Banana Breakfast Cookies

Cookies for breakfast?

My toddler asks for them nearly every morning.

Apparently, this is something I did too, so my mother tells me. The apple doesn't fall far from the tree, as they say. Although this time it might be the banana.

I say, if you maintain some nutritional value, why not? We'll call them cookies even if they are -- gasp! -- good for you.

They're perfect for busy mornings. You can even freeze them and defrost for a few seconds in the microwave if you want to make a large batch. And it is the great way to use up those brown bananas on the counter-top. Enjoy with a cup of tea or a glass of milk!

Banana Breakfast Cookies

adapted from Eat, Live, Run

3 ripe bananas, smashed

1/4 c. coconut oil, melted

1 t. vanilla extract

1/4 c. maple syrup

1/2 c. oat bran

1 c. rolled oats (not quick-cooking)

1 c. whole wheat flour

1/2 t. baking powder

1/2 c. shredded coconut

1/2 c. walnuts

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Mix together bananas, coconut oil, vanilla, and maple syrup. Add dry ingredients to the top and mix together well. 

Divide into 12 large scoops onto 2 greased cookie sheets. Bake for 15 minutes.

Makes 1 dozen.

Top Recipes of 2011 ~

Just in case you missed them the first time....enjoy!

Mendocino Pumpkin Muffins

 Glühwein

Vibrant Eggs

 Slow Cooked Lamb in Red Wine

Candy Cane Cookies

Irish Coffee

Guiltless Christmas Cookies

1.  If you eat a cookie fresh out of the oven, it has no calories because everyone knows that the first cookie is the test cookie and thus calorie free.

2.  If you drink a diet soda after eating your second cookie, it also has no calories because the diet soda cancels out the cookie calories.

3.  If a friend comes over while you're making your Christmas cookies and needs to sample, you must sample with your friend.  Because your friend's first cookie is calorie free, (Rule #1) yours is also.  It would be rude to let your friend sample alone and, being the friend that you are, that makes your cookie calorie free.

4.  Any cookie calories consumed while walking around will fall to your feet and eventually fall off as you move.  This is due to gravity and the density of the caloric mass.

5.  Any calories consumed during the frosting of the Christmas cookies will be used up because it takes many calories to lick excess frosting from a knife without cutting your tongue.

6.  Cookies colored red or green have very few calories.  Red ones have three and green ones have five - one calorie for each letter.  Make more red ones!

7.  Cookies eaten while watching "Miracle on 34th Street" have no calories because they are part of the entertainment package and not part of one's personal fuel.

8.  As always, cookie pieces contain no calories because the process of breaking causes calorie leakage.

9.  Any cookies consumed from someone else's plate have no calories since the calories rightfully belong to the other person and will cling to their plate. We all know how calories like to CLING!

10.  Any cookies consumed while feeling stressed have no calories because cookies used for medicinal purposes NEVER have calories.  It's a rule!

Enjoy those cookies today!! :)

Jewel Cookies

The finale of our Christmas cookie bonanza is a real gem. Better than diamonds. (Okay....maybe not.)

These little tasty morsels are bite-size. They fit nicely, popped right into your mouth, followed up by a swig of hot chocolate to chase them down. I may or may not have eaten these with a shot of espresso for breakfast.

They are unique with a lemony accent, perfectly complementing the jam dot at their center. I filled mine with strawberry jam, but these would be wonderful with just about any flavor -- peach, cherry, marmalade and every other in between.

Fill a tiny tin for your neighbor. Or, come to think of it, your daughter, grandaughter or niece. Perfect for a dolly Christmas tea party...or grown-up one, for that matter. :)

Jewel Cookies

Adapted from Good Housekeeping magazine

2 egg yolks

1/2 t. vanilla extract

1 1/2 c. flour

1/2 c. sugar

1/4 t. salt

1/2 t. lemon zest

3/4 c. cold butter

3-4 T. half and half or milk

1/3 c. jam or preserves

In a small bowl, beat together egg yolks and vanilla.

In a large bowl, stir together flour, sugar, salt, and lemon zest.

Cut butter into small pieces and mix into dry ingredients with your fingers until chunks are the size of small peas. Stir in egg mixture continuing to mix with your hands. Add milk by tablespoon until it just comes together.

