By Jayme Jo Ebert
I don’t think I’ve ever been more hungry in my life than the three months after I gave birth to my daughter. Going from barely being able to eat half a plate at nine months pregnant, to confidently ordering (and eating) two entrees just two months later, it seemed as though my hunger was about as constant as my newborn’s. Though I had made some freezer meals, we burned through them easily in the first two weeks post-baby. I was desperate for quick and hearty nutrition, specifically stuff that I could handle with one hand, because the other was inevitably managing a suckling or sleeping babe.
Enter in the breakfast (I mean anytime) cookie of your dreams
In my pre-doula life I was among many other things, a passionate baker. So of course this cookie couldn’t be just any cookie. It needed to be soft, yet sturdy enough to be bigger (in order to make it worth the trip to the kitchen). I wanted it to be healthy enough to not feel guilty about and guilty enough to make me long for it.
In my searching I found a bunch of recipes that just about hit the mark, but none quite as much as this one. I mean, vegetables AND chocolate? Could I be healthy AND satisfied at the same time?! The only thing left to do was add some special ingredients to help support my milk supply. The result left me in cookie bliss. And even though I had made several batches ahead of time to freeze for later, I found myself mowing down the frozen versions too.
Below I’ve outlined my basic recipe in bold. If you’d like to make it dairy-free, you can substitute coconut oil for the butter in a 1:1 ratio and fetch some dairy-free chocolate chips. Nuts are not necessary, but are great fiber to help your digestion run smoothly. Follow the * adaptations if you’d like to make these cookies more breastfeeding supportive. And most of all, ENJOY!
Jayme Jo’s Breakfast (anytime) Cookies
1 C. All purpose flour or * ½ C. All Purpose Flour
* 3 T. Brewer’s Yeast
* 5 T. Flaxseed (ground)
1 C. Whole Wheat Flour
1 C. Old Fashioned Oats
1 t. Ground Cinnamon
½ t. Salt
½ t. Baking Soda
1 Banana (ripe and mashed)
½ C. Unsalted Butter (softened)
¾ C. Brown Sugar
2 Large Eggs
1 t. Vanilla Extract
1 C. Zucchini (shredded)
¾ C. Chopped Walnuts or Pecans
1 C. Dark Chocolate Chips
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350F
- In a large bowl, mix flours, oats, cinnamon, baking soda, salt (brewers yeast and flaxseed if you are including). Set aside for later.
- In a separate bowl, beat butter and sugar until light in color, mix in egg and vanilla, and add in your mashed banana. Mix all until smooth.
- Fold in bowl of dry ingredients, then add shredded zucchini, walnuts, and chocolate chips. -Dough will be sticky-
- Roll or scoop the dough (I found it easiest to use an ice cream scoop) into balls and place on parchment-lined cookie sheet (silpat also works nicely here).
- Bake cookies for 13-15min or more (depending on the size), rotating pan 180 degrees halfway through bake time. This helps to ensure even baking.
- Transfer to cooling rack and let cool completely before placing in freezer. Or eat them all in one fell swoop. Nobody has to know.
*A larger cookie will make roughly a baker’s dozen.
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How long are these good on the counter? And can they be frozen? I’m looking to make something that’s easy for my friend to grab and eat. She’s about to have her baby and I just know she will struggle remembering to take care of herself!
Hi Elicea! Freezing them up to three months is okay, but fresh is best for these cookies. And they’re good to sit out on the counter for four to six days. Thanks for reaching out – you’re a great friend to be planning such nutritious food for her!
Have you tried them without the banana? I’m wondering if that’s what made them more of a cake texture than a crunchy cookie. Or maybe I over mixed them?
We have not tried them without the banana, but they do tend to be more dense than a crisp cookie even with the banana!