Carrot Pineapple Breakfast Cookies

So this is another version of an oatmeal breakfast cookie. Gotta get through them shredded carrots! It may seem like I've been baking a lot of "cookies" but that's ok because I froze most of them. Since school is starting soon, the boys need a healthy option for breakfast or snacks. They really liked these because of the bites of pineapple they'd get. They were like little carrot cake bites. :)

Carrot Pineapple Breakfast Cookies

yield: 12 cookies 

Ingredients:

• 2 bananas, mashed
• 2/3 c crushed pineapple
• 1 1/4 c shredded carrots
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 1 tbs dark molasses
• 1 tsp cinnamon
• 1 tsp allspice
• 1/2 tsp ground ginger
• 1/2 tsp nutmeg
• 1/4 c craisins
• 1/2 c flour
• 1 1/2 c oatmeal

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 F and prep two cookie sheets with parchment paper or silpats.
2. In a large bowl, mash bananas. 
3. Then add pineapple, carrots, molasses, cinnamon, allspice, ginger, nutmeg, and craisins. Mix well.
4. Add flour and oatmeal and mix thoroughly.
5. I used a Pampered Chef Medium Scoop to drop dough onto cookie sheets.
6. Flatten cookies with your palm so they're shaped like cookies.
7. Bake 25-30 minutes or until golden.
8. When baked through, remove from oven, cool a few minutes on cookie sheet before transferring to wire rack to cool completely.
9. When cooked, store in an airtight container.

Source: Adapted from "Watching What I Eat"

Banana Oat Breakfast Cookies

What's awesome about the Banana Oat Breakfast Cookie is that there's no egg, dairy, flour, or added sugar. The only sugar is from the craisins. These are great for breakfast on-the-go!

I'm still going through my four pounds of shredded carrots and have been baking away in the evening when it's a little cooler. The boys asked for something without shredded carrots so I made these Banana Oat Breakfast Cookies. They were hoping for chocolate chip cookies but I wanted to try this recipe so I threw in a few chocolate chips for them. The addition of chocolate made them seem like an oatmeal chocolate chip cookie. They really liked them! :) In addition to baking Banana Oat Breakfast Cookies, I also got out the ingredients for Carrot Pineapple Breakfast Cookies, Banana Chocolate Chip Oatmeal Muffins, and Carrot Coconut Bread. I'll post those recipes over the next few days. Since all of the recipes used similar ingredients, I was able to easily bake one batch to the next using the same bowl and mixing spoons without washing in between batches. It made baking so much easier to bake smarter, not harder! :)

So yummy fresh out of the oven...

Banana Oat Breakfast Cookies

yield: 12 cookies

Ingredients:

• 1 1/2 c oatmeal
• 2 ripe bananas, mashed
• 1/2 c unsweetened apple sauce
• 1/3 c craisins
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 1 tsp cinnamon

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 F and prep two cookie sheets with parchment paper or silpat.
2. Mash bananas in large bowl.
3. Add apple sauce, craisins, vanilla, and cinnamon.
4. Stir in oatmeal.
5. I used a Pampered Chef Medium Scoop to drop dough onto cookie sheets.
6. Flatten cookies with your palm so they're shaped like cookies.
7. Bake 20-25 minutes or until golden.
8. When baked through, remove from oven, cool a few minutes on cookie sheet before transferring to wire rack to cool completely.
9. When cooked, store in an airtight container.

Note:
The boys wanted chocolate chip cookies so I made this batch with 1/4 c craisins and a 1/4 c chocolate chips. The boys really liked the bites of chocolate and seemed like more of a "real" cookie. :)
If you don't think you'll eat these right away, you can freeze them. I froze two cookies side-by-side in wax paper, then wrapped in plastic wrap, put them in a ziploc, and then put them in the freezer. Take out the night before you eat them and they'll be ready the next morning. When ready to eat, warm for 20-30 seconds in the microwave. YUM!

Source: Adapted from "Watching What I Eat"

Carrot Craisin Oatmeal Cookies

I probably shredded 4 pounds of baby carrots the other day. Luckily, the food processor got the job done quickly and effortlessly. Since I had all the baking materials out for the Carrot Pineapple Muffins, I made a batch of cookies, too. Because I didn't add a lot of sugar, these "cookies" would be perfect for breakfast. They're perfect little oatmeal bites on the go!

Carrot Craisin Oatmeal Cookies

• Ingredients
  
  
• 1/2 stick unsalted butter, room temp.
• 1/3 cup packed light-brown sugar
• 1 large egg yolk  (I used Ener-G Egg Replacer)
• 3/4 cup all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon ground ginger
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 cup rolled oats
• 1 cup packed, finely grated/shredded carrots
• 1/4 cup craisins  

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper.
2. In a large bowl, cream butter. Slowly add sugar and egg yolk (or Egg Replacer- follow directions for 1 egg). Mix in oats, carrots, and craisins.
3. In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, ginger, and salt. 
4. Slowly add flour mixture to butter mixture. Stir until combined but do not overmix.
5. Drop dough by level tablespoons, 2 inches apart onto prepared baking sheets. Flatten with the palm of your hand. 
6. Bake 15-18 minutes until edges are crisp. Rotate baking sheets halfway through. Transfer cookies to a wire rack to cool. ENJOY!

Source: adapted from marthastewart.com

http://www.marthastewart.com/341124/carrot-cake-cookies?czone=food/cake-center/favorite-cake-recipes&center=276954&gallery=274994&slide=282584

Carrot Pineapple Muffins

I went overboard and bought the five pound bag of baby carrots at Costco. It sounded like a great idea at the time; however, I wasn't sure how we could possibly eat all those carrots once I got home. I can only put so many carrots in the Vitamix for smoothies and juices and there are only so many raw baby carrots we can eat per day so I decided to shred them in the food processor. I figured we could eat a lot more carrots if they were shredded and made into a carrot salad. I was also thinking along the lines of carrot cake but we're trying to cut back on the amount of sweets we're eating so I decided muffins would be a better choice. I cut the amount of butter and sugar by half and made changes to make them egg-free for my allergy boy. They're tasty treats and I'm not worried about the boys eating them up since they're not that sugary. :)

Carrot Pineapple Muffins

Yield: 12 muffins

Ingredients

• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
• 1/4 teaspoon ground ginger
• 1/2 stick unsalted butter, at room temperature
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 1/4 cup apple sauce
• 1/2 cup crushed pineapple
• 1 cup finely shredded carrots
• coarse sugar crystals (optional)

Directions

1. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.
2. Line a muffin tin with paper liners.
3. In a large bowl, sift the flour, baking powder, salt, cinnamon, nutmeg, and ginger together.
4. In a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment or with a hand-held electric mixer in a large bowl, cream the butter on medium speed. With the speed on low, slowly add the sugar. Increase speed to medium high and beat until light and fluffy.
5. Add apple sauce and crushed pineapple. Scrape down the bowl as necessary with rubber spatula.
6. Add shredded carrots and beat until well combined. With the mixer set on low, slowly add the dry ingredients and mix until just combined. Do not overbeat.
7. Evenly divide the batter among the lined muffin cups and sprinkle a little sugar over the top of each if desired.
8. Bake approximately 25-30 minutes in the center of the oven until light golden brown and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.
9. Cool in the pan on a rack for 10 minutes. Remove muffins from the pan and transfer to a rack to cool completely. Serve warm or at room temperature. ENJOY!

Source: adapted from foodnetwork.comhttp://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/cranberry-carrot-muffins-recipe/index.html