High Protein Giant Breakfast Cookies. (Flour-less/Grain/Sugar/Egg Free)

Sometimes you just need to have a cookie for breakfast! Imagine it being a totally guilt free, healthy experience. Today I’m sharing a recipe that makes this notion possible. These cookies are so easy to throw together, and you can customize the flavor and take them in many different directions.

I eat a lot of Sunflower Seed Butter. The brand Once Again is my favorite as they make a jar free of sugar and salt. That’s what I opted to use to make these cookies- which gave them an awesome peanut-buttery flavor. If you would prefer to use Peanut Butter, Cashew Butter, Almond Butter or even a mix of Tahini with another butter, all of those options will work! Just make sure to go for a jar of the natural thick stuff. Make sure the butter is mixed really well, as you don’t want to grab from the pool of oil that sits on top of most jar’s when first opened.

 Feel free to go wild and add just about any Dried Fruit, Nut or Seed, or Chocolate Chips! Want to vary the flavor up a bit? Try some of these ideas:

•  Use Cashew Butter and then add dried  or dehydrated Blueberries and Lemon Zest
• Use Cashew Butter and add Dried Cranberries, Orange Zest and replace the vanilla extract with Orange Extract.
• Make a Muesli Cookie and add a wide variety of nuts and seeds use any variety of nut or seed butter.
• Add some Oats or Quinoa Flakes
• Make an almond cookie: Use Almond Butter, Silvered Almonds and Almond Extract Instead of Vanilla.
• Make a chocolate chip banana flavored cookie: Using Banana extract instead of Vanilla + Nuts or Seeds + Cacao Nibs or Chocolate Chips.

For those not concerned with keeping the cookies Sugar Free- feel free to replace the Xylitol with just about any unrefined granulated sugar for example: Organic Cane, Palm Sugar, Sucanat, Date Sugar or Dehydrated Maple Sugar. I DO NOT recommend the use of a liquid sugar as the cookies may end up too moist!  Please note * If you use a sweetened nut or seed butter, you may not need as much sugar as I have called for in the recipe. Taste the cookie dough and adjust the sweetener  to your liking.**

High Protein Breakfast Cookies

1/2 Cup Nut or Seed Butter (I used Once Again Sunflower Seed Butter)
1 Tbs Chia Flour (or ground chia seeds)
1 Tbs Warm Water
3.5 Tbs Xylitol
1 Tbs Starch for a soft cookie OR 2 Tbs Starch for a harder cookie (Arrowroot, Potato or Tapioca Starch)
1 Tsp. Vanilla Extract 
1/4 Tsp. Baking Powder 
1/8 Tsp. Liquid Nunaturals Stevia (optional)
Pinch of Salt

2 Tbs Cacao Nibs (optional)
3 Tbs Raw Unsalted Sunflower Seeds (optional)

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line a small baking sheet with parchment.
2. In a cup or bowl mix together the chia and water. Stir in with the nut or seed butter in a larger bowl. Add in the Sugar, Starch, Vanilla, Salt, Baking Powder, Stevia and your add ins (Cacao Nibs and Sunflower Seeds).
3. Divide dough into two portions. Shape the dough into the size and shape of a hamburger pattie. Place on prepared baking sheet and bake 18-20 minutes.
4. Allow to cool completely before removing from baking sheet. (to speed up this process place cookie sheet in the freezer.)

Note: to make your own chia flour, simple throw some seeds into a coffee grinder. OR for those unable to consume or find chia- try using flax meal instead!

UPDATE: I tried making these with less starch! I used 1 1/2 TBS of Chia and only 1/2 Tbs of starch and they turned out great! They spread a little less, but taste great for those trying to limit starch! 

Yields 2  large cookies. This recipe can be easily doubled or quadrupled. If you do so, you may need to increase the baking time. The cookies are typically done when they begin to get lightly brown on the bottom and their surface appears cooked through – note that the cookies may look slightly under-baked when you remove them from the oven. They will harden and hold together as they cool.

If making the soft (less starchy) version of the cookie I recommend storing them in the freezer. As they are very soft and a bit crumbly and tend to get even softer as they sit out!

Be Creative & Enjoy!

-Brittany-