Breakfast/ Cookies/ Recipes

Soft Baked Banana Breakfast Cookies

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Good morning!

Is there any better way to start your morning than with a big, soft cookie? Obviously not. Unless, of course, cake is involved. I love cookies but cake always wins.

I baked up a batch of these to — you guessed it — freeze as quick snacks while breastfeeding. Yes, my deep freezer is really starting to fill up! Adam thinks it’s funny but I know he will be especially thankful for all the goodies I’ve stashed a month from now. All that’s left on my nesting to-do list is bake one more batch of muffins and wash/prep all of our cloth diapers. Hospital bag is packed and ready to go! I seriously can’t believe he is coming so SOOOOOOOON. Where have the past nine months gone?!

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These cookies are made up of wholesome ingredients and only slightly sweet, making them perfect for the morning alongside a big cup of coffee or tea. Keep in mind that when I say “soft baked”, I really mean soft baked. These cookies have the texture of banana bread in a cookie form. Next time I make them I might toss in some shredded carrots and cinnamon for a carrot cake variation!

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Usually in the mornings I am up first. I make breakfast and usually wrap up Adam’s to go since he rushes to catch the ferry to work. I enjoy my breakfast pretty leisurely while catching up on emails and blogs. The house is quiet and I’ll take my coffee into the nursery, sit in the glider and read the bible after I’m done eating. I know all that is about to completely change and I’m excited!

I’ll be swapping my scrambled eggs and blog reading time for breakfast cookies and nursing. I’m sure there will be a learning curve and transition, but I feel ready to take on the challenge. With a stocked deep freezer, of course.

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Soft Baked Banana Breakfast Cookies

adapted from Shauna Niquest’s breakfast cookies in Bread and Wine

Print this Recipe!

Ingredients:

3 very ripe bananas, mashed

1/4 cup coconut oil, melted

1 cup old fashioned oats

1/4 cup wheat germ

2/3 cup almond meal

1/4 cup pure maple syrup

1/2 cup rough chopped walnuts

1/2 tsp baking powder

1 tsp vanilla

1/2 cup unsweetened flaked or shredded coconut

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line two sheet trays with parchment paper and set aside.

In a large bowl, mix together the mashed banana, melted coconut oil, vanilla and maple syrup. In a smaller bowl, combine the oats, wheat germs, almond meal, baking powder, walnuts and coconut. Add dry ingredients to the wet ingredients and stir well.

Drop extra large spoonfuls of batter onto prepared cookie sheets. Bake for 16-18 minutes until golden.

Time:

~30 minutes

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  • Maryea {happy healthy mama}
    April 22, 2014 at 3:46 am

    You are going to be so happy you have all those different foods in the freezer. These will be especially great as they can serve as breakfast or a snack. Or even lunch. 🙂 Nice recipe!

  • Kayley Maybe
    April 22, 2014 at 3:57 am

    Healthy snacks are important to have around when the breastfeeding hunger hits!

  • Angela @ Eat Spin Run Repeat
    April 22, 2014 at 4:23 am

    Ooh I’m jealous of your relaxing morning routine Jenna! 🙂 These cookies look amazing. Soft baked is my fave, and I hope you do develop that carrot cake version!

  • Brynn
    April 22, 2014 at 4:26 am

    You read my mind! Coconut oil, bananas and coconut flakes?! Yes, please. Oh, I am preggo too and stocking my fridge as well. I cannot wait to add these.

  • Jojo @ RunFastEatLots
    April 22, 2014 at 4:35 am

    Mmm banana bread is one of my faves. Now I just have to wait for my bananas to ripen…

  • Emily J
    April 22, 2014 at 5:03 am

    What kind and brand of cloth diapers are you using for the little one? I’m currently researching like crazy trying to figure out what will work best for us. There are TOO many options!

    • Sarah
      April 22, 2014 at 5:41 am

      Hi Emily – I wanted to chime in with cloth diapers we use. We have a few kinds – thirsties and bumkins which we like cause the shell is reuseable as long as not soiled. Then we have gdiapers which we haven’t used yet cause he doesnt fit in yet. And finally alvababy diapers which are insanely affordable and will be easy for our care giver to use when I go back to work. Also I wish someone told us this when we were doing cloth diapers is invest in cloth wipes! They’re amazing and clean better then disposables.

    • erin @hooleywithaz
      April 22, 2014 at 6:34 am

      i am in your boat completely! there are WAY too many options, and really, it’s all just market-driven…why can’t it just be simple, cloth prefolds and those rubber covers?! if it helps, we’ve decided to do green mountain diaper prefolds (2 dozen each of newborn, small and medium) with either pins or snappies fasteners, and thirsties duowraps covers (6 size 1, 6 size 2) so we can reuse them when they’re not soiled. who knows if this will work, but it’s the simplest form, so i figure it’s worth a shot!

