You know them; those people that you really feel at home with. Maybe they’re old friends or siblings, but for me, they’re my aunts and uncles. I grew up with them and even lived with some of them. That’s why I love these breakfast cookies and will always remember when my aunt came to visit and mixed them up for me. She even let me take pictures so I could share the recipe with you!
Each time I go to my home town to visit, it’s like a little family reunion. Almost everyone on my Mom’s side of the family lives in and around the same small town. She has 12 brothers and sisters; add my cousins and in-laws into the mix and I’m bound to see someone in the family each time I go out! I really miss being with them, so it was so nice of my Aunt Julie to come visit and cook for me!
We don’t usually cook gluten free, but love healthy alternatives and like to use natural sweeteners. These cookies were soo easy and soo good; like crunchy little granola bars with a soft center. They were gone in about 10 minutes! I found a very similar recipe that uses dried blueberries and pecans. I think dried apricots or raisins would be good too.
- 1½ cup Old Fashioned Oats
- 1 cup Unsweetened Coconut Flakes
- 1 Tablespoon Flax Meal
- ½ Teaspoon Salt
- 1 Teaspoon Cinnamon
- ¾ Cup Slivered Almonds
- ½ Cup Chopped Dried Cranberries
- 3 Ripe Bananas, Mashed
- 1 Tablespoon Honey
- 1 Teaspoon Vanilla Extract
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees and lightly oil a baking pan or line with parchment.
- Mix together all dry ingredients in a large bowl. Add the mashed bananas, honey, and vanilla extract.
- With clean hands, form into cookies with 2-3 tablespoons of the mixture and place on the baking sheet ½ inch apart.
- Bake for 20-25 minutes or until golden brown.
Can’t wait to hear what you think about these! Got any good flavor combination ideas? Maybe a little peanut butter could be substituted for the honey? Yum!
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My husband loves breakfast cookies and these look delicious, I think I’ll give ’em a try! Thank you for sharing with the Clever Chicks Blog Hop!
Kathy Shea Mormino
The Chicken Chick
http://www.The-Chicken-Chick.com
Kathy Shea Mormino, The Chicken Chick recently posted…Flock Focus Friday, 1/10/14 with TWO Giveaways!
Oh wow! These look delicious!
These are delicious! Any idea if they freeze well?
Yes! They won’t be as crunchy unless you reheat them in the oven though.
Wow, this would be perfect for breakfast in bed to add a little jolt of sweetness to the morning! I try to keep it healthy, but who can say no to just a tad bit of sugar in the morning :p
Kevin recently posted…How To Knock Her Socks Off Before She Even Puts Them On. A Practical Guide To Breakfast In Bed
I’m not a fan of cocoanut flakes. Any other suggestions besides skipping this ingredient?
The coconut flakes are in there for flavor and a little sweetness so you could add anything else like some whole flax seeds, other nuts, other dried fruit, or rice cereal?
Thank you for this recipe? Do you know if you can use fresh cranberries instead of dried? than you!
Hi Katarina, I think that the liquid might cause the cookies to fall apart, but you could cook the cranberries first to dry them out. You have to boil them until they crack, drain, and put them in the oven on a low heat for a couple hours or so. Hope that helps!
Hi thank you for this recipe! Do you have an approximate calorie count for these ?
Do we know what the nutritional content of your gluten free cranberry harvest breakfast cookies are? I would love to try them but I would need that info.
Hi Christ. That is a great question! I’m sorry, I don’t off the top of my head. But you can calculate it really quickly with this tool http://www.myfitnesspal.com/recipe/calculator
Thanks so much for stopping by!
How many should this recipe make?
Hi Kendyl! The recipe will make about 12 big cookies 🙂
i have a question I’m allergic to honey what would would you recommend for a substitute
Hi Jessica! Yes, agave or maple syrup would work. If you use sweetened coconut you can leave it out, but it doesn’t stick together as well.
These cookies turned out delish! My only problem was that they were very difficult to form and put on the pan, the ingredients just fell apart and did not bond well. I followed the recipe to a “t”, any suggestions?
Maybe your bananas were not as big as mine and you need a little extra? or add some more honey?
Would these work as bars too?
They might! The nuts would make them a little hard to cut without crumbling them I think.