This post first appeared over at Eazy Peazy Mealz where I am a contributor.
Never skip breakfast again with a batch of these Super Healthy Grab and Go Banana Breakfast Cookies in your freezer. Naturally sweetened, these are seriously good for you.
Total Time Investment: 30 Minutes
It’s a well known fact that teenagers and early mornings do not mix; something that seems to have escaped The Princess’s coaches, as she has a number of early morning training sessions scheduled each week. Try getting breakfast into a grumpy teenager. Now that is a fun experience.
I’ve worked out portable breakfasts are my best option first thing in the morning. Something she can easily eat in the car on the way to training. So far this year I’ve had moderate success with breakfast popsicles and chia puddings.
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Unfortunately, winter is now setting in here, and these options no longer seem as attractive early in the morning. Cue these grab and go banana breakfast cookies. Breakfast cookies take your bowl of breakfast muesli and wrap it up in portable cookie form. A couple of these will keep The Princess going for most of the morning.
Ingredient Substitutions for Banana Breakfast Cookies
Substitutions are tricky for this recipe. It is the reaction between the oats, chia seeds and banana that helps the cookies stick together. If you don’t like, or cannot tolerate any of these ingredients, it might be best to try a different recipe instead.
The pumpkin seeds can be replaced with sunflower seeds or chopped nuts. I would suggest pecans or walnuts, both of which work well with the banana flavour. Just chop the nuts to the same size as the pumpkin seeds.
The currants can be replaced with sultanas or raisins, or your favourite dried fruit. Again just make sure the fruit pieces are finely chopped so they can be incorporated into the mixture. Large pieces of fruit may cause the banana breakfast cookies to break apart.
You can use your favourite spice mix in place of the cinnamon.
Tips & Tricks for Fantastic Healthy Banana Breakfast Cookies
There is no added sugar in this recipe. The sweetness in the cookie comes from the banana, so it is important that the bananas used are very ripe. The riper the banana, the sweeter the cookie will be. Once bananas start to blacken in the fruit bowl, my family decides they are no longer worth eating. However, at this stage they are perfect for baking, so I gather them up and freeze them until required.
If you have a really sweet tooth, you may like to add a little additional sweetener to the mix. Maple syrup would be ideal here.
Another important point when making these banana breakfast cookies: you do need to allow the mixture to sit for five minutes before trying to shape it. This allows the chia and oats to absorb some of the moisture from the banana, which helps the mixture stick together. If you miss this step, you risk forming small piles of soggy granola on your baking tray. Not that I would know anything about that.
Keep your breakfast cookies in an airtight container for up to two days, although I prefer to freeze them to keep them fresh. A quick zap in the microwave before you walk out the door is all that is required for breakfast on the go. And if you really want to be decadent, spread them with a thick layer of Greek yoghurt. The Princess assures me it is delicious.
Enjoy!
Made this recipe? Tell me how it went in the comments below. And if you loved it, please don’t forget to rate it.
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Super Healthy Grab and Go Banana Breakfast Cookies
Ingredients
- 2 very ripe, medium bananas (approximately 180g)
- 90 g (1 cup) rolled oats
- 30 g (1/4 cup) pumpkin seeds
- 20 g (1/4 cup) shredded coconut
- 40 g (1/4 cup) currants
- 1 Tablespoon chia seeds
- 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
- Pinch salt
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 175C (155C fan forced).
- Line a baking tray with paper and set aside.
- In a small bowl, mash the banana until smooth. Set aside.
- Combine the remainder of the ingredients in a large bowl.
- Add the mashed banana to the dry ingredients.
- Mix well to ensure all of the dry ingredients are coated with the banana.
- Let the mixture stand for five minutes to absorb the moisture from the banana.
- Take a scant 1/4 cup of the mixture and press it together to form a solid round cookie. If the mixture does not hold together, wait a few minutes and try again.
- Place the cookie on the lined tray and pat gently until it is about 7cm wide and 1.5cm high. These cookies will not spread in the oven, so the shape on the tray is the shape of the finished cookie.
- Repeat with the remainder of the mixture.
- Bake for 15 - 20 minutes, or until the cookies are golden.
- Remove from the oven, then transfer to a rack to cool completely.
- Keep for up to two days in an airtight container, or freeze until required.
Notes
Nutrition
Love the look of these. They are exactly what i would choose for breakfast if in a rush!
Thanks Safira. They really are great when you don’t really have time to stop for breakfast.
These cookies are simple and delicious. Low prep work. No sugar added…ended up making a second batch. Will be perfect post baby. Thank-you!
I’m so glad you liked them Deana.
We are always looking for quick and easy breakfast ideas. These look delicious and my kids would love them! Way better than a bowl of cold cereal (which is the rut we are stuck in right now).
