Welcome to my dream cookie. Ram packed with healthy ingredients, chewy, crispy around the edges, thick and hearty, with dark chocolate sprinkled throughout. Not one who is content with a mediocre cookie, I tested these 4 times before they were deemed “in the vault”. That’s a lot of cookie eating! It’s a tough job I tell ya. Although, I secretly think Eric keeps telling me to “work on them” so he can have more cookies to eat. I’m onto you Eric, I’m onto you…
This is a clean-out-your-cupboard or hit-up-the-bulk-bins or everything-but-the-kitchen-sink kinda cookie. I threw it all in and went a bit crazy. From the sliced almonds to the three kinds of seeds to the cacao nibs, this cookie has an incredible chewy, crunchy texture that can’t be beat. I expect the mix-ins are versatile, so feel free to play around with the nuts and seeds if you’d like.
Despite the lengthy dry ingredient list, they are a breeze to throw together. Plus, how hard is it to throw seeds into a bowl? I rest my case.
We are doing this for the cookie!
Just a quick housekeeping note: I’m using a new recipe card display (below) that Eric created for the site. However, I just noticed that the recipe is not showing up in my feed. This will hopefully be fixed soon, so not to worry!
Irresistible Chewy Trail Mix Cookies
Yield
23 small cookies
Prep time
Cook time
Total time
Welcome to my dream cookie. Ram packed with healthy ingredients, chewy, crispy around the edges, thick and bite-sized, with dark chocolate sprinkled throughout. One thing to point out. I used a very "drippy" raw almond butter in this recipe. If you are using a more solid & thick and less liquid-y nut butter, you may want to add another 1/2-1 tablespoon of water into your flax egg to prevent the batter from becoming too dry. I did make a version with a traditional flax egg using 1 tbsp ground flax and 3 tbsp water, but the cookies spread out too much and were quite thin. So by reducing the flax egg to 2 tbsp water, it produced a much thicker cookie. As you can see, small changes in the consistency of the batter will produce greatly different outcomes so keep this in mind when experimenting!
Ingredients
Dry Ingredients
- 1 cup gluten-free rolled oats, blended into oat flour
- 1/2 cup almond meal or almond flour
- 1/2 cup gluten-free rolled oats
- 1/2 cup thinly sliced almonds
- 1/4 cup Sucanat or coconut sugar or brown sugar
- 1/4 cup shredded unsweetened coconut
- 3 tablespoons mini dark chocolate chips (or finely chopped chocolate)
- 2 tablespoons raw cacao nibs
- 2 tablespoons sunflower seeds
- 2 tablespoons sesame seeds
- 2 tablespoons chia seeds
- 3/4 teaspoon cinnamon
- 1/2 tsp fine grain sea salt
- 1/2 tsp baking powder
- 1/2 tsp baking soda
Wet Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon ground flax + 2 tablespoons water, mixed together
- 1/4 cup "drippy" raw almond butter (or other all-natural nut butter)
- 1/4 cup coconut oil
- 1/4 cup pure maple syrup (or other liquid sweetener)
- 1 tsp vanilla
Directions
- Preheat oven to 350F and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
- Whisk together the ground flax and water in a small mug and set aside so it can gel up.
- In a large mixing bowl, whisk together all of the dry ingredients.
- In another medium sized bowl, stir together the wet ingredients, including the flax egg until thoroughly combined.
- Add the wet mixture on top of the dry mixture and stir well until combined. This will take quite a bit of stirring until all of the dry patches of flour are gone.
- Portion small balls of dough (just smaller than golf balls) onto the baking sheet, spacing them a couple inches apart. I ended up baking two trays of cookies because I didn't know how much they were going to spread out.
- Bake cookies for 13-15 minutes (I baked for a full 15 minutes), until light golden brown on the bottom. Cool on the baking sheet for 5 minutes before transferring to a cooling rack until completely cool. The cookies will break apart easily until cooled, so be careful.
- Wrap up and store leftovers on the counter or in the freezer, if desired.
