Last week was the week of the granola bar in my kitchen.
It was also, unfortunately, the week of sticky fingers, sticky cupboards, sticky floors, sticky handles, and sticky clothing.
Actually, it still is. I should do something about that..
I’ve been testing oodles of baked and no-bake granola bars for the cookbook, working hard to get the perfect flavour, texture, and combination of healthy ingredients for each one. Granola bars are one of my all-time favourite things to bake and eat, but they can be tricky to get just right! One day, I’d like to write a cookbook devoted to granola bars, squares, and other snacks. That would be right up my alley.
I planned this week of granola bar testing to coincide with our upcoming trip to Calgary (we leave tomorrow morning). We’re having a family reunion of sorts (Grandpa and Diane are also coming from Ontario…yay!!) so I will have lots of eager testers, most importantly my nephews. Kids are the best critics of all..they are just so honest.
I’m just hoping the 60+ bars and two huge super soaker water guns (best aunt ever) don’t put my suitcase over the weight limit. I may be forced to eat all of the granola bars at the check-in counter (worst aunt ever). I’m willing to do whatever is necessary. That includes baking more and turning my mom’s kitchen into a sticky mess. Sorry mom.
After last week’s granola-bar-athon, I decided it was time to move on. For now, at least. Next up: a portable hiking cookie to bring during our weekend hiking adventures.
I had a vision in mind:
1) Crispy around the edges
2) Chewy in the middle
3) Loaded with healthy ingredients
4) Fold in nuts, seeds, and dried fruit
5) A touch of chocolate, never hurts either (Enjoy Life mini chips are amazing and vegan too)
6) Props for being a bit homely looking! Ok, I added that in after the fact. ;)
Here’s another great thing about the cookies – they are free of any added oil. The secret lies in a base of toasted pecans.
You simply toast pecans in the oven and process or chop them until they are smaller than peas, like so:
This toasted pecan base creates a lovely “buttery” flavour without having to add a drop of oil. I’m sure you could also use walnuts here, but I love the sweetness of pecans. A mixture of the two might work well also. To round out these cookies I added dried sweetened cranberries, pepita seeds, and mini chocolate chips.
The batter is very sticky so I had to dip my hands into a bowl of water, lightly shake them off, and then roll the dough into balls that way. Every 4 cookies or so, I re-dipped my hands into the water. This method worked really well. Be sure to pack the dough together firmly as this will help them stick together.
After 11-12 minutes at 350F, we have a winner!
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Happy Trails Adventure Cookies
Yield
13-14 cookies
Prep time
Cook time
Total time
Ingredients
For the dry ingredients
- 1 cup pecans, toasted
- 1 cup + 1 tbsp oat flour (I made my own flour in the blender using 1 cup rolled oats)*
- 1/4 cup + 2 tbsp rolled oats*
- 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
- 1/2 scant tsp fine grain sea salt
- 1/2 tsp baking soda
- 1 tbsp ground flax seed
For the wet ingredients
- 1/4 cup pure maple syrup
- 3 tbsp brown rice syrup*
- 1/2 tbsp pure vanilla extract
For the mix-ins
- 1/3 cup dried sweetened cranberries
- 3 tbsp pepita seeds
- 3-4 tbsp mini chocolate chips (I use Enjoy Life brand)
Directions
- Preheat oven to 325°F and toast pecans for 8-10 minutes, watching closely. Remove and set aside to cool. Turn oven temp to 350°F. Line a large baking sheet with parchment or grease with oil. Set aside.
- Meanwhile, in a large bowl, whisk together the dry ingredients. In a separate smaller bowl, whisk together the wet ingredients.
- In a mini processor (or by hand) process/chop the pecans into small crumbs, just smaller than the size of peas. Stir into the dry ingredients.
- Add the wet ingredients to the dry and stir well until combined. The dough will be very sticky, but not to worry. Fold in the mix-ins.
- With lightly wet hands, grab about 2 tbsp dough and shape into a ball, packing firmly. Place on prepared baking sheet about 2 inches apart. Repeat for the rest, wetting hands every 4 cookies or so.
- Bake at 350°F for 10-12 minutes (I baked for 11.5 mins). Cool on baking sheet for at least 10 minutes. When completely cooled, store in a glass jar or freeze for maximum freshness.
Tip:
To make these gluten-free, using certified GF oats and check all other ingredients.
If you eat honey, you can probably use it as a sub for brown rice syrup. I do think the cookies need either brown rice syrup or honey for the cookies to hold together and retain that nice chewy texture. I don’t recommend subbing it for more maple syrup.
Enjoy the cookies with a cold glass of almond milk or simply as fuel for all your outdoor summer adventures.
happy trails to you!
