Nourishing Breakfast Cookies You’ll Be Baking All Winter Long

In 2024 I’m not making any resolutions. The pressure to avoid this or that in hopes of drastically changing my life — it just doesn’t feel good.

Instead, I’ve picked a word to guide my year — nourish.

I want to make choices that feel nourishing — step into friendships that feel nourishing, choose joyful movement that feels nourishing, and eat meals that feel nourishing.

Just looking to feel nourished all around.

These breakfast cookies are the perfect nourishing treat to get this year started off right. They’re soft, only slightly sweet, topped with sea salt (which is always a win for me!), + freeze perfectly so you can make them once and have them available all month long. They come together in just a few minutes and will have you feeling ready to take on the days ahead.

I hope you enjoy.

Nourishing Breakfast Cookies

Makes 24 cookies

Adapted slightly from Ambitious Kitchen

• 4 large extra ripe bananas, mashed

• 1 cup almond butter

• 1/2 cup pure maple syrup

• 2 large eggs

• 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract

• 2 cups oat flour

• 1/4 cup + 2 TBS flaxseed meal

• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

• 1 teaspoons baking soda

• 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt

• 2 cups old fashioned rolled oats

• 1/2 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips

• 1/3 cup shredded coconut

• 2/3 cup chopped pecans

• Topping:

• Flaky sea salt, for sprinkling (don’t skip this, it’s so, so yummy!)

  Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper; set aside.

  To a blender, add the mashed bananas, nut butter, maple syrup, egg, and vanilla extract. Blend until smooth and well combined.

  Add the oat flour, flaxseed meal, cinnamon, baking soda, and salt to a large bowl. Then pour the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients. Stir by hand until just combined. Stir in the oats, coconut, chocolate chips and pecans. Allow the dough to sit for 5 minutes while you clean up and put away your ingredients. This will allow the flax seeds to work their magic and be able to hold the cookies together.

  Use a large cookie scoop to scoop the dough onto prepared baking sheets, about 3 tablespoons dough per cookie. Then using a spatula covered in parchment paper, gently press the cookies down until they are about 1/2 inch thick. Top each cookie with a few extra chocolate chips.

  Bake for 10 to 14 minutes or until they’re set, but still soft.

  Remove from the oven and sprinkle with flaky sea salt. Don’t skip this step. It makes them extra, extra delicious. Cool on the baking sheet for 5 minutes and then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely. Enjoy!

Notes:

Make sure you use really ripe bananas. I’m talking like black spots alllllll over. This will make sure that the cookies have the proper level of sweetness.

For Freezing: Once these have cooled completely you can place the cookies in a freezer safe container and freeze for up to 3 months. I like to take them out one at a time and warm up in the microwave whenever I want a nourishing breakfast on the go or afternoon treat.

Our Favorite Coffee, Food, + Sights In Door County, Wisconsin

Door County is a peninsula nestled between Green Bay, Wisconsin and the crystal clear blue water of Lake Michigan. Scattered throughout the peninsula there are a variety of small towns with adorable little shops and restaurants. We’ve gone the last three years with Josiah’s family and have had a lot of fun exploring. Our must do items include: a fish boil at Pelletier’s, apple picking, and taking the ferry to Washington Island. Door County is such a midwest gem that I didn’t even know about until I was an adult (even though I grew up only a handful of hours away!). Now that we’ve discovered it, we are going to continue with this yearly tradition of visiting every Fall and I am certain we will find more and more to do each year.

Where we stayed

This is the house we’ve stayed in the last two years in Sturgeon Bay. I like staying in Sturgeon Bay because it’s on the most southern part of the peninsula which means it’s a closer drive to get there, but still gives us access to all of the fun things to do in and around door county with the furthest thing being about 45 minutes away. We stayed on Washington Island one year which was cool, but it was so far from everything else. If you’re looking for a remote stay and don’t have many plans to go and explore the rest of the peninsula then the island wouldn’t be a bad option. But if you’re interested in visiting the island (which you should be!) you can still do a day trip and explore everything it has to offer without actually staying there.

Transportation

To be able to explore the peninsula fully you really do need a car. If you are staying in one of the towns and just want to ride around the little town, then you can just bike. If you plan to take the washingont island ferry you could either take your car on the ferry (which is pretty pricey, but also really fun!) or you can just take your bike (or rent a bike once you get to the island).

 

COFFEE

Ephraim Coffee Lab - This was such a fun spot! The owner uses a manual espresso machine which was wild to me. The coffee was smooth and bright — definitely up my ally! The outdoor seating felt like you were hanging in a bohemian inspired backyard — also up my ally! They also have a super fun coffee vending machine out front so you can buy a bag whenever you want.

