Recipe: Dark Chocolate Breakfast Cookies

Go ahead, have chocolate for breakfast.

breakfast cookies

Photo by Asia Bradlee

Good news: You no longer need your mother’s permission to eat chocolate for breakfast. Believe it or not, starting your day on a sweet note may come with a host of health benefits, including improved focus, memory, and cognition, according to a Syracuse University study. That’s one food trend we can get behind.

Dark chocolate contains antioxidants and flavanols, which are beneficial to heart health and vascular function. These dark chocolate breakfast cookies use raw cacao powder and cacao nibs to ensure the highest levels of antioxidants, without any added sugar.

Eat up.

Ingredients
Makes 8-10 cookies

  • 2 overripe bananas
  • 1 1/2 cup oats
  • 1/4 cup raw cacao powder
  • 1/4 cup dried tart cherries or dried fruit of choice
  • 1/2 cup chopped almonds or nuts of choice
  • 1/4 cup cacao nibs

Directions

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.

In a bowl, mash the bananas. Using a food processor or blender, blend one cup of oats until it reaches a flour-like consistency. A 30- to 45-second pulse should be long enough.

Add the oat flour, cacao powder, tart cherries, chopped almonds, and cacao nibs to the bowl. Mix in the remaining 1/2 cup oats, in their original form, for texture. Stir to combine.

Using a spoon or your hands, shape the dough into small balls, and place them on a cookie sheet lined with parchment paper. The dough will be loose, so you may need to spend some time shaping them.

Bake for 15 minutes, or until the cookies are firm. Serve warm.

Store the cookies in the fridge for up to one week.