Once upon a time, I had a breakfast routine: coffee and oatmeal, 85% of the time. It was great: healthy, filling, and fast.

Then I got pregnant, and suddenly I couldn’t stand the taste/smell of my breakfast standbys. It threw me for a loop because suddenly I had to think about what to eat for breakfast. Not exactly fun when you stop drinking (caffeinated) coffee.

Thankfully, there are still plenty of foods I find palatable. I’d be happy to enjoy eggs and toast every morning. The problem is that some days I have to rush out of the house early in the morning and don’t have time to cook. These breakfast cookies are a great grab-and-go option for those days. I tweaked a recipe I found online based on the ingredients on hand, and I think it’s one of those recipes that could be doctored according to your tastes and pantry. I plan to vary the fruits/nuts (cranberry and pistachios! cherries and walnuts!) for variety and perhaps tinker with the flour types. I’d imagine you could also substitute banana, pumpkin, or zucchini for the carrot as well. Also, I don’t care for overly sweet things (especially in the morning), so I did cut down the granulated sugar. But if you have more of a sweet tooth, you could add an extra couple tablespoons back in.

Healthy Breakfast Cookies

Makes 1 dozen cookies | Adapted from The Food Network

Ingredients

• 3/4 cup (98 g) whole-wheat flour
• 1/2 cup (50 g) cake flour
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 2 tablespoons (28 g) unsalted butter, at room temperature
• 1/4 cup canola oil
• 1/4 cup (50 g) dark brown sugar
• 1 tablespoon (18 g) granulated sugar
• 1 egg, at room temperature
• 1 large carrot, finely grated
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 cup (90 g) rolled oats (not instant)
• 1/3 cup raisins, soaked in hot water for 30 minutes and drained

Method

1. Place rack in center of oven and preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
2. Whisk together flours, baking soda, cinnamon, nutmeg and salt in a medium-sized bowl.
3. Combine butter, oil and sugars in the bowl of a stand mixer and mix on high speed, scraping down sides if necessary, until sugars have dissolved and mixture is light in color, about 1 minute.
4. Add egg, carrot and vanilla and beat an additional 30 seconds.
   Add flour mixture and beat an additional 30 seconds.
5. Add oats, raisins and walnuts and mix over low speed just until incorporated. Dough will be slightly sticky and less cohesive than traditional cookie dough.
6. Line a large cookie sheet with parchment paper. Using a 1/4 cup to measure, place balls of batter on a cookie sheet, leaving about 3 inches between cookies. Wet hands and use palm of hand to flatten cookies until about 1/4-inch thick.
7. Bake for 12 minutes, until cookies are fragrant but still soft. Let cookies cool slightly, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.