    • jenna
      April 22, 2014 at 9:02 am

      Emily,

      When he’s really little we are using workhorse fitted newborn diapers from Green Mountain Diaper with either a thirstie’s duo wrap (size 1) or a wool cover. When he gets a bit bigger we plan to make the transition to pocket diapers. I’ve started working on a cloth diapering post that I will share soon!

      • Emily J
        April 22, 2014 at 11:38 am

        Wow, thanks for all the info ladies! I currently have a few different types to try out as I really won’t know how each will fit our baby, but ideally I’d like to use prefolds and covers as they are the most affortable. Again, thanks for the advice 🙂 Looking forward to your post on diapering, Jenna!

        • Lori
          April 25, 2014 at 12:24 pm

          Hi Emily, We started out with bum genius all-in-ones, and after 11 months they fell apart. not everyone has this experience, but i was really disappointed after spending so much money on them. now we use prefolds from green mountain diapers and the eco bum covers, which i think are the most affordable covers. we’ve had great success with these; much simpler to wash and dry too. now we have another little one on the way and will start out with the workhorse diapers jenna mentioned

    • Carol
      April 26, 2014 at 2:59 pm

      Triple fold cotton diapers are the best….here’s one reason why….at night you fold the diaper over to create a three fold form. You place that in the middle of the outer diaper and pin it closed and then put a rubber pant on the baby over the thick diapers. During the night you check on the baby and if the baby is wet you slide the triple folded diaper out and wha-la the outer diaper is still dry. I never, ever used these paper diapers on my son. He NEVER, EVER had diaper rash either. I think that’s because he wore cloth diapers. Besides once the baby is out of diapers they make great dust rags and cloths to polish your car.

  • Julie
    April 22, 2014 at 5:13 am

    I am saving all these freezer meal ideas for when the next baby comes around. For the time being, my family is enjoying these recipes now.

  • Rebekah {aCricketSang}
    April 22, 2014 at 5:21 am

    These look delicious!

  • Emily @ Life on Food
    April 22, 2014 at 6:00 am

    These look great. I would have to agree that starting a day with a cookie is a good thing. I haven’t made banana cookies yet. Bananas go so quickly in our house we never have any left no matter how many I buy.

  • Chicago Jogger
    April 22, 2014 at 6:02 am

    These look so tasty. I’m sure they will be just the perfect thing in a few short weeks! Best of luck 🙂

  • Erin | The Law Student's Wife
    April 22, 2014 at 6:02 am

    What a perfect snack to stow away! You are a model of preparation, and with such wholesome, yummy things. Also, I’m so excited for you and the changes ahead!

  • genevieve
    April 22, 2014 at 6:19 am

    does it have to be coconut oil or canola would great too?

    • jenna
      April 22, 2014 at 9:01 am

      Canola would work great!

  • erin @hooleywithaz
    April 22, 2014 at 6:36 am

    you have now officially become my role model for prepping for baby’s arrival! i’m just trying to plan our garden still! once i get that planted in mid-may, the next step is to get a deep-freeze and start the meal prepping…very slowly.

  • Becky@TheSavedRunner
    April 22, 2014 at 6:50 am

    I am pinning this right now so I can make these. They look so good, and I love the ingredient list!

  • Alexis @ Hummusapien
    April 22, 2014 at 6:50 am

    Banana bread in cookie form?? Count me in!

  • Kati
    April 22, 2014 at 7:26 am

    These look delish! So happy for you and the big changes coming your way. Nursing can be difficult at first but is SO WORTH IT!

  • Kelly Mitchem
    April 22, 2014 at 7:33 am

    These look heavenly! I love soft cookies, they are my favorite.

  • Averie @ Averie Cooks
    April 22, 2014 at 7:58 am

    I love banana cookies like this with coconut oil and oatmeal – so, so, so good! Those 3 ingredients were made for each other! And you will thank yourself SO much when you’re feeding baby and can just grab a few of these. I have never been so hungry in all my life as I was the first 6-9 mos AFTER the baby was born. I was a bottomless pit! 🙂

  • Kelly
    April 22, 2014 at 8:04 am

    I love banana anything and this looks super easy and tasty! A definite must bake soon!

  • Claire @ Lemon Jelly Cake
    April 22, 2014 at 8:21 am

    Cookies for breakfast? My toddler would LOVE you! 😉 These remind me of my granola cookies . . . I will have to give them a try!

