YES! Today was such a great day. The sun was shining, the birds were singing, little buds broke through the formerly frozen earth.



The first thing that comes to mind when I think of Spring is light. I think of light in every sense of the word. The light of the sun growing stronger and sticking around longer through the day, clothing colours changing from dark to light, the aromas of foods that are light, fresh and bursting with flavor.

In Spring and Summer my appetite dwindles. I eat lighter and smaller meals more frequently so I am able to stay full of energy as I  power through longer days of fun in the sun. Being from Canada makes you appreciate the warmer months. Light and warmth are so precious here that people start wearing flip flops and sun dresses in 10 C degree weather as long as they can see the light of the sun beaming down on them.

This winter took a serious toll on me. I got sick a few times (I'm actually sick right now) and the cold weather seemed to never end. Even though its officially Spring there's still snow on the ground and a significant chill in the air, but as all Canadians, I remain hopeful that this will soon be a distant memory and Spring will arrive in full force any day now.

One of my strongest memories of Spring is technically an old habit. When I was a kid my dad used to make Saturday or Sunday mornings special by bringing me and my sister home a sweet treat for breakfast. We didn't eat much candy or dessert when we were children, mostly fruit and the occasional bowl of ice cream. Saturdays and Sundays were different. Saturdays invariably meant freshly baked chocolate chip muffins or danishes for breakfast, and Sundays meant my dad's not so sweet pancakes and waffles. We would grab our sweet treat, a cozy blanket and hideout in front of the TV watching cartoons for hours. Even though the sun was shining and beckoning us out to enjoy the fresh Spring weather, there was nowhere else we'd rather be. I guess in the hopes of trying to recapture those warm and cozy moments, I created a new Saturday or Sunday morning treat this weekend for me and my husband to enjoy. What a breakthrough! I didn't want to make a muffin because I wanted this to be a small treat, something easily portable, naturally sweet and delicious. What I ended up with was a fantastic new cookie recipe. 


These cookies taste awesome, are soft but hold their shape and are as nutritious as they are delicious. Its amazing that something so healthy could taste just like a chocolate chip cookie.

These Chocolate Chip Breakfast Cookies are vegan, gluten free, contain no added sugar (the chocolate chips have sugar but that is all) and are full of protein, fiber, good fat, super foods and fruit. They are truly my new favorite cookie for breakfast or dessert. Oh, and you will never have to touch the batter, they come together right in your food processor in minutes. I hope you love them.



 Makes 25 small cookies

• 2 large frozen bananas
• 2 tsp 100% cocoa powder
• 1/3 tsp coarse sea salt
• 3.5 tbsp unsweetened pear or apple butter
• 1 tsp organic vanilla extract
• 2 tsp organic cinnamon
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 1 tsp baking soda
• 1 tsp apple cider vinegar
• 1 tbsp organic extra virgin olive oil
• 1 tbsp white chia seeds
• 1.5 cups quinoa flakes (I used GoGo Quinoa Flakes)
• 1/2 - 2/3 cup chocolate chips

These cookies are super easy to throw together in a food processor.

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350F.

Blend the frozen bananas, cocoa powder, salt, pear butter, vanilla, cinnamon, baking powder, baking soda, and cider vinegar together in a food processor until very smooth. This should look like banana ice cream.





Add the oil and chia seeds and blend till smooth. Add the quinoa flakes and pulse until incorporated. Add the chocolate chips and pulse until incorporated. Scrape the sides down with a spoon and pulse again.





Using a teaspoon or a cookie scoop, drop teaspoon sized drops of the batter onto cookie sheets lined with parchment paper.  Be sure to leave a few centimeters around each drop. I used baking trays as I was out of clean cookie sheets. Bake in the center of the oven until they cookies are firm to the touch and slightly browned, about 20 minutes.

Allow the cookies 10 minutes to cool before serving. Makes 25 small cookies, or a dozen large cookies.