I’m done doing battle with back-to-school breakfasts.
I’ve finally decided to stop whining about the inevitable and face my fear head-on.
My daughter heads back to school next week, so the end of leisurely breakfasts is in sight. No more four-course meals that start with fresh fruit smoothies and end with a little chocolate something-something.
We’re going back to the basics with these make-ahead recipes that I culled from Food Network and my own mother:
GRANDMA’S GORP
Ingredients:
Your child’s favorite cereal (we use Cheerios, Kix, Cocoa Puffs, Fruit Loops, Corn Pops or a mix of two or three)
Your child’s favorite nuts (we use peanuts or salted cashews)
Dried fruit (we use Craisins, apricots, apples or cherries)
Yogurt-covered raisins
Directions:
Mix cereal, fruit and nuts together, then scoop into small snack-sized Ziploc bags that kids can eat out of on the way to school if they don’t get the chance to eat a sit-down meal.
BREAKFAST COOKIES
Ingredients:
3/4 cup whole-wheat pastry flour
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
1/4 cup canola oil
1/4 cup dark brown sugar
3 tablespoons granulated sugar
1 egg
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 cup rolled oats
1/2 cup corn flakes
1/3 cup raisins
1/3 cup walnut pieces, lightly toasted in a dry skillet for 2 minutes, until fragrant and chopped
Directions:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Whisk together flours, baking soda, cinnamon, nutmeg and salt in a medium-sized bowl.
Combine butter, oil and sugars in a stand mixer and mix on high speed, scraping down sides if necessary, until sugars have dissolved and mixture is light in color, about 1 minute.
Add egg and vanilla and beat an additional 30 seconds.
Add flour mixture and beat an additional 30 seconds.
Add oats, flakes, raisins and walnuts and mix over low speed just until incorporated. Dough will be slightly stickier than traditional cookie dough.
Line a large cookie sheet with parchment paper.
Using between 3 to 4 tablespoons of batter, form a ball and place on cookie sheet.
Repeat with remaining batter, leaving about 3 inches between cookies.
Wet hands and use palm of hand to flatten cookies until about 1/4-inch thick.
Bake for 12 minutes, until cookies are fragrant but still soft.
Let cookies cool slightly, and then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.
Store in an air-tight container and serve with milk before school.