Hearty & Healthy Breakfast Cookies {freezer friendly - makes 48 large cookies}

Becca here with another great recipe to make & store in your freezer!  My kids & husband in particular love these breakfast cookies, and I love that they're soft & virtually mess-free (few crumbs!), and great for those mornings when we need to be on the go first thing.  I store them in a zip top bag in the freezer, and either put a few in an airtight container on the counter to defrost the night before, or microwave them for 20 seconds in the morning straight from the freezer.  I followed the recipe in this cookbook fairly closely.  The cookies are a very generous large, thick size, and have a great soft texture that goes perfectly with milk or hot tea we think.  The dough texture is soft & not sticky, similar to play dough actually, and scooped out with a measuring cup, making it the perfect job for a child (or two) to help with.   Enjoy!

Hearty & Healthy Breakfast Cookies
{freezer friendly - makes 48}

3 cups peanut butter (no sugar added is fine)
2 cups butter (4 sticks)
2 cups brown sugar
1 cup your favorite jam (we like no sugar, dyes, or artificial sweetener added)
1/2 cup molasses
8 large eggs
4 teaspoons vanilla extract (I use homemade)
8 cups old-fashioned oats (sometimes sold as rolled oats)
6 cups whole wheat flour
2 cups hulled sunflower seeds (roasted or raw, both are good!)
2 cups instant dry milk powder
4 teaspoons baking soda
2 teaspoons salt

Preheat the oven to 350.  In a large bowl or mixer, combine peanut butter, butter, brown sugar, jam, molasses, eggs, and vanilla and stir well to combine.  Add in remaining ingredients (oats, flour, sunflower seeds, dry milk powder, baking soda, and salt, stirring after each addition so they get evenly mixed.

Use a 1/4 cup measuring cup to scoop dough out, and place onto ungreased large baking sheets a couple of inches apart.  Use your fingers to gently press cookies down into a flat, but still thick (about 1"), shape.

Bake for 12-15 minutes, or until very lightly starting to turn golden brown around the edges.  Cool in wire racks, and place into bags to freeze.

Defrost desired number of cookies in an airtight container on the counter over night, or, straight from the freezer, microwave 15 seconds.