CARROT QUINOA OATMEAL BREAKFAST COOKIES

For awhile, I went through a frittata phase, then there was the chia bowl phase, followed by a bit of a smoothie kick… which brings us to my current morning trend: cookies for breakfast! But before you think I’ve completely given up on myself, hear me out – these cookies are made with lots of good things – carrots, oats, flax, walnuts, pepitas, cranberries and QUINOA. Yes, carrots and quinoa – it almost sounds like a salad but I promise you these “healthier” cookies are so delicious and energizing in the morning. They’re also vegan, gluten free, and sweetened with maple syrup instead of refined sugars. They’re about halfway in between a muffin and a cookie – big, hearty and filling, but also sweet and nutty.

Let’s talk for a second about quinoa in cookies – I recommend that you use leftover quinoa here. I like to make a big batch of quinoa early in the week for easy toss-together lunches and dinners. Store your cooked quinoa in the fridge and that way when you’re ready to bake these cookies, it’s ready for you.If you haven’t baked with oat flour before – it’s so easy. No need to go shopping for fancy flours, just blend your oats in a food processor for about a minute and you have oat flour. It’s gluten free but be sure to seek out certified gluten free oats if gluten is a problem for you.

Over here, my family is obsessed with these. They’re best straight out of the oven but they also freeze incredibly well (hence, my 1 cookie per day breakfast obsession).

Carrot Quinoa Oatmeal Breakfast Cookies

Serves: 12 large cookies

Ingredients

• 1 cup oat flour (made from 1¼ cups whole rolled oats)*

• 1 cup (additional) whole rolled oats* (see note)

• ½ teaspoon baking powder

• ½ teaspoon baking soda

• ½ teaspoon cinnamon

• ½ teaspoon sea salt

• ½ cup cooked quinoa

• 1 cup finely shredded carrots

• 2 tablespoon ground flaxseed + 5 tablespoons warm water

• ½ cup almond butter

• ¼ cup coconut oil, melted

• ½ cup maple syrup

• ½ cup nuts and/or seeds (I used walnuts + pepitas)

• ½ cup dried cranberries

Instructions

1. Preheat the oven to 350°F and line a large baking sheet with parchment paper.

2. Use a food processor or a blender to process the 1¼ cups rolled oats into a fine flour and measure out one level cup. In a large bowl, stir together the flour, the remaining 1 cup whole oats, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon and sea salt. Fold in the quinoa and then the shredded carrots, stirring until the carrots are completely coated with flour.

3. In a small bowl, combine the flaxseed and warm water and set aside to thicken for about 5 minutes. In a medium bowl, combine the almond butter, coconut oil, and maple syrup and stir well to incorporate. Stir in the flaxseed mixture.

4. Add the wet ingredients to the bowl of dry ingredients and fold in just until combined. Stir in the walnuts, pepitas, and cranberries.

5. Scoop about ¼ cup of batter for each cookie onto the baking sheet. Bake for 15 to 18 minutes, or until lightly browned. Cool on the pan for 5 minutes and then transfer to a wire rack to finish cooling.

6. When cookies are completely cool, they can be stored in an airtight container or frozen.

Notes

*Be sure to use certified gluten free oats to make these gluten free.

#Vegan #GlutenFree #Snacks #BreakfastRecipe #Cookies