YOUR AD HERE »

You Heart What You Eat: Lookie lookie breakfast cookie

Tera JohnsonS-Swartz
Explore's food contributor, Tera Johnson-Swartz said this recipe of hers is a delectable, healthy breakfast cookie that her husband and kiddos can proudly eat as a snack without feeling too gluttonous.
Courtesy Photo

— If you are really my friend, you will know that while I have a big heart and in many ways share whenever I can, when it comes to cookies, I am a selfish, stingy scrooge. I enjoy dunking them in milk and tasting their sweet crunchy softness nearly anytime of day, and while I wish everyone an equally enjoyable experience, if you ask me to share I will likely tell you to “get your own.”

It’s probably because they are one of those simple pleasures that remind me of my childhood. Baking with my mom or grandmothers and sharing that extra special treat was not something I was asked to do; so I didn’t, I don’t and I likely won’t. Still, I don’t eat them often as I usually attribute them to dessert and certainly not something I would consider eating or even allowing my children to indulge in at breakfast time even if we’re in a rush or in lieu of a granola bar.

A couple of weeks ago however, I stumbled across Greek Yogurt chips in the baking aisle, and intrigued, I checked out the recipe on the back of the packaging for a rather simple but yummy recipe. I snatched it up and altered it a bit to find quite a delectable healthy breakfast cookie that my husband, kiddos and I can proudly eat as a snack without feeling too gluttonous.



Replacing the butter with some avocado allows a healthy fat to reduce that amount in two whole sticks of butter without compromising the taste. The honey and dates replace the empty benefits found in white and brown sugars with loads of vitamins and minerals, and the little bit of molasses keeps the flavor you’d find in brown and white sugars. The flaxseed and almond meal reduce the amount of flour with some great fibers and proteins, and the cranberries and yogurt chips make you think twice about adding chocolate chips next time.

This cookie was quite a hit at our house; I even shared them — not my own of course, but I didn’t hoard the whole tray so that should say something.



Lookie Lookie Breakfast Cookie

  • 1 stick of butter
  • 
1 ripe avocado
  • 
1⁄2 cup honey
  • 1⁄2 cup date sugar (or just dated pre-ground up in a food processor)

  • 1 tablespoon molasses

  • 2 eggs
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla
  • 3 cups oats
  • 1⁄4 cup ground flaxseed
  • 
1⁄4 cup almond meal

  • 1 cup flour (whole wheat or white)

  • 3⁄4 teaspoon baking soda
1 tsp. salt

  • 1⁄2 cup dried cranberries (fruit sweetened, no sugar ideally)

  • Bag of yogurt chips

Preheat your oven to 365 degrees. In a mixing bowl add butter, avocado, honey, dates or date sugar and molasses and blend until thoroughly whipped (about 3 to 4 minutes on medium to high for your mixer).

Add eggs and vanilla and mix until just blended. In a separate bowl combine oats, flaxseed, almond meal, flour, baking soda and salt. Add small increments into the butter-sugar mixture and stir until just blended. Fold in cranberries and yogurt chips and scoop about 1 tablespoons at a time onto a cookie sheet.

Bake 8 to 11 minutes, and cool slightly before transferring from cookie sheet to rack. Enjoy!

You Heart What You Eat is a weekly blog offering a twist of healthy alternative tips and recipes for some of our most coveted comfort foods. From decadent desserts to main dish favorites, you’ll surely look forward to our next edition. Questions or suggestions you’d like included in one of our future blogs should be directed to Tera Johnson-Swartz via email at terajohnsonswartz@gmail.com.

Tera Johnson-Swartz is a mommy first but also enjoys working one of her many, many side gigs whether it be freelance writing, music, massage therapy, independent childbirth, lactation or health educating. She is eternally grateful she is able to follow her passion each and every day and loves her supporting husband and their two young children and couldn’t imagine living a better life outside the city limits of Steamboat Springs.


Support Local Journalism

Support Local Journalism

Readers around Steamboat and Routt County make the Steamboat Pilot & Today’s work possible. Your financial contribution supports our efforts to deliver quality, locally relevant journalism.

Now more than ever, your support is critical to help us keep our community informed about the evolving coronavirus pandemic and the impact it is having locally. Every contribution, however large or small, will make a difference.

Each donation will be used exclusively for the development and creation of increased news coverage.