Gluten-Free Vegan Breakfast Cookies

Lately I’ve been exploring with lots of new gluten-free creations that incorporate oats and fiber for on-the-go breakfast and snacks.  I came across this yummy recipe and already had two overly-ripe bananas on my counter so it worked out perfectly.

(I’m not sure if I’ve mentioned this yet, but I’m a little weird about my bananas.  I like them barely yellow, preferably still with hints of green near the stem.  Once they get speckles, fuhgeddaboudit.  They are too sweet and pungent for my personal preferences.  I peel, chop and freeze those speckled nuggets for my yummy morning smoothies, and they provide the perfect amount of sweetness for those.)

Back to these magical cookies… They are fabulous hot out of the oven, but the next day they develop more of a soft banana-bread-like texture which is equally delicious.  You can store them on the counter for a few days or in the fridge or freezer for a longer shelf life.

The recipe calls for almond meal and oat flour, which I didn’t have on hand, but if you have whole oats and almonds you can create these yourself with a high-powered food processor or coffee grinder.  It’s pretty cool and much less expensive than the store-bought packaged versions.  You just grind the oats and almonds (separately, of course) until they turn into a fine-textured substance similar to a coarse flour.

While the name of the recipe calls these “cookies,” they’re so much healthier than your average cookie, with no gluten, no butter, no eggs, no added sugar, and chock-full of fiber and protein.  I made them with chocolate chips, but next time I might explore raisins and other nuts or dried fruits.  You could make them non-gluten free with regular rolled oats, or non-vegan with the substitutions offered in the ingredient list.

My boyfriend is incredibly honest when it comes to my gluten-free baking and whether things taste good or not.  He LOVED these.  I’m pretty sure he ate four of them the night I made them!  I also shared them with some other non gluten-free friends who thought they were delicious, too.

I will definitely be making these addicting treats again soon!

What you’ll need: ripe bananas, flaxseed, peanut butter, oil, vanilla extract, agave nectar, oats, almonds, baking powder, baking soda, salt, nuts/chocolate/mix-ins.

In a large bowl combine flaxseed and water and let rest for 5 minutes to achieve “eggy” texture.  While it’s sitting the flaxseed will absorb the water and it will become a thicker consistency.

Mash in the bananas until well combined, and then add peanut butter, baking powder, baking soda, melted coconut oil, agave nectar, salt, vanilla and stir.

Grind your oats and almonds into oat flour and almond meal.  This is what they should look like once you’re done:

Then add the whole oats, almond meal and oat flour to the bowl and mix well.  Add chocolate chips and walnuts (or your other mix-ins) and stir until well combined. Refrigerate for 5 minutes to harden.

Drop cookies by spoonfuls on a lightly greased baking sheet – they won’t expand much.  Also make them as uniform in size as possible to ensure even baking.  Bake for 15-17 minutes or until the cookies are slightly golden brown.  Let rest on baking sheet for a few minutes before transferring to a cooling rack.  After completely cooled, store in an air-tight container to keep fresh for up to a few days. Refrigerate or freeze for even longer storage time.