Oat and Banana Breakfast Cookies

Like most of the recipes involving bananas on my blog, this recipe has come about because I needed to use up some very spotty bananas. I was also looking for a way to get all of the same ingredients that I usually put in my oatmeal in a more convenient way. Some school mornings are very rushed, and I we don’t always have the luxury to sit down to a calm and peaceful breakfast. I wanted something quick that both I and my kid could grab and eat in the car on the way to school if needed. Not ideal, but sometimes very necessary. I remembered making some three-ingredient banana oat cookies years ago that had the same purpose of getting me through a rushed morning before work, but I didn’t like them so I wanted to try a different version. I prefer using quick oats in oat cookies because rolled oats end up much too tough and chewy. I also added lots of cashew butter to make the cookies better balanced with protein and fat so they could be more satiating. I was very happy with how satiating these cookies were! 2-3 cookies successfully lasted me 4 hours, which is my standard for how much breakfast should last. If breakfast doesn’t last at least 4 hours, then blood sugar will likely not be as stable throughout the day and that never makes for a day with wonderful energy and mood.

You can use any nut butter of your choice in these cookies. I used cashew because I find cashew butter to be very buttery and to make cookies taste more traditional.  I also want lots of cashews in my follicular phase (which is where I was when making these cookies) because cashews are a great source of zinc which helps follicle development and sets me up for good ovulation.  Unfortunately, I am still getting used to my new oven, so I slightly overcooked these cookies which is why they look a little too brown on the edges in the photos, but they were definitely still edible and very delicious!