight off free radical damage within the body. Coconut is a year round staple in my house and one of my favorite flavors in sweet and savory dishes.

 

The oats I used were provided by Flahavan’s Irish Oats. Flahavan’s uses high quality, non-GMO oats with a variety of styles to choose from. There are the quick-cooking Steel Cut Oats and the type I chose for this recipe, the traditional Irish Oatmeal. The delicate oats are perfect for overnight oats, soaking up the almond milk and absorbing the sweet maple syrup for heaps of flavor in each spoonful. Check out more of their awesome products here.

Cherry Coconut Overnight Oats with Flahavan’s Irish Oats

10 minutes

Yield: 1 serving

Serving Size: 16 ounces

Cherry Coconut Overnight Oats with Flahavan’s Irish Oats

Ingredients

  • 1.5 cups unsweetened almond or coconut milk
  • 3/4 cupS Flahavan's Irish Oats
  • 1/3 cup pitted cherries, halved
  • 1/4 shredded unsweetened coconut
  • 1 tbsp pure maple syrup
  • 1/8 tsp vanilla bean powder or paste

Instructions

  1. Combine ingredients in a 16 oz basin jar and stir to combine. Refrigerate 4 to 8 hours. Enjoy cold.
https://freshandfit.org/cherry-coconut-overnight-oats-flahavans-irish-oats/

This recipe was sponsored by Flahavan’s Irish Oats. I was compensated in oats in exchange for this post.