Banana Nut Breakfast Cookies

Paleo, No Added Sugar, High-Protein, and Delicious

You guys, these Banana Nut Breakfast Cookies are seriously going to become a new favorite! They are soft, slightly fruity, with nice little bites of rich cacao nibs and pecans mixed throughout. The best part? They’re completely free from any added sweeteners, just a few dates and bananas, that’s it! Oh yeah, and they’re incredibly easy to make. So good.

I love making healthy options like this on the weekend, ready to grab and go in the early AM hours when I have to head to work on Monday. They pair perfectly with a cup of coffee and a piece of fruit and thanks to their wholesome ingredients they keep you full and happy long after you munch them down. Banana Nut is a classic flavor combo for a reason, these ingredients complement each other perfectly. These would definitely be a hit with the kiddos and you could always replace the cacao nibs with chocolate chips or raisins if that suits the little ones better. I’m pretty sure if you tell them they’re eating cookies for breakfast they will be psyched!

Why You Should Eat Them

The base of these babies is made of eggs, almond butter, almond flour, shredded coconut, and coconut flour. The eggs and almond butter/flour provide a bunch of protein, while the almond ingredients also pass along some calcium, magnesium, and Vitamin E to keep your bones, muscles, and skin strong and supple.

I am pretty much hooked on coconut everything; even though I hated it as a kid I now use coconut every day in one form or another. The medium-chain triglycerides in coconut are awesome for your metabolism. These kinds of fats actually bypass the biological mechanism that breaks down other types of fats, so they are more easily converted into energy. Yes, they are indeed a saturated fat, but nutritional research has proven the stigma of “all saturated fats are the devil” to be inaccurate. The saturated fats from coconut oil are a great addition to a healthy diet (in moderation of course).

Bananas are a wonderful natural sweetener and I love the comforting flavor they create when baked.  We often hear about the high potassium content of bananas, which is important for cardiovascular health, but they have lots of other nutrients to offer as well. Vitamin B6 is one of these and it is vital for proper functioning of the nervous system. Neurotransmitters and hormones that affect your mood, brain function, and circadian rhythm all require B6 to work their magic. Bananas are a source of tryptophan, which also contributes to a positive mood because it gets converted to the feel-good neurotransmitter serotonin.

Another great replacement for sugar, dates are nature’s candy, very sweet but also packed with minerals like potassium, copper, and manganese. A few of these goes a long way.

The cinnamon and nutmeg in these Banana Nut Breakfast Cookies plays off the fruity profile really well and add an extra layer of warm tastiness.

There’s also some ground flaxseed in this recipe. Flax is helpful for texture and structure in baked goods while lending some extra nuttiness and omega-3 fatty acids, which are super anti-inflammatory and helpful for balancing hormones as well.

How You Can Make Them

These Banana Bread Breakfast Cookies are a one-bowl wonder! You can make the entire batch in your food processor and then scoop right onto the pan.  I ended up using a bowl just to get some better photographs.

I always have some frozen bananas in the freezer so that’s what I’ve used in this recipe. You can also use fresh bananas but opt for some that are really ripe to get the extra flavor when you bake them. If yours are frozen, let them thaw a bit until they’re soft so they are easier to mix in with the rest of your batter.

Throw your flours, almond butter, bananas, dates, flax, eggs, sea salt, spices, baking soda, and vanilla extract and process until all mixed together. Then add the shredded coconut, but don’t over process because you want to keep some texture. Add your chopped pecans and cacao nibs last and just fold them in with a spoon, then you’re ready to drop onto a lined baking sheet. If you haven’t read my Things I Love page you may not be aware that I love Silpat liners; these are silicon mats that you use on a baking sheet and they produce the most perfectly browned baked goods with no worries of sticking to the pan. They’re also non-toxic which is a major priority for me when it comes to kitchen gear.

I like to make my Banana Nut Breakfast Cookies pretty big. They don’t really spread out at all, so when you spoon them onto the sheet don’t be afraid to shape with your fingers a bit to get the desired shape—I like the rustic, perfectly imperfect look. You can also use an ice cream scoop and then press down the dough with a damp hand (to prevent sticking), which produces a nice, round, uniform cookie.

Bake them at 350°F for 16-18 minutes, they’ll start to get nice and golden towards the end. Bake closer to 15 minutes if going the “ice cream scoop and smush” method. They will still be soft when you remove them from the oven so let them sit on the sheet for a minute and then use a spatula to transfer onto a wire cooling rack (this is a good time to sample one and make sure it’s amazing as it smells…and it will be).

Hope you enjoy these Banana Nut Breakfast Cookies as much as I do!  Drop me a comment below and let me know what you think.  Thank you so much for visiting Food to Feel Good <3