Wrap in plastic and chill in the fridge for at least 2 hours.

Preheat oven to 350 degree F.

Roll dough into balls the diameter of quarters and place on baking sheet. Press down the center firmly with your thumb.

Take a small ziploc and cut off the corner. Fill with your favorite jam or preserves. Pipe into the center of each cookie.

Bake for 10 minutes. Let cool before eating. 

Makes about 3 dozen.

Zimsterne (Cinnamon Stars)

The star has great significance this time of year....

A star announced the birth of the Messiah. A star guided the shepherds to their Lord. A star showed the way. A star lead those who sought the Child to Bethlehem, whom they discovered lying in a manger amongst stable animals. A star shone as a prophecy, as an assurance. A star rested over the place where life was given to the Giver of Life.

The star is constantly a reminder of the immensity of God's power and love.

Stop, take a look at the stars tonight.

Zimsterne (Cinnamon Stars)

3 egg whites

2 c. powdered sugar

3 1/2 c. almond meal

1 t. lemon zest

1 t. cinnamon

Place egg whites in mixer and let spin on high for about 10 minutes, until stiffened. Gradually add in sugar, mixing constantly. Mix in lemon zest and cinnamon.

By hand, carefully incorporate almond meal in installments. Dough should be workable. Place in fridge to chill for at least one hour.

(Take a nap.)

Preheat oven to 300 degrees F.

These are bit tricky to roll out as they are extremely sticky. Three tips that will help you in the process:

 1) Place your dough between two pieces of wax paper with a bit of excess almond meal to prevent sticking.

2) Put the remainder of the dough in the fridge between rollings

3) Wiggle your cookie cutter just a bit when pressing it through the dough (this, too, helps prevent sticking).

Put each star onto your well-greased baking sheet and bake for about 10 minutes.

These are super-sweet cookies without it, but if desire a nicer looking finish (and more sugar!), you can put an icing of 1 beaten egg, 1 1/2 c. powdered sugar and 1 t. lemon juice.

Scottish Shortbread

This is the simplest cookie you will ever make.

And perhaps the most delicious. If, you love them like my fiance, who informed me that he would always wait for me to enjoy a plate of cookies...unless it was shortbread.

I'm going to be sure to hide them before he returns from work.... :)

These tasty morsels are only three ingredients -- flour, sugar and butter. That'll be 2 1/2 cups, 1/2 cup and 1 cup, respectively. (DO NOT substitute margarine in this recipe. You will be none too happy with yourself for it.)

If you don't mind getting your hands a little messy, the best way to mix this up is with your nimble fingers. Make sure the butter is softened a bit. Mash it up really well, then add in the sugar. Keep squashing and turning your mound of butter until all the sugar is absorbed into it. Next, the flour; same thing. It will need to chill for about an hour. Then, press it into a small baking dish and cook at 300 degrees F for about 20 minutes.

Shortbread makes a great gift as they stay fresh for at least two weeks. Package them up really nicely and your friend can enjoy them with a cup of tea or coffee after the new year. Sometimes it's good to spread the sweets out just a bit.... ;)

Candy Cane Cookies

The candy cane cookie. Sweet, chewy peppermint twists.

My grandmother used to make a huge batch of these when we were little and would bring them over Christmas Day, alongside a large batch of frosted sugar cookies. She, sadly, hasn't been able to bake in while so I've been flipping through her old cookbooks recently, extracting yummy recipes she used to bake for us as children, hoping to carry on a few of the traditions.

I love these Christmas cookies not only for their seasonal, subtle peppermint flavor, but also their shape....

Look at the Candy Cane

What do you see?

Stripes that are red

Like the blood shed for me

White is for my Savior

Who's sinless and pure!

"J" is for Jesus, My Lord, that's for sure!

Turn it around

And a staff you will see

Jesus my shepherd

Was born for Me!

Candy Cane Cookies

adapted from the Betty Crocker cookbook

1 c. butter

1 c. sugar, softened

1/2 c. milk

1 t. vanilla extract

1 t. peppermint extract

1 egg

3 1/2 c. flour

1 t. baking powder

1/2 t. red food coloring

Cream together butter and sugar. Mix in milk, vanilla, peppermint and egg.

