Breakfast cookies that are good for you

Story by: Maggie Roetker on September 9, 2016

If you’re looking for a healthy, high fiber, on-the-go start to your morning, look no further than breakfast cookies. Part scone, part cookie and part muffin, these hand-held goodies are also kid-friendly.

This recipe calls for oat flour, which you can usually find in the natural foods section of most grocery stores or you can make by placing whole oats in a food processor until ground to a meal.

Apple cranberry breakfast cookies

½ cup wheat flour

¾ cup whole oats

¾ cup oat flour

1 teaspoon cinnamon

½ teaspoon baking powder

½ teaspoon ground sea salt

¼ teaspoon baking soda

2 tablespoons ground flaxseed*

1 large egg

½ teaspoon vanilla extract

¼ cup pure maple syrup

¼ cup canola oil

1/3 cup unsweetened applesauce

½ apple, finely chopped or shredded

½ cup reduced-sugar dried cranberries

Heat oven to 350 degrees. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.

Mix dry ingredients in a bowl. In a separate bowl, whisk egg, vanilla, syrup and oil together. Stir into dry ingredients. Fold applesauce, apple and dried cranberries into the mixture and let stand 10 minutes.

Using ice cream scoop, drop dough onto sheet and lightly press down to ½ inch thick. Bake about 30 minutes, or until golden brown and firm. Cool on baking sheet 5 minutes. Transfer to rack to cool completely. Store in airtight container.

*If you prefer a more crumbly cookie, reduce the flaxseed. However, you’ll be removing some of the fiber.

Note: For a more muffin-like cookie, add a spoonful of nonfat plain Greek yogurt. If you’re an adventurous baker, play with the flavors. Try pumpkin or banana instead of applesauce, or add some chopped pecans, walnuts or your favorite dried fruit.

Makes 12 cookies.

Nutrition information per cookie: 159 calories, 7 grams total fat (1 gram saturated fat, 3 grams monounsaturated fat, 2 grams polyunsaturated fat), 16 milligrams cholesterol, 74 milligrams sodium, 49 milligrams potassium, 23 grams total carbohydrate (5 grams dietary fiber, 7 grams sugars), 4 grams protein.