Cookies for breakfast? That's a concept that only crosses my mind as a guilty pleasure, not a menu plan! But this week the Sweet Melissa Sundays bakers are whipping up Granola Breakfast Cookies, so I gamely joined in. Now, I've made granola cookies once before, using Dorie Greenspan's recipe for the cookies and my homemade granola. My conclusion then? I really liked the granola better by the handful than in cookies. I was wondering if I'd end up feeling the same way about Melissa's.
This was actually a compound recipe; one of the ingredients for the granola cookies is Cherry Almond Granola, a Sweet Melissa recipe that's on the previous page of the cookbook. Although I knew that I could substitute other granola, Melissa's recipe sounded interesting, mostly because of the dried milk powder. Since I have that on hand from bread baking, I went ahead and made a batch of the granola, which gave me enough for the cookies, a quart to give my brother and some left over.
I will save the detailed granola review for when that recipe is chosen for Sweet Melissa Sundays, but here are a few notes: I baked it at the long end of the recommended time and it turned out quite crispy. I ran out of currants (for the second time this month!?) and the neighborhood Publix doesn't carry them so I subbed some chopped dates and figs along with the recipe's golden raisins and cherries. This granola has a nice combination of spices, though it's a bit sweet for my taste.
n.o.e.'s notes:I made a few minor changes to the cookie dough:
- left out cinnamon and added 1/4 tsp ginger 1/4 tsp of mixed spice
- added 1/2 tsp vanilla extract and 1/4 tsp almond extract
- used 1 1/4 c whole wheat flour and 1/2 c white whole wheat [edit: the recipe called for whole wheat flour, so I was trying to lighten it up a bit]
As I put them in the oven, I had fond hopes that these would taste like yummy molasses cookies with some great stir-ins added. But that was not to be...
My cookies did not spread at all. They were kinda lumpy and looked rubbery. I put the second half in mini muffin pans and they ended up looking better but still strange.
the verdict:
My cookies were really odd looking and tasting. They were really dense and really sweet. Although they were plenty moist, they tasted kind of "health food-y" and dry. The granola was almost lost in all that denseness. They almost reminded me of a Lara Bar (which I do like) but not quite.
When I was out to dinner last night (where the dessert was apple beignets with absolutely scrumptious granola ice cream!!!) I mentally reviewed my cookie disaster. Suddenly it hit me: I bet I'd left out the egg! I remembered getting it out of the carton and putting it in a bowl on the counter, but I didn't remember cracking it. Aha! When I got home I headed straight to the kitchen, sure I'd find the egg sitting in the bowl. But it wasn't there...
So I'll never know what I did wrong, but I don't plan to try this recipe again to find out. The taste wasn't quite my cuppa tea, and really, I prefer my granola out of cookies more than inside of cookies. I love granola as granola and when I want a cookie, I want to indulge!
Jessica of Singleton in the Kitchen chose this week's recipe. I love Jessica's blog because she's always cooking up yummy treats (especially for her bf) and she loooves a great breakfast! You can find the recipe on her blog post, along with a fun taste test between this recipe and Dorie's.
Before writing this post I sneaked some peeks at some of the other Sweet Melissa Sundays bakers for the real scoop. Here's what I found:
1. Their cookies look like cookies, and
2. They actually like the cookies
You might, too!
20 comments:
Bummer yours didn't turn out. Hmmm... wonder what happened! But I think they look cute as mini-muffins! :)
Well - sorry they didn't work out for you. I probably won't make these again either, but they were worth a try.
The cookies look cute in mini muffin form! I hate when something goes wrong in a recipe but I can't figure out what... Sorry you weren't a fan. They weren't my favorite either but we gave it our best shot :)
Thanks Nancy! Dudley has started coming over to my house after he's eaten these days. He says that I'm making him fat. Oops!
I'm sorry that these cookies didn't work out for you. I agree that they're awfully "health food-y" and I loved the granola so much more than I liked the cookies. The apple beignets with granola ice cream sounds amazing -- makes my mouth water just thinking about it.
Maybe you should try to form a log of dough with plastic-wrap, place in the freezer for about 30 minutes. Then slice them. I usually use this technique for my cookies.
Ooh, dates and figs! Great substitution!
Now that I think about it, they were kind of like larabars. Like really dense and fruity.
And now I want a peanut butter cookie Larabar. ;)
Your cookies look delish!
they do taste a bit health food-y but in a good way, i think. i'm guessing your changes to the recipe (esp w/the flours) changed the consistency of the cookies b/c mine spread nicely.
i think the muffin cup shape is kinda cute!
I think I'm with you on this one. I want my granola as granola and my cookies as cookies.
Sorry they weren't a hit, but there is always next week!
I didn't get a chance to do this week's SMS recipe. Too bad yours didn't turn out good. I made goofed like that tons of times. It happens to the best of us.
Oh, sorry these weren't such a hit for you... I was thinking as I was eating the granola that figs would be good in it! Thanks for posting that the granola was on the sweet side - after reading that I cut the sweeteners by 1/2 a cup, and it was great.
Too bad you didn't like them. I wonder why they didn't spread. I like the mini-muffin cookies.
I'm sorry yours didn't turn out right! They sounded good!
Hate it when baking stuff doesn't turn out for no obvious reason. I like the concept of breakfast cookies in theory, but as a practical matter I am probably more likely to save my cookies for dessert. Apple beignets and granola ice cream? That's what I want to make!
They look cute as little muffins and the granola looks great. Mine didn't spread either, but I attributed it added extra flour and peanut butter. Sorry they weren't a huge hit.
I like the way they look baked in little muffin tins! They look like... well, muffins! :) I think that might work to trick my brain into thinking I like them... The texture of mine did come out kind of muffiny.
I think the cookies look cute baked as little mini muffins! Since you love granola, maybe you would like homemade granola bars, more than granola cookies. They really tend to let the granola flavor and texture shine through more.
I hate when a recipe doesn't turn out right and you can't figure out why! Maddening!
LOL on the egg...I have done that before, too. These sound incredibly healthy and tasty...and they look good. Hmmmm...it is always fun to read everyone's descriptions and opinions before embarking upon a trial onself. I would have thought these would have gotten a big rave, so it is good to hear that maybe another recipe might do instead.
Hmmmm, mine didn't turn out that great looking, but I loved the taste, and added a lot of spices.
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