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Imagine your next family road trip: your destination is hours away, the kids are bored, and suddenly you look at your family and say, “Who wants cookies?”
You’ll be the hero of the trip when you hand out these scrumptious snacks. And better yet, they’re filled with healthy ingredients.
I first tried this breakfast cookie recipe when my kids were toddlers and I attended weekly playgroups with other parents. My friend Nicole brought them to share with everyone, and they were a hit. When I heard how simple and healthy the ingredients were, I couldn’t believe it!
These cookies are easy to make, allergy-friendly, and perfectly portable to tote on all your trips. Eating healthily while on vacation just became a whole lot easier.
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Simple Ingredients
These cookies are made from bananas, applesauce, and raisins, so they’re a great way to add some nutrition into a long car ride. There’s a bit of brown sugar plus a dash of cinnamon and vanilla for flavor. And old-fashioned oats tie everything together. It’s like your morning oatmeal in a satisfying cookie form!
Need to use up those overripe bananas before you head out of town? This is the perfect recipe! Photo by Christy Nicholson.
Allergy Notes
These cookies don’t contain gluten, dairy, or nuts, which makes them ideal for families with food sensitivities. But if you are making these cookies for someone with food allergies, double-check your ingredients for contamination issues. For example, make sure that the oats are not processed in a facility that also processes wheat or nuts.
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Ready, set, bake. Photo by Christy Nicholson.
Making the Cookies
First, get a huge mixing bowl to contain all the cookie goodness. Then peel two bananas and mash them together in the bowl until there are no big chunks of banana left. (Side note: I like to use very ripe bananas for extra flavor.)
Next, stir in 1 ⅓ cup no-sugar-added applesauce until it is thoroughly combined with the mashed bananas. You may discover more banana chunks once you add the applesauce. If you do, just mash them some more. It’s okay to leave small pieces, though.
If you find giant chunks of banana after you stir in the applesauce, just mash the bananas a bit more until the mixture is mostly smooth. Photo by Christy Nicholson.
Add 1 tsp of vanilla and stir again. Then add 2 teaspoons of cinnamon and 2 tablespoons of brown sugar, stirring until the sugar and cinnamon are spread evenly throughout the mixture.
Add 1 cup of oats and mix thoroughly, scraping the bottom of the bowl to make sure no dry pockets of oats remain.
Finally, stir in ¾ cup of raisins. (You can also mix in chocolate chips or coconut at this point if you wish, just check labels to make sure they are allergy-friendly.)
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Stir in raisins and any other ingredients you wish to add (like chocolate chips!) at the very end. Photo by Christy Nicholson.
Road Trip Breakfast Cookies
Prep Time: 25 minutes
Baking Time: 30 minutes
Total Time: 55 minutes
Makes about 24 cookies.
Ingredients:
- 2 bananas
- 1 ⅓ cup no-sugar-added applesauce
- 1 tsp vanilla
- 2 tsp cinnamon
- 2 tbsp brown sugar
- 1 cup old-fashioned oats
- 3/4 cup raisins
Mash the bananas in a mixing bowl until no large lumps remain, then mix in the applesauce. Stir in the vanilla, cinnamon, and brown sugar. Add the oats and combine thoroughly, making sure no dry spots are left in the mixture. Stir in the raisins and any desired add-ins. Drop by tablespoonfuls onto a baking sheet lined with parchment paper, slightly flattening each cookie. Bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes. Allow to cool completely before storing.
Time to Bake!
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees, and place the cookies on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper one tablespoon at a time. Flatten each cookie slightly – they will not spread out while baking, and keeping them thin will help them cook evenly.
Bake the cookies at 350 degrees for 30 minutes. You’ll probably want to bake them in two batches (I can only fit 12-15 cookies at a time on one baking sheet.)
Parchment paper helps absorb extra liquid as the cookies bake (and it makes cleanup a bit easier). Photo by Christy Nicholson.
After baking, the cookies will be soft but firm. When they are done, let them cool for 10 minutes on the baking sheet before transferring them to a cooling rack. Let them cool completely before storing them for your trip.
On the Road
I like to keep these cookies sealed in a plastic bowl while we are traveling. Because they have no preservatives, I recommend using them within two or three days. (If you bake these to eat at home, you can make them last longer by refrigerating them.)
I hand out napkins when distributing these cookies in the car because they can be slightly sticky. However, I love that they don’t leave dry crumbs all over my van.
Ta-da! A healthy snack that everyone will love. Photo by Christy Nicholson.
Cookies for Breakfast!
My favorite thing about these cookies is their versatility. They’re great as a snack at any time, but they come in especially handy when your vacation schedule calls for breakfast on the go. While I first started making these cookies when my kids were toddlers, they are a favorite family recipe today even for my teen and tween. Your kids may wonder why you’re offering them cookies first thing in the morning, but with all the nutrition packed into this snack, it’s a win for everybody.
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