Tip:
Notes: 1) For a completely gluten-free cookie, be sure to use certified gluten-free rolled oats and to check all other ingredient labels. 2) To make oat flour: Add 1 cup of rolled oats into a high speed blender and process on high until a flour forms. 3) To make almond meal, add a scant 1/2 cup of almonds into a high speed blender and blend on high until a fine meal forms. Break up clumps with your fingers and measure as normal. 4) The raw almond butter I used was very drippy, so be sure to use a drippy, all-natural nut butter if possible.
Nutrition Information
(click to expand)
Soooooo, I’m basically looking for another excuse to make these cookies again real soon and I’m wondering if there is a demand for a totally nut-free version of this cookie? If so, let me know in the comments and I will try to come up with a nut-free version. It would be great to have the kiddos bring these to school. I think some schools are peanut-free while others are totally nut-free these days. What about sesame? Is that a no-no too? Fill me in, I’m outta the loop.
Also, you may have noticed that we have a new snazzy looking recipe display up there. That’s thanks to Eric’s handy programming work. If you notice any problems or encounter any issues with the print or email function, please let us know. We’re also hoping to get a recipe rating feature at some point too.
Is there any way you could minimize the oil content? Maybe with unsweetened applesauce? Just wanted to get your opinion, this look incredible!
I actually just tried this and I made two substitutions to come down on calories. 1- I did 1/8 c of maple syrup and 1/8 c agave nectar. For the oil I did 1/8 c coconut oil and 1/8 c applesauce. These were AWESOME! They aren’t too sweet, but just perfect! This will be a regular for me!
Hi Heather, I think someone else commented about using applesauce in these – I would read the comments to see if you can get any tips! Goodluck
I am allergic to coconut. What could be substituted?
Yes nut free or at least Almond free! They look Amazing!
Angela…what to do if they were much too dry instead of chewy? More water? More oil? More almond butter? Sooooo good though…even dry!
Was the almond butter you used quite dry? I used a very drippy raw almond butter…so I would try adding more oil if yours is dry. Goodluck!
We made these for the third time in a week. The entire family is addicted, including my mother, who normally says, “Yuck” to healthy recipes. Our daughter asked to learn how to make these, so she made them this time. She paced around the kitchen until her cookies were done. We used the stand mixer this time to blend the dry and wet ingredients together and it made it so much easier to blend. Thanks again for such a great recipe.
Thank you for this versatile and delicious recipe, Angela! I love your blog and have read it for a long time. I adapted these cookies for our nut-free family with great success and thought I’d share what I did. Instead of almond flour, I ground 1/2 cup of raw sunflower seeds to flour (food processor did the job — did not need a Vitamix). In place of sliced almonds, I used 1/2 cup roasted, salted sunflower seeds. I used 1/2 cup mini chocolate chips and omitted the chia seed, sesame seed, cacao nibs, and extra sunflower seeds (next time I will use 1/4 cup chips and 1/4 cup currants, but I was all out). I used Sunbutter instead of almond butter and — since it was not “drippy” — increased the water in the flax egg to 3 tbsp. Let the batter sit for 20 minutes before rolling balls so the oats would absorb some of the moisture. I got 4 dozen cookies, baked for 12 minutes. Perfect! Kids love them. FYI, for any readers who want to try this and have never baked with Sunbutter before, the cookies will likely turn a little greenish after a day or so — this is a harmless chemical reaction among ingredients and doesn’t effect the taste at all.
Thanks again!
These are AMAZING! Just made a double batch…but I had ONE problem… A lot of the dough ended up in my MOUTH!! It was sooo good! Either way, raw or baked, this recipe is a WINNER! Thank you for your passion and love for real food!
hah that happens to me all the time…I wonder if there is a cure? ;) Either way so glad you enjoyed them!
I made these cookies today. They are great. Maybe the best cookies I ever had. Great recipe. Thanks.
These look awesome!! I’m wondering if it’s possible to leave out the shredded coconut cause I’m not a huge fan of coconut and it’s slightly impossible to find stuff like that where I live (Holland). Could I substitute something else for it or possibly leave it out altogether…(?)
Can’t wait to try them!
Hey Anna, yes I do think you could just leave it out without having to sub anything in its place. Let me know how it goes!
