Apple, honey, and peanut butter breakfast cookies

These breakfast cookies are a great make-ahead meal prep that’s full of protein, fiber, and flavor.

Take me to the cookies!

Oh apple season, how I love you. However, baking with you in your natural state sometimes leads to a soggy mess. So, dried apples it is. I like the Trader Joe's version the best because they're dry (obviously), but not so dry that they're hard to eat. Though I still have to cut them up for M because he shoves so many of the whole ones into his mouth that he chokes. When will he learn??

Anyway, these cookies are sweet and hearty and FILLING. They combine the heartiness of hot oatmeal with the fun and portability of a cookie and the protein and fiber of granola (some of them, anyway). They’re sort of like if granola, oatmeal, and a cinnamon raisin cookie had a baby.

This is also a great place to sub in some store-bought sunflower seed butter to make these lunchbox appropriate. Pretty sure the rest of the ingredients would mask the sometimes glue-y taste of store-bought versions. Using gluten-free oats also makes these safe for kids with gluten allergies. And I haven't tried these with egg substitutes, but I'm assuming that two or three flax eggs would also work to bind these together. If using a flax egg, directly reduce the amount of flax seed meal that goes into the batter, but keep the baking powder the same. But note that I'm speculating here as I haven't tried these changes myself. I'll update the post if I do!

Apple, honey, and peanut butter breakfast cookies

Time: About 20 minutes
Yield: 24 cookies

8 oz peanut, almond, or sunflower seed butter (natural or regular are fine, but see note)
¾ cup honey
1/4 cup brown sugar
2 eggs
2 Tbsp coconut or olive oil (if using coconut oil, melted)
1 tsp vanilla extract
3 cups old fashioned rolled oats
1/2 cup flax seed meal
½ tsp salt
1 tsp baking powder
1½ cups dried apples, chopped
½ cup cranberries, raisins, or chocolate chips

Preheat the oven to 350. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper and set aside.

Combine the peanut butter, honey, brown sugar, eggs, oil, and vanilla in a large bowl. Mix well.

Add the dry ingredients and mix until all have been incorporated and no streaks remain.

Wet hands and form the dough into 24 balls (about 2-3 Tbsp each) and gently press down. The dough will be sticky, which is why wet hands are helpful.

Bake for 12-15 minutes or until the sides just begin to brown. 

Let cool completely before removing from cookie sheet. (Cookies are slightly crumbly until they cool.)

Banana bread doughnuts

These banana bread doughnuts are the best way to use up old, overripe bananas, cook faster than regular banana bread, and are a perfect bite-sized treat for breakfast or a snack.

Take me to the doughnuts!

These healthy banana bread doughnuts cook faster than regular banana bread and are a perfect healthy treat for breakfast or snack. #meandthemoose #healthybaking #bananabread #doughnuts #bananabreaddoughnuts

I've been thinking a lot about feelings lately as M, in typical toddler fashion, has all of the feelings, all of the time. Well, not all of the time. But while it makes life harder for me when he has A DAY, I want him to know that feelings are fine and that "managing" them doesn't mean suppressing them. That reminder is for me more than him because he wants to fly his feelings flag high. Unfortunately, my first instinct is to talk him out of it in an effort to make him "feel better," but which is probably more like "feel nothing negative."

I've read a few articles lately about parenting boys like this one, which was a good reminder of things I already think about and do (and wrote about here). Most writings about raising feminist sons (or just sons who aren't jerks) mention encouraging their emotional vocabulary, but don't give a lot of specific data or instructions. However, this article gives both and made me think about how I talk with M about everything, not just his feelings.

These healthy banana bread doughnuts cook faster than regular banana bread and are a perfect healthy treat for breakfast or snack. #meandthemoose #healthybaking #bananabread #doughnuts #bananabreaddoughnuts

Since reading this article, I've tried to be more curious with M, particularly when we're cooking together. He takes his little step stool and stands next to me at our (tiny) counter. I give him jobs and we make a huge mess and in the mean time, I have the opportunity to ask him a million questions about what he's doing, choices he's making, and what he feels while we work on this whole project. Baking is also a great way to teach patience because we can't eat the finished product right away.

