Brookies for Breakfast

{::8/10/14:: UPDATED RECIPE HERE}
Okay. Your kids are sooooo gonna love you for this one. Originally posted here, I got this recipe from a favorite blog spot of mine. The recipe is actually called "Giant Breakfast Cookies," but the kids and I thought since they are BReakfast cOOKIES, they should absolutely be called "BROOKIES." So the name stuck. And, frankly, so has the recipe. They are quite wonderful, especially since they are a HEALTHY breakfast food, the recipe makes a lot, they please the palate(s), and they've got such a gosh darn cute name that who could resist? I mean, really? Anyway, they look like a cookie, but they have a texture a bit more like a muffin. They are delicious and fun to make. And they're actually great as snacks or dessert as well! Versatility. Gotta love that.

Brookies (aka Giant Breakfast Cookies)

1 cup butter, melted and then cooled

½ cup buttermilk

2 cups whole wheat flour

2 cups whole rolled oats

¾ cup honey or Sucanat

2 eggs

1 t. salt

1 t. cinnamon

1 t. baking soda

1 t. vanilla

1 cup raisins, chocolate chips, or other yummy add-in

The night before (or better yet, the DAY before**) you plan to make "Brookies," melt the butter and allow it to cool completely. Then in a glass bowl, stir the butter into the flour and oats. Add the buttermilk, plus a little extra to make sure all the grains are coated. Cover and allow to sit on the counter all night. (An oversimplified explanation as to why it's a good idea to soak your grains before cooking: soaking neutralizes the phytic acid in the grains, partially breaks down the complex parts so that they are easier to digest, and releases all the nutrients IN the grains that you would otherwise NOT benefit from. See the sidebar for more information about soaking grains.) 

The next morning, preheat your oven to 350 degrees and add the remaining ingredients. It will be a very stiff cookie dough, especially if you choose Sucanat as your sweetener. But just keeping stirring! It will come together. Then fold in raisins or chocolate chips or anything else that sounds good to ya. Scoop heaping tablespoons of dough onto a cookie sheet.

Bake at 350 degrees for 15-20 minutes if you use honey. 11-15 minutes if you use Sucanat. Allow cookies to cool for a couple of minutes on the cookie sheet before removing them to a wire rack.

Serve on a paper plate (alright, that's not exactly a requirement, nor is it very "green," but hey, nobody's perfect...) with fresh fruit and enjoy with several of your favorite people in the whole wide world.

Brookies work for me. You can find this post linked up at Works For Me Wednesday and Kelly the Kitchen Kop's Real Food Wednesday.

Update: I ran out of honey and so I used Sucanat. It worked beautifully. Made for a fluffier "Brookie" actually. AND I was out of vanilla extract. (I know! Can you imagine?!) But for some odd reason I had about a teaspoon of coconut extract left over from who knows what recipe. So I used it! The wonderful smell inspired me to mix in unsweetened coconut flakes...and then dried cranberries. Let me tell you--the result was uh-may-zing!!!

**I've been trying to soak oats for a full 24 hours because oats have a low level of phytase (the enzyme that helps breaks down phytic acid). This actually makes life even easier for us busy moms! When you're making breakfast, think of what you'll have for tomorrow's breakfast and go ahead and get it soaking! And then maybe you can go to bed on time...maybe.

Lori