Recipe: The Best Breakfast Cookie (or Homemade Bar or Vegan Oatmeal Cookie)

My first batch -- which I could not stop eating!

For years, I have been trying to find a granola or bar-like snack that is tasty and meets my high standards:  peanut-free, soy-free, sugar-free, minimal fat, and vegan.   Whew!  I found one -- and it's my own hybrid recipe of Glow Kitchen's Easy Oatmeal Vegan Cookie and The Minimalist Baker's "breakfast cookie."    I agree with John and Dana (the Minimalist Bakers) who confess these "turned out so good I simply could not stop eating (as in "6 cookies in one day" kind of good)."    Glow Kitchen calls this a cookie but I think it's closer to a terrific granola bar alternative!

BEST BREAKFAST COOKIE / HOMEMADE BAR / VEGAN OATMEAL COOKIE

Ingredients

1 and 1/2 C. oatmeal (I used Quaker Oats, regular variety)

2 tsp cinnamon

1/8 tsp salt

3 small to medium browning bananas (mine were lightly spotted)

1/2 C. applesauce, unsweetened

1/2 C. raisins

1/3 C. unsweetened dried cranberries (I prefer these)

1/4 C. ground nuts (I used a mix of walnuts and pecans from Tierra Farm)

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2. Mix oats, cinnamon, salt, dried fruit and nuts.
3. Put bananas into a large bowl and mash with a fork. Or, if you don't mind doing this with your hands, it's really the most effective way.  Just squish the bananas between your fingers…   
4. Add applesauce and mix well.
5. Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients and mix/fold together.
6. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.  (Critical -- cookies may stick if you do not use parchment paper!)
7. Use a tablespoon measuring spoon to drop 2 T. of batter per cookie on parchment paper.  Shape into "cookie" shape if needed and lightly press cookie as dropping it onto pan.
8. Bake for 25-30 minutes.   I left these in for an extra 5 minutes or so just until the first sign of browning on some of the cookies.
9. Cool individual cookies on plate or rack.  
10. KEEP REFRIGERATED.   I do not know the shelf life but it seems these need to be eaten relatively quickly.  Not that this will be difficult to do.  :)

The finished product, cooling! 

Cookies in Pyrex storage container ready for refrigerator.  The plated cookies never made it that far.