  • Angel Reyes
    April 22, 2014 at 8:29 am

    These look awesome!

  • Matt Robinson
    April 22, 2014 at 8:45 am

    I definitely need to make these for my boys, so great!

  • dishing up the dirt
    April 22, 2014 at 9:33 am

    These sound fantastic Jenna. And two thumbs up for all of the food prep before the baby arrives!

  • Chelsea @ Designs on Dinner
    April 22, 2014 at 9:45 am

    Mmmm, these look perfect.

  • Jennie @themessybakerblog
    April 22, 2014 at 10:17 am

    What a great snack to have handy while you’re breastfeeding. They look so chewy and moist. Yum!

  • Pam
    April 22, 2014 at 10:58 am

    These looks amazing and loaded with healthy fats too – I need to make these stat!

  • joelle @ on a pink typewriter
    April 22, 2014 at 11:08 am

    Looks I have a new use for my browning bananas!

    Ps. did you announce who won the Barre3 giveaway?

  • Tiffany
    April 22, 2014 at 11:33 am

    Is there a good substitute for wheat germ?

    These look amazing!

  • Morgan
    April 22, 2014 at 11:36 am

    these look amazing! I’m definitely going to make a batch or two of these to freeze for post baby! (I’m due June 4!)

  • Christina
    April 22, 2014 at 12:04 pm

    These look delicious. I just wanted to add that if you wanted to make these even more lactation friendly you could add into tablespoons of brewers yeast! Happy nursing! 🙂

    • Christina
      April 22, 2014 at 12:05 pm

      *2 tablespoons

  • Allie
    April 22, 2014 at 12:07 pm

    Hey Jenna! How do you recommend storing these?

  • Carla Queen
    April 25, 2014 at 7:24 am

    Is it possible to substitute ground flax seed for the wheat germ to make this a gluten free recipe?

  • Kristine @ Kristine's Kitchen
    April 25, 2014 at 7:37 am

    I’m a mom of two little ones, and it’s hard to remember those quiet, leisurely mornings! Yes, things are about to change, but definitely for the better. Congratulations!

    The breakfast cookies look delicious, and oats are supposed to be really good for your milk supply. 🙂

  • Steve Heine
    April 26, 2014 at 6:57 pm

    I make cakes every week to eat for breakfast with many of the same ingredients. People will find that they feel much better after a breakfast like this. Processed cereals in the morning left me quickly hungry. This does not. Thank you!

  • Rose
    April 26, 2014 at 7:09 pm

    What can be substituted for almind meal and wheat germ? These are two items I have never heard of. ?.

  • Quincey
    April 28, 2014 at 2:00 am

    Soft baked cookie is def one of my favorite but never tried to bake them on my own. Will give this recipe a try. But I don’t have any wheat germ and almond meal on hand. Can I sub them with whole wheat flour and cornmeal?

  • Alicia
    April 28, 2014 at 7:26 am

    Made these this weekend, and they are really tasty! I substituted whole wheat pastry flour for the almond meal. Thanks for the recipe – great alternative to granola bars for a mid-morning snack at the office.

  • Lori
    April 28, 2014 at 12:41 pm

    Made these over the weekend! Delicious, and of course the 18 month old loves them!

  • Angel Reyes
    May 1, 2014 at 8:09 pm

    Another job well done. These cookies look delicious!!!

  • Rena
    May 2, 2014 at 4:12 pm

    What I would really like to know: How many cookies per servings and what the calorie count is per cookie?
    Thank you.

  • Amy
    May 11, 2014 at 7:39 am

    When nursing my little one, I lived off homemade oatmeal cookies made with applesauce, whole wheat pastry flour, flax meal, and dried cranberries. He’s 18 months now, and we still make a batch weekly because the whole family likes having one as a healthier dessert option. Of course, we add in a few dark chocolate chips when mixing 🙂

  • Paula
    May 14, 2014 at 6:06 pm

    I have made these about 3 times now – love!!

    Thanks for the great recipe 🙂

  • Juvee @ShikenanAfricanShop
    July 26, 2014 at 9:14 am

    Wow! I can’t wait to try this 😀 Thanks for the recipe ?

  • Sio
    September 8, 2014 at 9:15 am

    Looks great! How do you eat them when unfrozen, do you heat them up?

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  • Laura
    February 15, 2015 at 11:53 am

    These are great! Just made them with a few alterations (wheat flour and oat bran for almond meal and wheat germ, respectably) and threw in some TJ’s golden flax seeds as well. Yum! Thanks for a wonderful recipe!