Lawlss Coffee - This shop was closest to where we stay so we ended up here a few times. I had a meeting one day we were there and the internet was much better at this shop than at the beach house. Nestled in an old bank, Lawlss Coffee had a fun atmosphere and really delicious coffee. They had some unique latte options as well as some fun pour overs. The notes on the house brewed coffee leaned more chocolatey than fruity, but was a good cup all around.

Bearded Heart Coffee - Another really fun coffee shop that was on our way from our beach house to Washington. Their iced latte was really delicious! The house brewed coffee was smooth, but also landed more on the chocolatey side of things.

FOOD

Pelletiere’s Restaurant and Fish Boil - The first year we decided we were going to go to Door County Josiah’s parents raved about the fish boil. I didn’t know what to expect and to be honest, I was kind of skeptical of how good boiled fish would be, but it definitely exceeded my expectations! Not only is the food incredible, but the experience is so fun. Everyone gathers around the giant pot that the fish and potatoes are boiled in and waits for the pot to boil over into a dramatic firey show. It’s a whole event. I really can’t recommend the experience enough! The fish is caught that day in Lake Michigan and the cherry pie dessert is made using Door County cherries — a local delight.

Sonny’s Italian Kitchen and Pizzeria - Located in Sturgeon Bay Sonny’s Italian Kitchen and Pizzeria had some really great views of the lake as well as delicious salt and the pizza.

Not Yet Licked - Great burgers. Nice outdoor seating around a creek. Playground for kids if you need somewhere to let them run around.

Bad Maravian - Detroit style pizza and majorly vibey. They have limited hours so make sure you plan ahead, but it was a really great find. It also happens to be the same building as Ephraim Coffee Lab — turns out the owner runs a coffee shop by day and a pizza shop by night — such a cool idea.

The Albatross Drive-In - This is the place we always eat when we are on Washington Island. Their burgers are so delicious and the outdoor seating is fun and quirky.

SIGHTS

Outdoor

• Whitefish Dune’s State Park - This park has incredible hiking and really great beaches.

• Apple /Cherry Picking - This is a classic Door County activity. There are tons and tons of orchards scattered throughout the peninsula that offer both apple and cherry picking. It’s one of our top things to do every year!

• Schoolhouse Beach - Probably one of the more unique Door County experiences is Schoolhouse Beach. Located on Washington Island the little beach offers stunning blue water and large, smooth rocks. It’s so beautiful. We could just sit and skip rocks there for hours — and the past three years we have!

Shops

This is by no means comprehensive of all the shops that Door County has to offer and each little town has it’s own unique thing, but these are the shops that we’ve gone to that I loved and hope you love too!

• Skal - A very fun Scandinavian boutique with lots of cookbooks I fell in love with as well as hand made sweaters and then random knick-knack-y things.

• Keeper - Think Anthropologie + Free People — An absolute dream.

• Fred and Co. - Adorable women’s clothing store.

• Sister Golden - An amazing home goods store that also channels that Anthropologie energy.

• Fish Creek Market - Adorable little grocery

• Jackalope Trading Co. - Another cute jewelry, pottery, tapestry type boutique that I loved.

Good Ol' Salty Pretzels

I don’t really believe in baking secrets. It seems silly to withhold information. If I know something, I’d much prefer to share it!

So, even though I started selling these pretzels in the Hazel Haus Bake Shop and it would make sense to keep the recipe on lockdown, that doesn’t feel like the move to me. I would much rather empower you all to make pretzels at home! And then, if you don’t feel like making them, come on over and I’m happy to serve you some out my little bakery window.

But spoiler, pretzels are way easier to make than you might think. And once you’ve got the basic recipe down there is a world of possibilities ahead of you — asiago pretzel, everythign seasoning pretzel — sky is the limit!

So let’s jump into the recipe.

Good Ol Salty Pretzels

Makes 12

• 1 and 1/2 cups lukewarm water

• 2 and 1/4 teaspoons instant or active dry yeast, this is my favorite yeast

• 1 teaspoon salt

• 1 tablespoon brown sugar

• 1 tablespoon unsalted butter, melted and slightly cool

• 3 cups + 2 TBS all-purpose flour, plus a little for dusting

• coarse sea salt for sprinkling

Baking Soda Bath

• 1/2 cup baking soda

• 9 cups water

Whisk the yeast into warm water. Allow to sit for 1 minute. Whisk in salt, brown sugar, and melted butter. Slowly add 3 cups of flour, 1 cup at a time. Mix with a dough hook attached to stand mixer until dough is thick. Poke the dough with your finger – if it bounces back, it is ready to knead.

Knead the dough for 3-4 minutes and using the dough hook on your mixer. Cover lightly with a towel and allow to rest for 10 minutes.

