Breakfast Cookies - So Easy, They're Allison Proof

Some of you readers out there probably know, that although I count myself a pretty solid cook, I'm a pretty crummy baker.

It seems that nearly every baked good I give a whirl ends up slightly off, a complete disaster, or somewhere in between. Whether it's cookies that are too fluffy or brownies that I leave to cool atop a hot burner (people like shards of Pyrex glass in their dessert, right?), I just can't seem to get the hang of baking.

Pinterest, though, tempts me each and every visit, with dozens of pictures of rich desserts and sweets. It's a tease,  pinning those baked goods to my recipe board, all the while knowing that if I actually try to make them, the odds of success are not in my favor.

When I came across a recipe for Breakfast "Cookies" the other day, a few things immediately jumped out at me. First, these "cookies" didn't call for butter, flour, or any type of sugar. The recipe also didn't require precise measurements. Now we were talking! A baking recipe that operates more like cooking. This I could tackle.

Breakfast "Cookies" are a simple, healthy treat or addition to a meal, using only fruit and oats as ingredients, things that are almost always in our house.

Here's a quick How-To.

The finished product

Ingredients: 3/4 c oats, 1 to 1 1/2 ripe bananas, 1/2 c unsweetened applesauce, handful of dried cranberries, cinnamon to taste (amounts don't need to be exact)

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
• Combine 3/4 c oats with 1 - 1 1/2 ripe bananas.

• Add in 1/2 cups unsweetened applesauce. Mix. - I made my own applesauce by baking apple slices in the oven (I was already going to do this for the baby), then blending in the food processor. 

Peel and slice apples. Put apples in pan and add water to bottom. Cover with foil. Bake at 350 30-45 minutes.

• Mix in dried cranberries and cinnamon (I skipped this because we're out).

• Baked at 350 for approximately 35 minutes.

As Nolan and I waited for the cookies to bake, we tackled another Pinterest find - Frozen Banana Ice Cream. Simply put frozen banana in the blender or food processor for a cool, creamy treat. We BOTH loved it.

 Reader Response: Do you, like me, struggle with anything in particular in the kitchen?

                               Have you tackled any Pinterest finds??