Vegan Banana Oatmeal Breakfast Cookies

23:00 Soph 0 Comments


If there's one thing I love more than pancakes (okay maybe that's a bit extreme let me rephrase), if there's once thing I love as much as pancakes, its dessert for breakfast, that's right DESSERT FOR BREAKFAST. I mean who doesn't stumble down into the kitchen half asleep and just sigh at the thought of a solitary piece of dry bread being the first thing to greet you (yeah I went there, I mean who really is passionate about toast?). If that sounds like you, then this is what you need to get yourself out of that early morning slump; a sweet, chewy, crunchy, chocolatey blend of morning goodness!  If you're really feeling adventurous then pop this in the microwave for 30 seconds and believe me you wont be able to handle how good it tastes, if the saying 'melts in your mouth' could epitomise one thing, it would be these cookies, not to blow my own trumpet or anything (wait who am I kidding, these are seriously freaking good)


VEGAN BANANA OATMEAL BREAKFAST COOKIES

These cookies are a MUST if you want to kick your day off with a kick of sweetness (I mean who doesn't). They're ideal for breakfast on the move as you can make a batch on the weekend and just bag them up for the whole week to grab before you head out the door. As for substitutions within this recipe you can easily sub vegetable oil for canola oil, maple syrup for brown rice syrup and almond milk for another non-dairy milk of your choice. You can of course experiment with flours such as buckwheat flour and coconut flour however this may change the consistency of your mixture, but be sure to let me know how you get on if you decide to !! Alike most of my recipes this can be used as a base to develop to suit your own personal preferences.

Despite the term "dessert for breakfast" these cookies are surprisingly healthy, they incorporate healthy syrups such as agave nectar, rolled oats to keep you fuller for longer and flaxseed - the ultimate ingredient - a rich source of dietary fibre, vitamin B1, and omega 3 and has also been linked to helping restore levels of docosahexaenoic and eicosapentanoic acids that lead to decreased chemical imbalances in the brain that can cause depression (I know right, why is this magical ingredient not featured in every recipe??). 

{recipe adapted from www.theppk.com}


 

Yields 10-12 large cookies 

Ingredients

2 small ripe bananas (mashed)
2 tbsp flax seed
1/4 cup almond milk
1/2 cup vegetable oil
1 cup maple syrup
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 3/4 cup plain flour
2 tbsp corn starch
pinch of cinnamon
pinch of nutmeg
1 tsp baking powder
pinch of salt
2 cups rolled oats
100g non-dairy chocolate chips

1. Preheat the oven to 180 degrees Celsius and then grease and line two baking sheets with greaseproof paper

2. Combine the mashed banana, flax seed and almond milk in a large bowl and whisk until smooth. Then whisk in the vegetable oil, syrup, and vanilla until thoroughly mixed

3. Sift the flours, spices, salt and baking powder into the bowl and mix to form a thicker but moist batter. Once combined, mix in the oats and chocolate chips until the mixture is moist to touch and sticky but without being runny

4. Grease a 1/4 cup measurement cup with non-stick cooking spray and then drop 1/4 cups of the cookie dough onto the baking trays leaving a space for the cookies to spread as they cook 

5. Bake the cookies for around 15 minutes until the edges begin to turn golden brown and they are soft to touch. Let them cool for a few minutes before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely (though make sure you at least have one tester cookie whilst still warm, that's just a necessity when baking) 

6. ENJOY !! these cookies go perfectly with a glass of almond milk as pictured above or a hot drink of your choice



having an extra bad day? maybe you've stayed up all night working on that essay that's only worth 2% of your final grade and after the 2 hours of restless sleep you have an 8 hour day of school ahead of you, yeah we've all been there, or maybe you didn't bother to stay up all night and now here you are at 5am, blurry eyed and praying for the essay to magically appear on your page, yeah I've been there too. Well for an added bit of breakfast magic (and what I am about to tell you will change your life so do prepare yourselves), take 2 of your cookies, spread one with some vegan chocolate spread or some 100% natural peanut butter (or both, you know what the heck it is the morning), now take the other cookie and place it on top, there you go, a breakfast cookie sandwich, yep that's right you heard me, A BREAKFAST COOKIE SANDWICH, enjoy my friends !

Keep yourself grounded, be mindful, as always keep your soul happy !!

- Sophie :)



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Basic Vegan Pancake Recipe

13:12 Soph 0 Comments



There are certain things in life which I am extremely passionate about, and anyone who knows me can probably roll these off their tongue in no time. They range from self-love to smoothies but I think the most commonly recognised (and the most important) is the wonder that are vegan pancakes.

I must admit when I first became vegan I was dreading the absence of pancakes, my most loved breakfast food, but after experimenting for a few days with a variety of ingredients and a bunch of recipes I have finally perfected them.  These pancakes are perfect for a lazy weekend morning, or a mid-week pick me up as they contain only a handful of ingredients that you can whisk together and enjoy in no time at all.


BASIC VEGAN PANCAKE RECIPE

These pancakes are light and fluffy yet also crispy on the edges with caramelised chunks of banana throughout. You can fry them using 1tbsp coconut oil for a healthier option or even vegetable oil for a crispier edge. You could sub the spelt flour for buckwheat flour or oat flour however results may vary as I have personally not tried using those, and alternatively sub the flax egg for a chia seed egg. If you don't like/are allergic to almond milk you can also use soya milk, rice milk or coconut milk to give another hint of flavour. This recipe is flexible and I recommended you use it as a base recipe that you can easily change up depending on your dietary requirements or preferences. The most important thing is to ENJOY !!! 
Yields 4-5 pancakes

Ingredients;

75g spelt flour
1 tsp baking powder
1 flax egg (1tbsp flax seed with 3tbsp water
1 banana
120ml almond milk
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 tbsp of coconut oil / vegetable oil for frying

1. Prepare your flax egg by mixing 1tbsp of flax seed with 3tbsp of water in a small bowl, let this set in the fridge as you continue to prepare the rest of the pancake mixture
2. In a small bowl whisk together the spelt flour and baking powder, making sure they are both evenly mixed
3. In another bowl mash the banana with a fork until it doesn't contain any large lumps, then pour in the almond milk along with the flax egg and vanilla extract and whisk until smooth.
4. Pour the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients and whisk together until a thick, smooth batter is formed. If the batter is too thick, you can add 1-2tbsp more of almond milk however without a thick batter the pancakes will not hold together well.
5. Melt the coconut oil or warm the vegetable oil in a frying pan over a medium heat. Then fry the pancakes for a few minutes per side until golden brown and crispy.

 

 Alternations;
For chocolate chip pancakes, drop the vegan chocolate chips into the batter once in the frying pan as to make sure they don't stick to the pan. For blueberry pancakes, sprinkle them onto the batter once in the frying pan, I've found that frozen blueberries work best however make sure you sprinkle them into the batter once in the pan as opposed to mixing them into the batter before otherwise they will bleed through once frying.

Toppings
Today I decided to top mine with an organic vegan chocolate spread, banana coins, some granola and a tbsp or so of golden syrup and it was honestly one of the best combinations I have ever tried. However there is no limit to the amount and variety of toppings you can use including fruit, peanut butter, raw sauces or syrups, vegan ice cream, just whatever takes your fancy really.


Take care my friends, keep your soul happy !!


- Sophie :)

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