Another delicious recipe and so easy!! Thank you so much!
I made these and I must say, Angela, you hit it out of the park. Gluten free oats and all manner of healthy stuff. I doubled the chia seeds bcs. i didn’t have the other seeds, no problem. Also i might have upped the pb a little… :-)
As i’ve said before, who needs a bunch of old cookbooks calling for animal products and white flour. So passe~ We have Oh She Glows! And I do believe I am glowing…
I’ve just made these and they’re still in the oven so haven’t tried them yet, but the dough is delectable! 12 minutes to go… COME ON!!!
I made these just as is and they are perfect! I love that they’re decadent and healthy at the same time. Thanks for sharing!
Is there anything to substitute for a liquid sweetener that would give moistness! I can’t use syrups, honey, agave etc. and I can sweeten naturally but need the moistness.
Thanks
OH MY GOSH!!!!! found your site by accident, so glad I did! I am always looking for goody recipes that are good for you without all the sugar. The ways to use up seasonal foods are amazing too! My Husband has an autoimmune disorder so we have to be as fresh as possible, you have made my job a lot easier . you are on my favorites list, WHOO HOOO!!!!
Welcome Janet! So glad you found the blog :) enjoy
hi there…these look so yummy. Just wondering…..I have oat flour could i use that instead of grinding my own? and how much would i use? thank you in advance. PS your site is my absolute favourite. :)
Hey Tammy, Usually pre-made oat flour equals the same amount of rolled oats ground into a flour. Dont you love when that happens? I just measured it the other week actually! so, 1 cup rolled oats should equal out to be 1 cup oat flour. hope this helps!
Omg. Go make these now. Delicious. Nutrient-dense and super yummy.
Hi Angela! Long time reader, first time poster – I made these cookies today, they are incredible! Crispy and not too sweet. I just ate four by noon today…could be trouble…
Thanks for all the great recipes, you are amazing!
Hey Nat, hah yea that sounds like me around the cookies too! So happy you enjoy them so much :) They are a fav around here. Thanks for reading!
These are the most delicious cookies! Next time I’ll have to make double!
Yeah, I’ll also vote for a nut-free version. Sunbutter is pretty drippy, IMO, so I’d be tempted to try it with that.
My other question is, if you leave out the oats, could these work as no-bake cookies, maybe with melted chocolate swirled in or with dried fruit instead? Or would other adjustments need to be made? And if you already posted such a recipe, I’m sorry, I haven’t been to this site in a while…
Absolutely delicious!! They did not last one day in the house!! So irresistible!! Thank you for the recipe!! :)
These are now my familiy’s official favorite cookies! The 2 runners up are also from your website (the raspberry jam thumbprints and the happy trails cookies). I follow the recipe except leave out the cacao nibs as my kids don’t like those. I guess they are an acquired taste.
Happy to hear you’re working on a cookbook. Let us know when we can pre-order :)
All i can say is yum. I finally was able to try this recipe and can say the batch didnt last long . . oops haha! So so delicious, love the nutty texture, subtly sweetened and the perfect way to solve a sweet craving. xx
Just made a batch of these day, per yr recipe……crikey they’re good ;-)
I just made these and they are soooo good! Irresistible indeed. Thanks so much for the recipe! These will make the perfect emergency snack for when I’m traveling.
Hi I made these delicious cookies.
Im not a great baker and I found when I made the cookies according to the recipe they would not bin and were very crumbly. I could not think what to do so I added an egg and they were perfect.
Could anyone please advise what I could do. I think the issue was that my nut butter was not drippy enough but that was all I had and I am unsure how to make nut butter drippier. Any advice would be welcome. Do you think adding more flax/water would help or could I add some water/vegetable oil to the nut butter?
These are delicious though and I want to make them again.
I just made these and they are delicious!!!! Thank you!!!
Have been making mine with oat flour & spelt flour.
The Best!!
Made these and they are wonderful. Chewy, rich, just enough sweetness and satisfying. I didn’t have sesame or chai seeds but I didn’t miss them because these cookies are packed with so many yummy ingreds. I will make these again and again!!
