Savory Breakfast Cookies

I admit to being a granola bar failure. A lot of the homemade granola bar recipes I've tried are either rock hard or gummy uncooked-tasting disasters. This recipe is for a savory breakfast cookie that is really light and crispy. This is a variation of a recipe that was published by Quaker Oats. I've made several adjustments, but the basic recipe idea is theirs. The bacon and cheese can make this quite salty, so I usually only add a pinch of salt. The recipe appears to be quite forgiving, however, and I've made different variations on the same theme. I don't change the sugar amount because I've found that it really needs the sugar for purposes of improving the texture. NOTE: In lieu of the flours, you may substitute 3/4 c. white flour and 1/4 cup wheat germ, just make sure you get a cup of some sort of flour mixture. The prep time doesn't include time in the refrigerator.

• Ready In: 30 mins
• Yields: 24 cookies

Ingredients

• 2⁄3 cup butter, softened
• 2⁄3 cup sugar
• 1  egg
• 1  teaspoon vanilla
• 1⁄2 cup unbleached white flour
• 1⁄2 cup whole wheat flour
• 1  teaspoon baking soda
• 1⁄2 teaspoon salt
• 1 1⁄2 cups old fashioned oats
• 1  cup cheese, shredded
• 6  slices bacon, cooked crisp and crumbled

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2. Cream together butter (don't substitute) and sugar.
3. Add egg and vanilla, being careful not to overbeat.
4. Combine flours, soda, and salt.
5. Add combined dry ingredients to the butter mixture.
6. Stir in oats.
7. Carefully stir in shredded cheese and bacon crumbles.
8. The dough will be stiffer than"normal" cookies, but not dry.
9. Form by Tablespoonfuls into dough globs, lay them carefully in a container, separating layers with wax or parchment paper as needed.
10. Refrigerate until ready to bake.
11. These are best when allowed to sit overnight in the refrigerator and baked fresh in the morning.
12. (Or they can be baked immediately.) When ready to bake, space 2 inches apart on a greased cookie sheet and bake for 15 to 17 minutes.
13. Allow to cool on the cookie sheet for 2 minutes and remove to a rack to finish cooling.