Sometimes you just need a grab-n-go healthy breakfast that tastes like a treat.
Whose with me?
These Banana Mango Tropical Breakfast Cookies fit the bill.
This post is sponsored on behalf of Stonyfield, but all opinions are my own.
As I sit here eating a handful of dark chocolate covered almonds and typing up this blog post I'm thinking about what a great day it's been.
Nothing has been spectacular. I didn't win the lottery or run into a favorite celebrity {perhaps Katic Couric, Carrie Underwood or Savannah Guthrie, respectively}, but I did wake up to sunny sunshine and these breakfast cookies {more on those in a bit}.
I also made myself shower PRIOR to everyone in the house waking up, which seems like nothing, but really is EVERYTHING. I tend to feel the most sluggish on the days were I'm waltzing into the shower around 10 a.m.
Then came delicious coffee in peace while the youngest was in preschool {see her precious face below} and even more quiet time while she napped in the afternoon. I ran into various friends while running errands and managed to squeak in a 40 minute walk when the husband got home. Plus I listened to THIS great podcast.
Big shiny, fun things don't need to happen to me in order for it to be a great day. I like simple, I like organized. Give me sunlight, some quiet time, some good food and the ease of the day is perfect to me.
I have forever been a fan of Stonyfield products {their yogurt is a staple in our house} and when I recently noticed on Instagram how Jennifer Garner and her partners created the company Once Upon a Farm, I quickly became a fan of them as well.
So why not create a breakfast cookie with two delicious, no sweeteners added products! I love swapping out original ingredients {oil, etc.} and using healthier options - in this case Stonyfield's Yobaby individual yogurt cups and Once Upon a Farm's applesauce pounches.
If you've followed me for any amount of time you know my kids, especially my 3 year old, LOVES applesauce pouches and yogurt {her breakfast almost daily is yogurt, blueberries and dried oatmeal all mixed together}. I kid you not she makes her own parfait.
Yobaby is the #1 pediatrician recommended yogurt for babies and kids 6 months to 2 years, but heck we eat it well past that age in our house! It was also the first yogurt on the market specifically made for babies.
I hate to admit this AGAIN, but does anyone remember me saying a couple weeks back about how I've only grown to love yogurt over the past year few years? I know. For whatever reason I didn't grow up eating it, so it wasn't a staple, but now {finally} I'm eating it a few times a week. Thankfully my kids have loves it since day one.
And they better! Yogurt contains some many live active cultures, big words like Stretococcus Thermophilus and Lactobacillus Bulgaricus to name just a few. Yobaby specifically now contains the active probiotic culture BB12 that has shown to have a digestive health benefit when consumed regularly as part of a balance diet and healthy lifestyle.
I've always had a thing for breakfast cookies. I mean, who doesn't want to eat a cookie for breakfast? The day I announced cookies for breakfast to my kids they gave me a confused look, until I explained a few things.
1. They are healthy.
2. They contain their favorites like yogurt and applesauce and oatmeal.
3. They'd also be having a side of fruit with a glass of milk to drink to round it out a bit.
I made these cookies tropical, as Stonyfield sent me their Banana and Mango flavors, plus Once Upon a Farm sent me combining great flavors that matched {you think they talked or something...}. Anyway, the idea was great, because when added with a bit of coconut, some chopped pecans and just a drizzle of icing, they were perfect.
Back in the day, say 3 years ago after my last child, I made all my kid's baby food. I didn't find it much of a chore because by that time I was staying home full-time and I just kept my food processor always in view and often running. I even made this simple crock pot version!
Not into making your own baby food, but still want your baby to eat healthy foods? That's fine, I get it. Some people just aren't foodies like me. Since Yobaby yogurts have no sweeteners added, you cannot feel bad about feeding them to your littles.
I don't remember applesauce pouches being the rage like they are today, but golly I wish they had been more popular. They are so very easy to take on the go {again, like these breakfast cookies} and I'm sure it would have made my life a bit easier with hungry kids when traveling.
