sweet potato tahini breakfast cookies

Last year, I made a version of these and they were so delicious, I decided to make them again. But this year, I wanted to turn them into breakfast cookies because who doesn’t love an easy, delicious breakfast cookie that they can just grab in the morning? They are great on their own, but also go perfectly with a bowl of yogurt and some sliced banana and berries. I particularly love how the tahini complements the sweetness from the sweet potato, maple syrup and dark chocolate.

INGREDIENTS: (makes 20 cookies)

• 1 1/2 cup sweet potato

• 1/2 cup tahini

• 1/4 cup maple syrup

• 2 tsp vanilla

• 2 cup oats

• 3/4 cup Smart Bran

• 2 tbsp cinnamon

• 1 tsp baking powder

• 1/2 tsp sea salt

• 1/3 cup dark chocolate chips

• 1/3 cup chopped walnuts

DIRECTIONS:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fharenheit.

2. Steam and peal sweet potato.

3. Add sweet potato flesh, tahini, maple syrup, and vanilla to a blender and blend until smooth and mixed. Transfer to a bowl.

4. In a separate bowl, combine oats, Smart Bran, cinnamon, baking powder, and salt.

5. In thirds, add dry ingredients to wet ingredients, mixing as you go.

6. Fold in chocolate and walnuts.

7. Using an ice cream scoop, form batter into balls and place onto a greased baking sheet, pressing down to flatten the top of each cookie.

8. Bake for 12-15 minutes, or until firm.

A few notes about this recipe:

• While I am a huge fan of Japanese sweet potatoes, I highly recommend using traditional orange sweet potatoes for this recipe. Somehow the flavor and texture just works better.

• Whenever using chocolate, I recommend using chocolate that is at least 66% cacao.

• If you want to keep these gluten free, you can easily omit the Smart Bran and just substitute with more oats.

• Feel free to use any nuts you like, or omit entirely!