Breakfast cookies!

A long time ago, when my sister and I first joined Weight Watchers, (1999) we used to order these cookies called “Baker’s Breakfast Cookies”. We did so because these cookies were HUGE, and the calories were low and the fiber was high, so they were either 1 to 3 points for these wonderful cookies. We would eat them for breakfast almost every day. You could store them in the freezer, take one to work and nuke it in the microwave for about 30 seconds and it smelled like they were just baked. We were basically in heaven!! Fast forward about a year, and tougher regulations on truth in labeling were enforced and our once low calorie, high fiber, huge cookies, were now much smaller, the calories were in the 350 calorie range, and the fiber was less than half!! So, our 1 point cookies we loved so much were now 6 points and not as big!

They are still in business, you can order them on-line or find them at stores like Whole Foods, and sometimes at coffee shops. They are still delicious, but we were kind of dissapointed to say the least!

A few weeks ago I saw Ellie Kreiger on Food TV and she was making breakfast cookies! She added very healthy ingredients, and it reminded me of the days of eating a cookie for breakfast!

Ingredients Makes 12 cookies
3/4 cup whole-wheat pastry flour
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
1/4 cup canola oil
1/4 cup dark brown sugar
3 tablespoons granulated sugar
1 egg
1/4 cup (1 small jar) strained carrot baby food
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 cup rolled oats
1/2 cup bran cereal flakes (like Total cereal)
1/3 cup raisins
1/3 cup walnut pieces, lightly toasted in a dry skillet for 2 minutes, until fragrant and chopped
Directions
Place rack in center of oven and preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

Whisk together flours, baking soda, cinnamon, nutmeg and salt in a medium-sized bowl. 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. Add egg, carrot puree and vanilla and beat an additional 30 seconds. Add flour mixture and beat an additional 30 seconds. Add oats, flakes, raisins and walnuts and mix over low speed just until incorporated. Dough will be slightly sticky and less cohesive than traditional cookie dough. Line a large cookie sheet with parchment paper. Using between 3 to 4 tablespoons of batter, form a ball and place on cookie sheet. Repeat with remaining batter, leaving about 3 inches between cookies. Wet hands and use palm of hand to flatten cookies until about 1/4-inch thick. Bake for 12 minutes, until cookies are fragrant but still soft. Let cookies cool slightly, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.

A few tips: You don’t have to use baby food, you can just puree your own carrot and that would be fine. You can also change these cookies around to suit your tastes. If you don’t like raisins, you could add dried cranberries. If you don’t like walnuts, you can add a different kind of nut. Or omit the raisins and nuts and add a few tablespoons of mini chocolate chips! These come in at 190 calories, 9 grams of fat (2 grams of saturated fat) and 2 grams of fiber. It’s still kind of light on calories for breakfast, so I would recommend in addition to that, adding a piece of fruit and a cup of skim milk, or a cup of coffee, or orange juice and you will be full for a long time!