These healthy banana bread doughnuts cook faster than regular banana bread and are a perfect healthy treat for breakfast or snack. #meandthemoose #healthybaking #bananabread #doughnuts #bananabreaddoughnuts

M made (and tasted) every batch of these banana bread donuts with me. He loved them all, but I liked my final batch with a little more coconut sugar and a second egg, the best. This is truly a one bowl recipe: We mixed the wet ingredients first and added the dry ingredients directly to the wet batter and they've turned out really well each time (with minimal dish doing at the end). This recipe could easily be made as mini muffins, regular muffins, or a loaf of banana bread. But I quite like them as doughnuts because they bake very evenly and very quickly.

These healthy banana bread doughnuts cook faster than regular banana bread and are a perfect healthy treat for breakfast or snack. #meandthemoose #healthybaking #bananabread #doughnuts #bananabreaddoughnuts

These healthy banana bread doughnuts cook faster than regular banana bread and are a perfect healthy treat for breakfast or snack. #meandthemoose #healthybaking #bananabread #doughnuts #bananabreaddoughnuts

Banana bread donuts

Time: 20-25 minutes, mostly active
Yield: 10-12 doughnuts, depending on how much you fill the tins

Adapted from America's Test Kitchen

3 medium bananas, smashed
¾ cup coconut sugar
2 eggs
1/3 cup full fat plain yogurt
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 cup whole wheat flour
1 cup quick oats
2 Tbsp flax seed meal
1 tsp baking soda
½ tsp baking powder
½ tsp salt
½ tsp cinnamon

Preheat the oven to 375.

In a large bowl, smash the bananas. Add the coconut sugar, eggs, yogurt, and vanilla and mix thoroughly.

Add the dry ingredients and mix until just combined and no dry flour can be seen.

Spoon the batter into greased doughnut pan and bake for 10-12 minutes or until the top springs back when lightly pushed. Let cool in the pan for 5 minutes and then turn out onto a cooling rack to let cool completely.

Strawberry and cherry granola bars

Say hello to the Frankenbar: Part granola bar, part oatmeal cookie, and part Rice Krispie treat.

Take me to the recipe!

These beauties are free of gluten, nuts, and can be dairy-free if you swap out the chocolate-covered sunflower seeds with a vegan chocolate. The brown rice syrup takes a little getting used to—for me, it has a slightly funky flavor on its own. But the syrup is far stickier than honey or maple syrup, so it's a better binder, and you don't taste it in final product.

These bars are also completely adaptable based on preferences and allergy concerns. Can't find dried strawberries or cherries? Use other dried fruits. Don't have any nut allergies? Use almonds or peanuts and their respective nut butters instead of the sunflower seeds and seed butter. Can't find chocolate covered sunflower seeds? Swap in the aforementioned vegan chocolate to make the bars dairy-free or use chocolate chunks or M&Ms.

This recipe is also a great way to use up sunflower seed butter if you have some left over. Again, one of those ingredients that can taste kind of funky on its own (unless you make this homemade version which is GREAT), but adds a nice nuttyness when combined with all of the other ingredients.

Strawberry and cherry granola bars

Time: 45 minutes, mostly active
Yield: about 18 large bars

1 1/2 cup quick rolled oats
1 1/2 cup puffed rice cereal (brown or white is fine)
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
2/3 cup chocolate covered sunflower seeds
2/3 cup dried cherries, roughly chopped
2/3 cup dried strawberries, roughly chopped
1/3 cup freeze-dried cherries
1/3 cup freeze-dried strawberries
6 Tbsp melted coconut oil
1/3 cup + 2 Tbsp sunflower seed butter (1/3 cup works, but the bars are slightly crumbly)
1/3 cup + 2 Tbsp brown rice syrup

Preheat the oven to 350. Line an 8x8 baking pan with parchment and lightly grease. Set aside.

Combine the dry ingredients in a large bowl.

In a smaller bowl, melt the coconut oil. Whisk in the sunflower seed butter and the brown rice syrup. If not coming together, microwave the wet ingredients for 10 seconds at a time and try whisking as the ingredients warm.

Pour the wet ingredients over the dry ones. Using a spatula or your hands (I always use my hands), stir well to combine.

Dump the mixture into the parchment-lined baking pan and pack down.

Bake in the oven for 25 minutes or just until the edges begin to brown.

Let cool completely before serving. The bars stay crunchy for one week in a sealed bag at room temperature, but go ahead and freeze some or all if you won't eat within a week.