I truly think breakfast is the hardest meal Melissa, so we all just fall back on what is easiest. These are definitely kid approved 🙂
Yum, I love a quick, healthy grab and go breakfast recipe. It’s hard to believe that it’s time for me to start thinking of back to school! My kids would love these!
They are great for those busy mornings when you’ve slept through the alarm Karen (or is that just me 🙂 )
I’m always looking for solutions to the overripe banana situation I have going on! These are perfect especially for my gym loving hubby to have on the way to work.
I have that same situation. It’s like they breed Nancy 🙂 No matter how many I use, they always seem to be in the fruit bowl.
I love cookies, and the idea that I can have one (or a whole heck of a lot!) for breakfast would make my day…any day of the week! What a great idea and delicious looking recipe! I can’t wait to try! 🙂
It sure is a great way to enjoy cookies without the guilt Sarah 🙂 I hope you like them.
I’m not crazy about bananas, can the same amount of pumpkin be substituted?
I feel the same way about pumpkin Kat 😀 To be honest, I don’t know. In theory it should work. The banana is providing the moisture that “activates” the chia and the oats, making everything stick together. The pumpkin should do the same thing. I find some pumpkins can have a lot more moisture than banana, which would make the mixture to wet to stick together. If this happened to you, you could try adding a tablespoon of coconut flour to the mix to help it bind better. I played around with coconut flour in the earlier versions, and adding the flour will give you a slightly more robust cookie. I dropped the flour in this version as my daughter wasn’t as keen on it. If you try the pumpkin, please let me know how it goes.
I was thinking of taking these along on a road trip as a snack cookie. Do you really think they will only keep for two days in a ziplock bag? And are they best eaten warm or are they fine “as is”?
These cookies are quite moist Gertrude, and I can tell you from experience that after a few days in warm weather they will start to grow fur. If you are able to keep them in a cooler, you may get a few more days out of them. This is why I store them in the freezer. You could bake them longer at a lower temperature to really dry them out, although I have not tried this myself.
My family happily eat them “as is”, so they do not need to be warmed.
Okay, thanks for this! I’ll make them for home and take a couple for the first day. I don’t like green fussies, lol.
I think that would be a better plan Gertrude 🙂 If you are after road snacks, you could also try my crispy tamari almonds or some bliss balls. I have a few recipes here.
Those recipes look great, just what I’m looking for. Thanks for directing me to them.
Pleasure Gertrude. Enjoy your trip and safe travels. 🙂
I’m always looking for easy breakfasts especially because I spend every day commuting and often eat breakfast in the car. These look like they will be perfect for me! Thanks for the recipe.
Pleasure Kayla. I hope you enjoy them.
Of you use frozen bananas, can you still freeze the cookies?
Yes you can Kathy as the cookies will be baked before going back in the freezer.
Is it possible to substitute the coconut for something else in this recipe?
If you didn’t want to use coconut Angela, you could try increasing the amount of pumpkin seeds and/or currants. I haven’t tried this myself though, so whilst it should work, I can’t guarantee that it will. Let me know if you do try it.
Tried these today and theyre delicious!
I didnt have any coconut so I just put some extra sultanas and pumpkins in them and theyre so good!
So good to have a biscuit recipe without flour, thanks!
I’m glad you liked them Kate. Thanks for letting me know about the substitutions. They sound delicious.
Hi. Thanks for the recipe. I have used a lot of bananas lately hence i wonder if this can be yried with mangoes. Do you think.it will.work?
I honestly don’t know Rozina. All you can do is try it. If it does work I would love to hear about it.
Ok. I think it’s worth trying as I have used mango pulp in place of bananas in a cake. It took more time to bake but was very flavourful. Will let you know once tried. Thanks
Do you have any tips on how to up the protein?
The only suggestion I can make Jasmine is that you add some protein powder to the mix. I haven’t tried this myself, so if you do let me know how it goes.
I LOVE these cookies! I have made them at least every week for the past 6 weeks. I double the recipe and get about 15 cookies. I follow the recipe except that I add about 1/4c or more of natural peanut butter for more protein and 1/4 c mini chocolate chips and 1/2 c walnuts. They are delicious and filling and I am “regular” for the first time in years! Thank you so much! I share this recipe every chance I get!
I’m so happy you love them Lani! And I love the sound of the additions. I will have to give them a try. Thanks for sharing.
You have described the recipe so nicely that really helped me. I would love for more of such delicious recipes in future too.
I love this recipe it is simple and the bikkies are so tasty. I added twice more cinnamon in the 2nd as the first batch I couldn’t taste any hint of it. Thanks Tania.
Glad you liked them Karen. I usually add more spice to a recipe as well.
I need to make these.
I hope you do Kiera
These are delicious! My entire family is obsessed with these. THANK YOU!! I brought them in for my co-workers as well and they are a huge hit.
I’m so glad you enjoyed them! Thanks for letting me know.