Add flour and baking powder, stirring until well-incorporated.

Divide dough in half and mix red food coloring into one half.

Wrap in wax paper and chill for at least 4 hours or overnight.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

Taking a quarter-sized round of each the white and red dough, roll each into a long log, about 4 inches long.

Pinch one end together and gently twist until spiraled around each other. Then, pinch other end together.

Place on ungreased cookie sheet. Bake for 10 minutes.

Makes about 4 dozen candy canes.

Snickerdoodles

Christmas cookie bonanza week has arrived! I hope you are as excited to make and eat these tasty morsels as I am to share them with you. :)

To kick off our week of cookies is the ever-classic Snickerdoodle.

Nothing says Christmas in my family quite like Snickerdoodles. Before we were even able to walk, we all knew how to roll balls of dough in cinnamon and sugar. 

These are so simple. If you don't know how to make these yet, it's about time.

When I was teaching, I loved to mix these up with my Kindergarteners. They allow the maximum amount of involvement with the least amount of stress. (It is not always easy to find baking projects that go smoothly with five year olds.) 

Although, you don't need to be young to make these -- they are great for the kid at heart too. Scrumptious pieces of raw dough can sneakily be rolled in the cinnamon and sugar, and popped surreptitiously into your mouth. Be sly. Be a cookie ninja.

Snickerdoodles

1/2 c. butter, softened

3/4 c. sugar

1 egg

2 c. flour

1 t. cream of tartar

1/2 t. baking soda

4 T. sugar

2 T. cinnamon

Preheat oven to 400 F. Grease a baking sheet.

Cream butter with sugar, until fluffy. Add egg and mix well.

Add flour, cream of tartar, and baking soda. Stir until just mixed together.

In a small bowl, mix together 4 T of sugar and cinnamon.

Make dough into 1/2 in. round balls. Roll in cinnamon and sugar mixture. Place on greased baking sheet. Bake approximately 8 minutes.

These are a bit tricky to bake just right. Once they puff up, press down on the center. If they indent easily, they are not done; if they retain their shape, they are finished. The bottoms begin to blacken once they are finished so it is important to remove them once they have achieved this stage.

Remove immediately from baking sheet and place on cooling rack.

Makes about 2 dozen. Easily doubled.



Pumpkin Gingerbread Cookies

I found the best way to transition from Fall to Christmas baking. These cookies, right here. Pumpkin spices to gingerbread. Perfection.

And, yes, I was eating them in bed for breakfast, curled up with a riveting novel and warm cup of tea.

Pumpkin Gingerbread Cookies

inspired by

2 c. flour

1 t. baking soda

1/2 t. cinnamon

1/4 t. allspice

1/4 t. ginger

1/4 t. ground cloves

1/4 c. butter, salted

1 c. brown sugar, dark (or add 2 T. molasses)

1 egg

1 t. vanilla

1/2 c. pumpkin

Mix all dry ingredients in a medium bowl. Cream butter and sugar, mixing until smooth. Beat the egg in a separate bowl, adding in the vanilla and pumpkin. Add egg mixture to butter and sugar. Slowly add in dry ingredients to make a fairly stiff dough. Roll into a ball and place in the fridge or freezer for an hour or more.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

Roll dough into balls about one inch in diameter; place on a baking sheet. Bake 10 minutes or until slightly browned on bottom.

Yield: About 3 dozen.

Disappearing Act: Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookies

I'm too late.

I waited too long.

There's nothing left to show but this.

That's what happens when you leave a plate of delicious cookies on the counter unconcealed.

With the scarcity of pumpkin, it's difficult enough finding some to put into my baked goods. Even then, they are nearly gone before I can remove them from the baking sheet.

But this time I added a little chocolate to the mix. They didn't stand a chance. I couldn't even snap a photo before they were entirely consumed.

Forgive me. They were just that good.

But don't take my word for it.....

