Fig and Chocolate Oatmeal Cookies

Each Thursday, Emily Vikre (a.k.a fiveandspice) will be sharing a new way to love breakfast -- because breakfast isn't just the most important meal of the day. It's also the most awesome.

Today: If you eat these for breakfast, then they are breakfast cookies.

I’m going to preface this by saying, yes, I have a degree in nutrition. Soon I will have two of them, actually. As such, on the record, I do not condone eating cookies for breakfast. Off the record, however, I will admit that -- condone or not -- I find cookies often taste best before 10am. Why is that?

I’ve seen recipes for breakfast cookies that are full of whole grains and nuts, puréed fruits and no sugar. These are not those cookies. I started out with good intentions. I went into the kitchen with the purpose of making a breakfast cookie. But I was derailed by the desire to just make a cookie I felt like eating at that moment. I would eat a healthy lunch, I figured.

My starting inspiration was the oatmeal fig cookie from Sofra Bakery, where I used to always go for a snack if I ever had to go to a doctor’s appointment (it was near my doctor’s office). This cookie was a sort of vaguely Middle Eastern take on a classic oatmeal raisin cookie and terribly addictive. (And starting with oatmeal was my concession to the notion of breakfast.) From there I thought of the fantastic chocolate stuffed figs from Fran’s Chocolates and I threw in chunks of a deep dark chocolate bar. Figs plus chocolate are already swoon-worthy in my estimation, but then, then I added some shredded coconut. Just because I could.

These cookies are buttery and chewy, soft in the middle and nicely crisp around the edges, with sweet nuttiness from the oats and coconut. The abundant chunks of figs and chocolate make every bite exciting. And if you eat them for breakfast, well then they’re breakfast cookies!

Fig and Chocolate Oatmeal Cookies

Makes about 2 dozen cookies

1/2 cup plus 3 tablespoons salted butter, at room temperature
2/3 cup sugar
2/3 cup dark brown sugar
2 large eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 1/3 cups all-purpose flour
2/3 cup rolled oats
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
8 ounces chopped dark chocolate (I like 70% cacao)
1 1/4 cups chopped dried figs (if they're really dry, soak them in warm water for 10 minutes before using)
1/2 cup unsweetened shredded coconut

See the full recipe (and save and print it) here.

Photos by Emily Vikre