Chocolate cherry breakfast cookie

Our children’s easy, go-to breakfast on weekday mornings are organic cereal bars.  They love them and request them every day.  After a little label reading it became very clear why they love them so much!  They are LOADED with sugar.  I am trying to reduce our family’s sugar intake, so I decided to come up with a cereal bar alternative that was low in sugar and high in protein and nutrition (and of course, deliciousness!).  This breakfast cookie fits the bill!  It is so scrumptious that they are almost addictive.  They also are far more nutritious than the average cereal bar sold everywhere.  Made with almond flour, oats, walnuts, cherries and chunks of dark chocolate, this recipe will quickly become a family favorite!  Feel free to tinker with your families personal preferences!  Replace the cherries with cranberries, dates, raisins or banana chips, or the chia seeds with flax, pumpkin, sunflower or sesame seeds. 

Who knew that a breakfast bar alternative could be this tasty and good for you!

½ cup butter, melted

2-3 Tablespoons honey

2 organic eggs

½ teaspoon vanilla

1 cup almond flour

1 teaspoon cinnamon

¼ teaspoon ginger

¼ teaspoon cloves

½ teaspoon baking soda

¼ teaspoon baking powder

1 cup oats (I use Bob’s Red Mill Gluten Free)

¾ cup dark chocolate chips

1/3 cup dried cherries

1/3 cup unsweetened coconut

1/3 cup walnuts, broken in half or quarters (I like them chunky, but cut to your preference)

2 teaspoons chia seeds

1.)    Preheat oven to 350°.

2.)    In a large mixing bowl, mix the butter, honey, eggs and vanilla.  Add the almond flour, cinnamon, ginger, cloves, baking soda and baking powder until just combined.  Add the oats and stir until just combined.  Add the chocolate chips, cherries, coconut, walnuts and chia seeds until just combined.

3.)    Using a small scooper, drop onto a parchment-lined baking sheet, spacing 2 inches apart.  Lightly flatten the dough.

4.)    Bake for 11-12 minutes.  Once cooled, store in an air-tight container.  I pop most of these in an air-tight freezer container.  12 seconds in our microwave will thaw and warm them.