Chewy Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookies

2 1/2 c. flour

1 t. baking powder

1 t. baking soda

2 t. ground cinnamon

1 t. ground nutmeg

1/2 t. ground ginger

1/2 c. salted butter, softened
(or add 1/2 t. salt if using unsalted butter)
1 c. sugar
(divide 1/2 c. granulated & 1/2 c. brown if you like more of a molasses taste to your cookies)
1 1/4 c. pumpkin (canned or fresh)
1 egg
1 t. vanilla
1 c. bittersweet chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
Cream butter and sugar together. Beat egg in a small bowl; then, add the pumpkin and vanilla. Stir pumpkin mixture into the butter and sugar.
In separate bowl, mix together flour, baking soda, baking powder, cinnamon, nutmeg, and ginger. Gradually add dry ingredients to the wet.
Fold in chocolate chips.
Place in heaping tablespoonfuls onto a baking sheet.
Bake 12-15 minutes, until lightly browned on the bottom.


These cookies are soft and moist, not for those who like a crunch to their cookies. And I imagine these would taste even better a few days later, as most spicy cookies do once the spices have time to bloom. I was out of cloves this time around, but I would like to try these with an additional 1/2 t. ground cloves. Can never get enough spiceyness. :)

The Joy of Peanut Butter Cookies

Fathers deserve lots of love. Especially tummy love, since there is no better way to a man's heart than through his stomach -- true for young and old alike. :) When I want to show my daddy how much I love him, I know just the cookie to go to.

My father and grandfather are infatuated with good, old-fashioned peanut butter cookies. The more peanut butter, the better, they tell me.

Another man in my life, who has never steered me wrong when it comes to baked goods, led me to this fanastic cookbook with the best cookie recipes hands-down. (Perhaps there are other good recipes in there too, I just can't seem to make my way out of the cookie section....) If you haven't tried the oatmeal cookies yet, you must. But make sure you double the batch, for you will eat all the batter of the first batch. And, by the way, there is no subsitute for butter...I reluctantly substituted margarine once and it tasted awful.

Oh yes, the peanut butter cookies. (Heh, distractions.) When I was in search of a peanut butter cookie recipe the other day, I knew just where to go. I believe half the dough contains peanut butter so you better be prepared for the peanut explosion in your mouth. Personally, I can't get enough of peanut butter. I mean, they are called peanut butter cookies for a reason, right? These are so good that, although the first round I stuck in the oven got burned, they still tasted good. (Although maybe not as good as the ones correctly cooked....) The plate of them disappeared before dinner even began. Perhaps these need a double batch as well.

Tainted Oatmeal Cookies

It's Sarah's fault. She made me do it.

Gathered around the piano bench (who needs a table?), engaged in a uproarious game of Apples to Apples -- Rolling Stones, Colin?....your mom! -- I was itching to whip up a batch of cookies to accompany our rollicksome party. Between placing 'Women' as a fitting word to match 'Manly' (c'mon, you must see the logic in that?) and choosing 'Julia Roberts' as an apt description of 'Annoying' (she gets on my nerves a bit, okay?), I managed to mix, stir, scoop and bake a batch of oatmeal cookies.

Well, originally, just oatmeal. The first tray made it out of the oven unscathed. I attempted to explain the goodness of a pure oatmeal cookie that Ryan had taught me -- the men were easily convinced -- but Sarah's feminine, chocolate senses were tingling.

Must. Have. Chocolate. Now.

I caved. Mine were on high alert too. ;-)

I was forced to taint the rest of the batch with chocolate and coconut. And I'm not sorry I did. They disappeared before the game was even over....

Milk and Cookies: Graham Crackers

To be honest, I had never considered making home-made graham crackers. I take it for granted that when I want a yummy cookie to dip into my milk, I can simply pull one out of a cellophane wrapper. So when I stumbled upon this months Daring Bakers' Challenge, it was a revelation of sorts: 'Home-made graham crackers? What a novel idea!' I'm on it.

And if you're wondering, they do taste like the store-bought kind....only better. Their texture is a bit less crunchy and their fine, honey flavor produces a great flourish. There goes one for a dunk right now.

If nothing else, these babies permeate your home with a wonderful warm, honeyed aroma for hours. Better than any Bath & Body Works candle I've ever come across... ;-)

I chose to make the ones from Heidi's blog, using all-purpose flour instead of going the gluten-free route. I made up the dough the night before and chilled it overnight.

