When your day starts with cookies, you know it’s going to be a darn good day! Especially when it starts with these tasty banana cookies. But don’t let the name of the cookies fool you – they can be eaten at any time of the day, not just at breakfast! In fact, these cookies are loaded with tons of good-for-you ingredients, making them the perfect mid-day snack or way to satisfy a sweet tooth.
I wish I could take full credit for this recipe, but that credit belongs to Elyse Kopecky and Shalane Flanagan, the authors of the best-selling cookbook “Run Fast. Cook Fast. Eat Slow”. I modified the original recipe just slightly, but I still kept the basic idea that they created, so I still don’t want to take any credit. I don’t know how these ladies came up with this delicious recipe, but I’m sure glad they did, because these cookies are incredible!
With ingredients like oats and bananas, these cookies are bound to give you a great burst of energy to get you through the morning, afternoon, or whenever you eat them. Plus, they’re sweetened with maple sugar instead of processed sugars, and they contain healthy fats from coconut and coconut oil to help your body absorb certain nutrients and help keep you full in between meals.
Because I like for my cookies to have lots of texture, I also threw in some dried unsweetened cherries, and this gave the cookies the perfect amount of sweetness to them! If you’re not a big fan of using dried fruit, you could always substitute chopped nuts or even chocolate chips if you’re like me and want some more texture.
Before I leave you with the recipe, I just want to remind you that there is absolutely nothing wrong with eating cookies for breakfast. Society tells us we need to eat this, this, and this for breakfast if we want to be healthy and/or lose weight, but in all honesty…. who cares what society thinks? YOU know your body best, and YOU know what it craves. So if your body craves cookies for breakfast, then by all means… eat the dang cookie for breakfast! Or any time you want it, for that matter. In no way does eating cookies for breakfast make you a “bad” person, so get that out of your head. Right now. Food is meant to be enjoyed, so treat your body right and fuel it with the foods it wants, regardless of what time of day it is.
With that being said, I think it’s time for you to go whip up a batch (or two – they freeze well) of these delicious cookies and enjoy them!
Banana Coconut Breakfast Cookies
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup coconut oil melted
- 1/2 cup mashed banana about 1 1/2 medium bananas
- 4 eggs
- 1/4 cup maple syrup
- 2 cups old-fashioned oats
- 3/4 cup unsweetened shredded coconut
- 2/3 cup coconut flour
- 2 tsp. ground cinnamon
- 1/4 cup chopped walnuts
- 1/4 cup dried cherries, raisins, chopped dates, or dried cranberries
- 1/4 cup chocolate chips optional
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350 F and line two baking sheets with parchment paper (or spray with non-stick cooking spray). Set aside for now.
- Add the coconut oil to a microwave-safe bowl and microwave until melted, about 15-20 seconds. Combine the oil with the mashed banana, eggs, and maple syrup. Mix well.
- Add the oats, coconut, coconut flour, and cinnamon. Mix well. Fold in the walnuts and dried cherries (or chocolate chips), if using.
- Use a small cookie scoop to scoop the mixture into mounds. Use your hands to roll into a ball, and then place them on the parchment-lined cookie sheet. (Cookies will not spread too much, so you don’t have to space them out very far). Use your palm or the back of a fork to slightly flatten each mound.
- Bake for 16-20 minutes, or until the bottoms are just starting to brown. Rotate halfway through cooking.
- Remove the trays from the oven, allow to sit for one minute, and then transfer the cookies to a cooling rack to finish cooling completely.
Notes
If you do not want to add chocolate chips, add an additional ¼ cup dried fruit, nuts, or seeds.
