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I’ve served these to my vegan and gluten–free friends and what I find is I prefer them even though I am neither!

They are uncannily reminiscent of my mother’s oatmeal raisin cookies– a long lost recipe to me that I’m sure isn’t this modern recipe– but whose not too sweet taste I am delighted to have back in my life.

And they are so healthy you can grab them guilt-free for breakfast if you are racing out the door. Recently we’ve been taking them on car trips and they are handy as a satisfying snack. Also using them as a happy replacement for those sorry motel breakfasts was a wonderful solution.

This recipe is basically right out of The First Mess Cookbook (shown below), and the only thing I’ve changed is the add ins. (She likes dried blueberries, pumpkin seeds, and chopped walnuts; I like dried cherries, raisins, and pecans; put in 1 cup of what sounds good to you. Dates, maybe?)

Gluten-Free Vegan Breakfast Cookies

1 1/4 cups gluten free old fashioned rolled oats
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon fine sea salt
1/2 cup almond flour
1/4 cup brown rice flour
3/4 cup mashed banana (we use 1.5 bananas)
1/2 cup smooth almond butter, stirred
3 tablespoons pure maple syrup
2 tablespoons ground flaxseed
3 tablespoons liquid coconut oil
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1/4 cup dried (unsweetened) cherries
1/4 cup organic raisins
1/2 cup chopped pecans

Preheat oven to 350ºF

Line a cookie sheet with parchment.

In a large bowl, stir together the rolled oats, cinnamon, baking soda, sea salt, almond flour, and brown rice flour until combined.

I a food processor, combine the mashed banana, almond butter, maple syrup, ground flaxseed, coconut oil, and vanilla. Process on high until the mixture is smooth.

Scrape the almond butter mixture into the large bowl with the oats and flour mixture. Throw your add-ins into the bowl. Stir the mixture with a spatula until you have a unified and very stiff cookie dough.

Drop 2 tablespoons of dough per cookie onto the prepared cookie sheet. Flatten each mound of dough with the palm of your hand. Bake until lightly golden brown, about 15-17 minutes. Cool cookies completely before storing in an air tight container.

These will last on the counter for 5 days. You can also wrap each one individually and freeze them.

Enjoy!

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