I used natural peanut butter for my drippy butter and it worked perfectly. I found the batter needed to bind more when I had all the ingreds mixed so I added water by the tablespoon until I could form balls. That worked great. I also found I had to push the balls down a little because they didn’t really flatten in the baking process. I love chocolate and pb so my cookies had that flavor and were soooo good!!
Hi, can you suggest a good substitute for the coconut oil? Or do they really need it? They look amazing, but I’m avoiding coconut oil at present. Thanks!
When I am looking for reviews, I am helped by those that have made it, not those who ave admired. I gave up after reading through many, many that had only admired. How helpful is that?
I know what you mean! I’ve made them twice already and I can tell you they are AWESOME!! I didn’t have the cocoa nibs but I don’t think that mattered. I love these cookies!
Any good substitute for the oil? I can have everything on the ingredient list except oil. I would live to try them!
Love them!
i put the rest in the freezer because I didn’t want them to go bad, and they were really good when i unfroze them. (love to make double recipe so i can freeze) a little bit harder, but as yummy as fresh! i’m not vegan, but i eat a lot of variety and usually, one or two vegan meal per week and i love coming to your website to have new recipe to try! On the other hand, my 3 kidos don’t always like to try something new.. lol
These are AWESOME!! Thanks so much for the recipe. I’ve made them twice already – they don’t last long around here!
Hi! There are so many comments (that is amazing by the way) so I am not sure if someone already asked this, but is there anything I can used instead of coconut oil? i really hate everything about coconut (taste, texture, smell) and this is a major struggle when making vegan/raw desserts. Any tips are really appreciated. LOVE your site!
These cookies are amazing. They are now my favorite oatmeal cookies. I’ve made them at least twice and my family loved them. They didn’t last very long around here. :)
Oh dang…these are GOOD.
Just made these and they were DELICIOUS! I didn’t have coconut oil, so I used 1/4 cup of applesauce instead, and they were still gooey and good. Thanks for the recipe!
i have searching for a vegan, healthy cookie for a while, and this is exactly what i was hoping for! just made these this afternoon….used whole wheat flour instead of almond flour, but kept everything else the same. they are perfect. thank you!!
These cookies are great! I’ve made them so many times and now I always make a double recipe. My family really likes them too and all of our friends that have tried them are asking for the recipe. I’m going to bring some for when I hike the Grand Canyon. They’re a winner.
How do you make drippy almond butter?
Hi Angela,
I made these the other day as a thank-you to a friend… and after I taste-tested both the batter and the freshly baked cookies I decided to bake a batch for myself. They definitely are irresistible! Thanks for the recipe!
alannah
These look fabulous – thank you! And, I’ve never come across the flax egg idea either, a great tip :)
I love these cookies; can’t make them enough. I have added cranberries (as I can’t get enough of dried cranberries) and they were great.. Added a bit of zing. Thanks again Angela!
These look amazingly delicious. Can you sub a chia seed “egg” for the flax seed egg?
These cookies are delicious! I have a tray coming out of the oven right now. I made a few substitutions because I can’t have oats or chocolate – I used brown rice flour in place of the oat flour, puffed brown rice for the oatmeal, and dried cranberries and cherries for the chocolate chips and cacao nibs. I also used sunflower seed butter in place of almond (it’s what I had – and added a bit of extra water), honey for the maple syrup, and added some almond extract to amp up the cherry flavor. They are wonderful – thanks for the great recipe!
I’m a huge fan of all your wonderful recipies, I must say these cookies are spectacular! Love the texture, the taste, the look, everything about it. Thank you for sharing your awsome recipes. Definitely looking forward to attempt to make all the other goodies in the near future.
I wonder if there is an option without ground flax since I am allergic to it? I’ve made these before and they blew my mind! Today I found out that I am allergic to almonds and flax seed so if you could please recommend a sub for these ingredients that’d be awesome..cause I dont ever want these yummy cookies out of my life ;)
hey angela, i have tried most of your recipes and forgive me if i say this its hard for me to trust others recipes as i knew you wouldnt post it until you have perfected its taste. .not only that they are healthy and yummy but they are unbeatable.i would love it if you make your own version of alanas breakfast bars..thank you