Meanwhile, get the water + baking soda boiling.

Preheat oven to 400°F. Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper. Set aside.

With a sharp knife or bench knife cut dough into in 12 sections (about 70g/each). Cover lightly with a towel and allow to rest for 10 minutes.

Roll the dough into a 20-22 inch rope. Form a circle with the dough by bringing the two ends together at the top of the circle. Twist the ends together. Bring the twisted ends back down towards yourself and press them down to form a pretzel shape.

Bring baking soda and 9 cups of water to a boil in a large pot. Drop 1-2 pretzels into the boiling water for 20-30 seconds. Any more than that and your pretzels will have a metallic taste. Using a slotted spatula, lift the pretzel out of the water and onto a cooling rack to allow the excess water to drip off. Then place the pretzel on the prepared baking sheet. Sprinkle each with coarse sea salt. Repeat with remaining pretzels.

Bake for 12-15 minutes or until golden brown.

Remove from the oven and enjoy!

Squash, Sage, + Pumpkin Butter Pizza on a Sourdough Crust

This squash, sage, and pumpkin butter pizza feels like the most midwest fall thing ever. It’s cozy, it’s got a little bit of sweetness, and the colors are so, so pretty.

When I posted this pizza on instagram last week you all went bananas. You wanted the details and you wanted them yesterday. Well, here they are!

The crust in this recipe is not as difficult as it sounds, but I also will not judge if you decide to just go with a store-bought crust. Trader Joe’s has some great options! Although the sourdough crust is heavenly, the toppings are where this pizza really shines. Feel free to swap the delicata squash with another type of squash— I just like the look of these delicata rounds — like little flowers. The blue cheese is optional, but I highly recommend it. If you’re feeling extra wild you could drizzle a little hot honey over the pizza and I know it would be delicious.

Onto the recipe.

Squash, Sage, + Pumpkin Butter Pizza on a Sourdough Pizza Crust

Crust recipe adapted from King Arthur Baking Company

Makes 1 large pizza

The Crust:

• 1 cup sourdough starter, unfed/discard

• 1/2 cup + 2 tablespoons water, lukewarm

• 2 1/2 cups All Purpose Flour

• 1 teaspoon table salt

• 1/2 teaspoon instant yeast

The toppings:

• 1 Tablespoon olive oil

• 1 red onion, diced

• 1/4 cup pumpkin butter

• 2 cups shredded mozzerella cheese

• 1 cup shredded sharp cheddar cheese

• 1 small delicata squash, sliced thinly into rounds

• 6 ounces of prosciutto, thinly sliced

• 4 ounces blue cheese, crumbled

• 16-20 fresh sage leaves

• crushed red pepper flakes, optional

• salt

For the crust:

Stir any liquid on top of your refrigerated starter back into it before measuring 1 cup into a large mixing bowl.

To make the dough: Weigh your flour; or measure it by gently spooning it into a cup, then sweeping off any excess. In your stand mixer, combine the water, the flour, salt, yeast, and sourdough starter. 

Mix to combine. Knead for about 7 minutes using a stand mixer with its dough hook, until the dough cleans the sides of the bowl.

Place the dough in a lightly greased container, cover, and let rise until almost doubled in bulk. This will depend your starter, but it can be anywhere form 2-4 hours. For a faster rise, place the dough in a warm spot.

For a thicker, large pizza: Oil an 18" x 13" half-sheet pan. Place the dough in the pan and press it out to the edges, again giving it a 15-minute rest before continuing if it starts to snap back.

Cover the pan and let the dough rise until it's as thick as you like.

While you’re waiting for the dough to rise go ahead and roast the squash and cook the onions.

Roast the Squash: Place the thinly sliced delicata rounds on a baking sheet. Drizzle the squash with a few pinches of salt. Roast at 400 degrees for 15 minutes or until the squash rounds are softened. Once they are soft remove from the oven and allow to cool.

Cook the Onions: Heat the olive oil in a medium size skillet over medium heat. Add in the diced red onions and allow to cook until they are nice and soft. This will take about 5 minutes. Once they are soft, set aside to cool until you are ready to assemble the pizza.

Assemble the pizza:

Preheat the oven to 450 degrees. While the oven is preheating begin layering the toppings. First, spread the pumpkin butter in a nice thin layer on the crust leaving about a 1/2 inch border all around the crust. Then spread the onions, mozzerella, cheddar, and blue cheese. Finish off the pizza with a sprinkle of crushed red pepper flakes (optional, but I like the spicy contrast to the sweet pumpkin butter), sage leaves, squash, and prosciutto. Bake for 15-20 minutes or until the cheese is melted and the crust is golden brown. Remove from the oven and allow to cool for a few minutes. Then, enjoy!