Cookies for Breakfast

I'm already over Andy's goals for me and onto better things -- namely, Bon Appetit's list of 25 Things to Eat, Drink, and Cook in 2012. In particular, please check out #24, a quinoa breakfast cookie I developed for them a few months back. I wouldn't exactly call one of these lo-cal, but I can at least call it the healthiest possible cookie you can get away with still calling a cookie. I'm certain that if I added one more flax seed, the kids would sniff out something suspicious. (And btw: No need to tell anyone about the quinoa -- you can't see it once the cookies are baked.)

P.S. A cool little fact that I'm proud of: This is the 400th post on Dinner: A Love Story. Four hundred! Crazy right? OK, that's it. I said it. In lieu of flowers and congratulations, you can just tell me what your favorite DALS recipe is -- or even better, you can just follow me on Twitter! (Four hundred posts ago, I wouldn't have ever believed those words would shoot so effortlessly out of my fingertips.)

Thanks to everyone out there for keeping this blog alive. I really mean that -- we are so lucky to have such nice, thoughtful, well-read readers.

And now back to the cookies...

Almond-Cherry-Quinoa Breakfast Cookies White whole wheat flour and quinoa can be found at Trader Joe's, better supermarkets, and at natural foods stores.

• 1 1/2 cups white whole wheat flour

• 1 teaspoon kosher salt

• 1/2 teaspoon baking powder

• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda

• 1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, room temperature

• 1/4 cup sugar

• 1/4 cup (packed) light brown sugar

• 1/4 cup honey

• 2 large eggs

• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

• 1/2 teaspoon almond extract

• 1 cup cooked quinoa, cooled

• 1 cup old-fashioned oats

• 1 cup dried cherries or cranberries

• 1/2 cup slivered unsalted almonds

Preheat oven to 375°. Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper. Whisk flour, salt, baking powder, and baking soda in a medium bowl. Using an electric mixer, beat butter, both sugars, and honey in a large bowl until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes. Add eggs and extracts; beat until pale and fluffy, about 2 minutes. Beat in flour mixture, 1/2 cup at a time. Stir in quinoa, oats, cranberries, and almonds. Spoon dough in 2-tablespoon portions onto prepared sheets, spacing 1” apart. Bake cookies until golden, 12–15 minutes. Transfer cookies to a wire rack and let cool. DO AHEAD: Store cooled cookies airtight at room temperature for 1 day, or freeze for up to 1 month.