Prepare these breakfast oatmeal cookies and store them in the refrigerator. When you don’t have time for a bowl of oatmeal, heat a cookie in the microwave for twenty seconds.  These make-ahead cookies are one of my favorites breakfasts-to-go.

Most of the time, I make these breakfast oatmeal cookies at home before an RV trip.  It’s possible to do them in the RV, but I would have to bake them in two batches using my oven or convection microwave. If you don’t want to do the second batch right away, the cookie dough can be stored in the refrigerator for 3 to 5 days, or in the freezer for up to 3 months.

Start with your favorite cake mix.  My mom’s original recipe called for a standard yellow cake mix, but she modified it using a gluten-free cake mix so I could eat it. I’ve tried spice, chocolate, and yellow cakes. My favorite is Namaste Gluten-Free Spice Cake Mix.  This recipe is based on Namaste’s 26-ounce package.  Other cake mixes may contain less.  I’ve adapted the recipe by just using a little less of each ingredient and it’s always worked out okay.

If you plan to bake them in an RV oven, it’s a good idea to place a pizza stone on the rack for even heat distribution. You may also want to use an oven thermometer.

Breaking news: I recently did a taste test, baking some in a convection microwave and the rest in an RV oven. They both turned out great. The cookies baked in the microwave were slightly more moist than the ones in the oven.

Preparation time: 20 minutes        Total time: 2 hours

Specialized kitchen utensils:

• Non-stick Round Silicone Mat to fit tray in convection microwave or Parchment Paper for a tray in the oven.
• If you have a Hand-Held Electric Mixer you can use it, but you can also mix the ingredients by hand.
• An Oven Thermometer is necessary for two reasons.  First, it indicates when the oven is preheated to the specified temperature.  Second, it shows the actual temperature, which seldom matches what’s on the dial. My oven takes at least 10 minutes to preheat, and it’s usually about 10 degrees hotter than the dial.
• A Pizza Stone on the rack helps distribute the heat of the oven.  Without it, food is likely to burn above the heating element and be undercooked on the sides.

Makes 24 large cookies

Ingredients

• 3 eggs
• 1/3 cup avocado or canola oil
• 1/3 cup butter, melted
• 1 cup applesauce (sweetened or unsweetened) (2 Mott’s Applesauce 4-ounce cups are a little shy of 1 cup but close enough)
• 1 tbsp ground cinnamon (or less with chocolate cake mix)
• 26-oz package cake mix (gluten-free spice cake is my favorite, and I’ve also used yellow and chocolate cake mixes)
• 1 cup mixed golden and Thompson raisins
• 2/3 cup walnut pieces
• 3 cups quick-cooking oatmeal, uncooked

Directions

In a large mixing bowl, beat eggs, canola oil, and melted butter.  (This can be done by hand or with a mixer.) Add applesauce, cinnamon, and half of the cake mix.  Blend well, then add the rest of the cake mix. Add raisins, walnuts, and oatmeal. Cover in plastic wrap and refrigerate for one hour. (Fit a bowl into my RV refrigerator? No way!  Put it in a Ziplock gallon freezer baggie and squeeze it in somewhere.)

Preheat conventional oven to 350 degrees or convection oven 325. Prepare cookie sheets with silicone baking mat or parchment paper.  Use 1/4 cup dough for each cookie. Cook for 15 to 18 minutes.  Cookies will be slightly soft to the touch.  Cool on a wire rack.  Store between sheets of waxed paper in an air-tight container.  Cookies will keep for several weeks in the refrigerator.

When ready to eat, heat the cookie in the microwave for 20 seconds (more or less, depending on your microwave).