These look delicious! I’m allergic to pecans and walnuts :( Any chance another nut could work? So excited for your book! :)
These are tasty and satisfying. I ‘ve made these twice in the last month. I substituted Sunburst Sunflower Seeds (SSS) for the chocolate chips hoping that they were less likely to melt and be messy in outdoor activities. (SSS are found in the bulk section of Whole Foods, Spouts & HEB. They’re like teeny peanut M&Ms, but with sunflower seeds instead of peanuts.) These were great for our trip to the Texas Coast in a baggie in the ice chest, but they melted to yummy oatmeal goo if not refrigerated. Then it occurred to me: I’m in South Texas (104 degrees yesterday), and Angela is in Canada (probably not 100 degrees). The Happy Trails Cookies may just get me over the 3pm slump at work. I’ll make these again, and experiment with the mix-ins. These will be a fall/winter treat for outdoor activities. Good stuff!
Hey Melissa, Thanks for letting me know about the heat factor with these! I wonder what I could modify in the recipe so they dont melt? Hmm. I’ll have to think about that one.
These are so good!,,,even my 10 year old son eats them ( and he will not eat anything healthy) thank you!:)
I added honey and and an extra tablespoon for extra binding powers. I also licked all of my fingers clean of the batter before they even hit the oven to bake;) Thank you for the delicious,heavenly,aromatic cookies!!
Amazing! I used honey instead of brown rice syrup and mine stuck together just fine. I also used a cup of oat flour plus 2T almond flour because when I ground my oats i ended up shy the of the amount listed and the almond flour was there and already ground.
Hi Angela,
They look divine!! I am curious to know if I could sub the brown rice syrup for Agave Nectar?
Happy Eating!!
Hey Shannon,
Brown rice syrup tends to bind things – and I suspect they do that in this recipe too. So I’m not too sure. I know honey would be an easy sub, but of course that depends on whether you eat it or not. If you do try it with agave, let me know!
I just made these cookies tonight and they are so delicious! Unfortunately I didn’t have pecans in the house so I used almonds instead but they still turned out fabulous. Thank you, Angela, for yet another great recipe :)
Thank uou, thank you for all your delicious gf recipes!
Love the granola cookies! I used honey instead of the brown rice syrup. I also used my cookie scooper so I didn’t have to use my fingers. I really don’t eat sugar anymore but every once in awhile I treat myself, so these will be on the top of my lst!
Hi Angela! I’ve been a huge fan of your blog for a while! I am living in Hawaii for the time being, and last night I made your chia jam wih guava and then made the oat squares!! So tasty! I want to make your happy trails adventure cookies and I’m wondering if you think it will work with macadamia nuts instead of pecans?
Thanks so much for writing an awesome blog and being an everyday inspiration!
Diane
Hey Diane, Thank you so much for your kind words! So glad you enjoy the blog.
I’m sorry but Im not sure if the mac nuts would work. It might be worth a shot though! Let me know if you do try it out.
I am making these cookies right now. They are so amazing. I added some different add in’s to mine. I add chia seeds, goji berries in place of cranberries, and unsweetened coconut. They look like a granola ball cookie. This is at the top of my list.
These are amazing!! Even the dough is to die for :)
I added almonds, raisins and chocolate chips and used gluten-free oats. I left them in the oven for a little longer because they seemed super spongey and not quite done. But they hardened up quite a bit so the suggested time could have been just fine.
Made these with a friend who hasn’t really been exposed much vegan food. (…well, besides a horrid date to an unflavourful vegan restaurant– and this was in England, the land of bland food, so it must have been horrible! Such a shame because vegan food can play up so many fun flavours… But anyways, she was very impressed that something vegan could taste so delicious! These may have changed one mind about vegan food :) Hurray!
I’m so glad to hear that Katherine! Thanks for the feedback. And yes I agree it’s a bit tough when determining that they are ready to come out of the oven.
I made these cookies last night using walnuts instead of pecans and (other than over-baking them), they turned out fine. I’m making my second batch tomorrow morning because I can’t stand to end on a bad note and I’m determined not to over-bake them this time. :)
The second batch turned out great! I used honey instead of maple syrup (only because I didn’t have any maple syrup) and walnuts instead of pecans. They were delicious and they had all been eaten by the night that I made them.
Just made these for the first time tonight, and I have to say … YUMMM! I think I have a new fav cookie … I couldn’t even keep my paws off the dough! Lol
OMG! I thought your raspberry and almond thumbprints were my favourites, but now that I’ve made these I can’t pick one favourite. Delicious, chewy, and healthy. I love that they are so nourishing, full of protein and sugar- free. (Love maple-sweetened treats.) Thank you for your delicious gluten-free options!
These are incredible! My criteria for a good cookie requires that the dough taste as good as the finished product. These exceeded my expectation. Delicious….another Oh She Glows winner!
Everyone always loves these when I make them. Great recipe!
Angela you nailed it with these cookies. They are delicious, and I love the texture. This batch won’t be making it to the trail or out of the house for that matter. My family loves them. I will have to make multiple batches next time.
Thank you for all of your delicious recipes. I have made a variety of them and have enjoyed all of them with my family. Looking forward to your cook book.
I substituted non-dairy milk for the brown rice syrup and they were perfect. Thanks for this awesome recipe.
I’ve always loved your site and I just stumbled upon it again tonight while searching for the perfect trail bar. I will have to try these! They look absolutely amazing. Great job!