Honey bear lost his head in honey.

It rolled out quite easily, cold from the fridge. It was cut into rectangles and chilled again for about a half hour before baking.



I sprinkled one tray with sugar and cinnamon.
The scrappy ones will be crumbled up for use in Part 2 of this challenge...stay tuned. :)

The January 2010 Daring Bakers' challenge was hosted by Lauren of Celiac Teen. Lauren chose Gluten-Free Graham Wafers and Naniamo Bars as the challenge for the month. The sources she based her recipe on are 101 Cookbooks and www.naniamo.ca.

Joys of Childhood

Gnoshing Oreos.

Splitting the halves with a friend to see who gets the creamier half. Licking out the center before dunking into a large glass of cold milk. Attempting to eat the whole package in one sitting. Seeing how black your teeth can really get.

All causes of great delight.

But in my book, nothing matches this: watching a little one munch it up like cookie monster. Nom Nom. Crumbs flying everywhere, smearing cookies 'n cream in his hair....

Apple Oatmeal-Raisin Cookies

Ah. It's a rainy day here, the first of the season. I'm feeling all snuggly. I want to curl up with a good book and a hot cup of tea. But, first, some cookie baking is in order.

All those delectable apples I picked from the trees last week are finding their way into baked goods of many varieties. I've enjoyed many an apple crisp -- for breakfast, lunch and dinner! -- an apple cake, baked apples...the list continues.



Today, I whipped out my trusty "Apple Lovers Cook Book," acquired a few years ago on one of my excursions up the hill. In the mood for something to munch while I sip, I searched out a good apple cookie recipe and stumbled on this one...

Oatmeal Apple-Raisin Cookies

adapted from Apple Lovers Cook Book

1 c. butter

1 c. brown sugar

1 egg, beaten

1 t. vanilla

1 1/2 c. flour

1 t. baking soda

1 t. cinnamon

1 1/2 c. oatmeal

1/2 c. peeled, diced apples

1/2 c. grated apple

1 c. raisins

Cream butter together with sugar in a large bowl. Add egg and vanilla. Stir in flour, soda, and cinnamon. Mix well. Gradually add oatmeal, then the apples and raisins. Regfrigerate for 15 minutes to an hour. Keep regfrigerated while they bake in batches.

Place walnut-size pieces of dough on a baking sheet. Bake about 10-15 minutes at 350 F, or until cookies are browned. Recipe makes about 5 dozen cookies.

This recipe makes quite a few cookies, although bite-size, so it is quite easy to put away more than a couple. (But only if you're into that kind of thing....) ;-) If you enjoy oatmeal raisin cookies, you'll like these. They hardly taste like apples, really, but are moist and chewy with a nice hint of spice.

Ice Cream Sandwich Love

I apologize for the hideousness of this photograph. (I made it a little smaller than usual in an attempt to offset the effects of my horrible camera skills.) Truly, all I wanted to do was consume the comforting layers of sweet flavor....

Ryan introduced me to these simple, chewy discs of oatmeal delight. Prior to his revelation, I had been firmly convinced that an oatmeal cookie could not be complete without raisins and at least a bit of cinnamon. He made a believer out of me: oatmeal and a smidgen of vanilla extract are the only absolutely necessary additions for a perfect oatmeal cookie. Not to say that I don't still love my oatmeal raisin spice cookies, but I am quite content with the purity of his oatmeal cookies. If taken out of the oven at the right moment, they literally melt in your mouth as you bite in.

Oh my. We're lucky if the dough even makes it into the oven. The dough satisfies about as well as the cookies. There is nearly always a scuffle for licking the bowl and spoon.

However, if some of the dough doesn't make it into cookie form, then we are at a loss for making our ice cream sandwiches...a mutual fetish we cannot overcome. There are few foods as delicious as cookies and ice cream; marry them and I nearly swoon at the sight.

This ice cream cookie creation is entirely homemade. The French vanilla ice cream was a second batch after the first success at ice-cream-from-scratch I made the other day. I am very excited to try out some other flavors now that I know it can be done without an ice cream maker, but, first, I had to make Ryan a batch of his favorite flavor.

Ice cream meet cookie.

It was a match made in heaven.