Once Upon a Farm's pouches are organic, cold-pressed and fresh from farm to family. Their unique blends are for babies, toddlers AND kids. They use cold pressure to lock in the nutrients, taste and texture, keeping them fresh.
This little 3 year old nuggest {almost 4} loves grabbing individual, portioned foods her size out of our fridge, whether that be Stonyfield Yobaby Yogurt or a Once Upon a Farm's applesauce pouch.
Another trick? Both of these two snacks keep her occupied in the grocery store. Many times they have saved me. You know how toddlers can be - something inevitably irriates them - I zipped up her coat wrong, she doesn't want to ride in the grocery cart, I innocently asked her how her day was - tantrums come along easily!
But healthy snacks seem to curb those big feelings fairly quick. Thank goodness!
This super simple and healthy recipe makes 12 breakfast cookies and from start to finish are done in under 30 minutes.
Next time I'll be doubling this batch, as we went through them quickly between the three kids and two adults - plus I'm going to try sticking half the batch in the freezer, possibly a couple to a freezer safe bag - that way I can literally grab a bag and go when mornings are super hectic.
You know what else is great about these breakfast cookies? They don't spread while baking in the oven. You can actually fit all 12 on the cookie sheet with no worries of them spreading and running together. They keep their shape!
Grab a bowl, mix together all the dry ingredients, then grab another bowl and mix together all the wet ingredients, it's as simple as that. Refrain from actually eating the yogurt and some of that delicious mango and coconut fruit from the pouch while baking, I dare you!
The Yobaby yogurt is so thick and creamy, not runny like some baby yogurts, plus they've commited themselves to using PLA cups in their packagaing {meaning, made from plants!}. With a lower carbon footprint from both products you'll feel better about recylcing them or if on the go throwing them in the trash.
The flavor of these cookies can be switched around to your tastes using different flavors, but I'll be honest this tropical version is stellar. Both the yogurt and the applesauce make the cookies soft and moist, yet sturdy enough for little hands to eat without falling apart.
Plus...that drizzle. I couldn't resist. It makes them over the top. Give these suckers a try today, even if you don't have kids! The adults in our house loved them, myself included.
Thank you to Stonyfield for sponsoring this post.
Banana Mango Tropical Breakfast Cookies
These healthy, delicious breakfast cookies are kid friendly and mother approved! Easy to grab on-the-go and even better as an afternoon snack.
prep time: 10 MINScook time: 15 MINStotal time: 25 mins
ingredients:
- 1 1/2 cups old fashioned oats
- 1/2 cup oat flour
- 1 T. ground flax seed
- 1/2 cup sweetened coconut
- 1 t. salt
- 1 t. cinnamon
- 2 eggs, beaten
- 2 T. brown sugar
- 1 4 oz. Stonyfield YoBaby Banana Yogurt
- 1 3.2 oz. Once Upon a Farm Gold-y Mango & 3 Coconuts Applesauce Pouch
- 1/2 cup chopped pecans
- 1/3 cup powdered sugar
- 2 T. almond milk
instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Grease a large cookie sheet with cooking spray.
- In a large bowl combine the oats, oat flour, ground flax, coconut, brown sugar and spices. Stir to combine.
- In a smaller bowl whisk together the eggs, yogurt and applesauce and add to the dry ingredients. Fold in the walnuts.
- Drop 1/4 cup sized portions of the batter onto the cookie sheet and slightly press down. They will not spread in the oven.
- Bake for 15 minutes. Remove from the oven and allow to cool completely.
- In a small ziploc baggie combine the powdered sugar and almond milk and squeeze to combine into an icing. Add additional almond milk if too thick. Squeeze the icing to the bottom corner of the bag and carefully cup a very small corner of the bag. Drizzle the icing over the cooled cookies.
- Keep cookies in an airtight container for up to 5 days.
notes
*To make your own oat flour simply place old fashioned oats in the blender and pulse until it resembles fine to coarse crumbs. Keep the flour in an airtight baggie to stay fresh.
calories
130
130
fat (grams)
4.8
4.8
carbs (grams)
18.9
18.9
protein (grams)
3.6
3.6
Created using The Recipes Generator
