Blueberry, Sweet Potato & Granola Breakfast Cookies

Sorry for the hiatus the last week or so. Between work, the boys, potty training, and trying to enjoy the (minimal) spurts of decent weather, I haven't found much time to blog. I've just been making recipes I've already posted and haven't dabbled with anything new. Alas, the cold spell had me in a baking (bored-out-of-my-mind) mood Sunday so I opted to make something for the boys.

I've tricked Jake into thinking Pop-Tarts are "breakfast cookies" so he loves eating them for breakfast. I was pretty proud of getting him to think this is a cookie instead of insisting on actual cookies for breakfast...and every other meal/snack. However, Justin still disapproves of the amount of "breakfast cookies" Jake eats during the week.

Side-note: I remind Justin often that we're just a couple of working parents trying to survive mornings & get out the door on time and if he's interested in trying to change Jake's eating habits in addition to working 50-60 hours a week, he can have at it! I prefer to keep my sanity and the diet full of breakfast cookies.

Moving on....I make muffins when I can on the weekends for the week because Nick loves them. To be honest, Nick loves all food. He seriously eats as much as a 200-pound man. I actually love it considering Jake sticks to a really strict diet...of said breakfast cookies, pizza, burgers, fruit snacks, occasional fruit, ice cream, PB&J, yogurt, and countless snacks.

So, since we were stuck inside - again - this past Sunday with frigid temps, I decided to make muffins. I saw a recipe for real breakfast cookies (I guess I'm not so genius on my terminology afterall) on the muffin mix I bought. This gave me the idea of using some granola, puréed sweet potatoes & vegetable oil to make breakfast cookies that I can serve both boys. I swear you can't even taste the sweet potatoes. And at only 100 calories & 5g fat each, I shouldn't get scolded by my husband...even if they opt for TWO! :)

INGREDIENTS:
- 1 Package of your favorite blueberry muffin mix (I used the Krusteaz brand because they use real blueberries...and I like it!)
- 1/4c Vegetable Oil
- 1/2c of your favorite granola (try Whirlybird's Original - it's all natural & handmade by an amazing gal, who also happens to be my college roommate! Check it out at www.whirlybirdgranola.com)
- 3.5oz of pureed sweet potato baby food
- 1/2c water
- 1 large egg

HOW-TO:
Preheat your oven to 350*.

Combine all of the ingredients in a large mixing bowl until it's all mixed together. From there, drop 1tbsp balls onto an ungreased, nonstick cookie sheet - should yield about 16, so I did 8 and 8 per cookie sheet.

Bake the cookies for 10-12 minutes, or until they start to turn golden brown on top. Remove from the over and let cool on the cookie sheet for another 2-3 minutes. Serve warm or at room temp!

This little guy gobbled these up and looked so cute doing so!

TIPS:
- Try making this with banana muffin mix & using Whirlybird chocolate granola!

Nutritional Facts per Serving (recipe yields 16 servings of 1 cookie per serving):
Calories: 105
Fat: 5g
Sodium: 84mg
Carbs: 12g
Protein: 2g