Fruit and Nut Breakfast "Cookies"

I've never been a big breakfast eater for 2 reasons: 1) I don't like most breakfast foods, and 2) I would feel sick if I ate too soon after waking up.  But while K was in ALS we spent 6 glorious weeks having breakfast together every morning.  We would get ready and then sit down for a bowl of oatmeal and some fruit while watching episodes of "The Office" or the news.  It was a peaceful start to the day, and those six weeks came and went too fast for my liking.  I also realized that eating breakfast makes a BIG difference in my day.  Mornings seem to go by faster and I am hungry for lunch sooner (sometimes I wouldn't even feel any hunger until noon... not good for the metabolism), and I'm spending a lot less money at Starbucks at 10 am.  I just needed to find breakfast food I like, and eat a light breakfast in order to avoid that gross, full-stomach feeling I would get from eating early in the day.

A week and a half ago, I stumbled across this awesome recipe hiding in the front of my Better Homes and Garden Cookbook in the "Breast Cancer Awareness" section.  That sounds weird, but the recipe is pretty amazing.  It's full of yummy stuff like fruit and nuts, and good-for-you stuff like oat bran and flax seeds.  It felt a little weird to be chomping on a cookie during my drive to work, but it makes a great breakfast to just grab and go.  So, without further ado, here is the recipe:

Fruit and Nut Breakfast Cookie

Ingredients:

2 lightly beaten eggs

3/4 cup packed brown sugar

3 tablespoons melted butter

1 teaspoon vanilla

1/3 cup dried fruit (I use dried cranberries, the recipe
recommends apricots, dates, and figs... yuck)

1 cup flour

1/2 cup whole wheat flour

1/3 cup oat bran

2 tablespoons ground flaxseed

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1/3 cup chopped pecans or walnuts, or sliced almonds

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Line 2 cookie sheets with parchment paper 

and set aside.  In a large bowl combine eggs, brown sugar, butter, vanilla. 

Stir in dried fruit and set aside.

2. In medium bowl combine flour, whole wheat flour, oat bran, flaxseed, 

baking soda, and cinnamon.  Add flour mixture to egg mixture, stirring 

until moist.  Stir in nuts.

3. Use scant 1/4 cup measure to drop mounds of dough 2 inches apart on 

cookie sheet.  Bake about 12 minutes until edges are golden.  They 

will end up about the size of your palm when baked.

4. Let cool and enjoy!

Yum!

If you're like me, you probably don't have things like oat bran and flaxseed in your pantry, but you can buy a small bag and it will last you a long time.  The cookies are also surprisingly moist and will keep all week in a sealed plastic bag.  Let me know if you try them out!