Vegan Trail Mix Cookies

Are you ready to discover your new favorite sweet treat? These vegan trail mix cookies are a perfect blend of crunchy nuts, chewy dried fruits, and sweet chocolate gems. They’re super satisfying, easy to make, and incredibly delicious. What’s best is that this recipe is vegan and oil-free for perfect snacks on road trips!

If you’re anything like me, cookies are your go-to snack whenever hunger strikes! But what if I were to tell you, you could make them taste even better and use more wholesome ingredients? That’s where my recipe for trail mix cookies comes in! They’re vegan, so they’re eggless and dairy-free, plus they don’t have any oil either!

Jump to:

• What are Trail Mix Cookies?
• Why This Is The Best Trail Mix Cookies Recipe 
• What You Need to Make Trail Mix Cookies At Home
• How to Make Trail Mix Cookies (Step by Step)
• Tips For Making the Best Trail Mix Cookies
• Serving Suggestions
• Recipe Variation Ideas for Trail Mix Cookies
• 🍽 Frequently Asked Questions
• How to Store Leftover Trail Mix Cookies
• You'll Also Love These Cookie Recipes
• Recipe

Making your own at home is also a great way to know exactly what ingredients you’re using and putting into your body. Choose different nut, dried fruit, and chocolate combinations to make endless versions with just one recipe! These cookies are bound to be a success, trust me!

Read on to learn exactly how to make this delicious trail mix cookie recipe today!

What are Trail Mix Cookies?

Trail mix cookies are a tasty combination of your favorite trail mix ingredients baked into a cookie. They’re incredibly delicious and super easy to make at home!

This cookie recipe includes a variety of nuts, seeds, dried fruit, and chocolate chips mixed into a hearty oatmeal cookie dough. The result is a flavorful and filling cookie that's perfect for snack time or on-the-go.

What’s best is that you can easily adapt this recipe to include your favorite nuts, make it gluten-free, or add extra chocolate if you like! They taste irresistible, and the texture is incredible. Trust me, these are a snack-time game changer!

Why This Is The Best Trail Mix Cookies Recipe 

• Easy to make: This trail mix cookies recipe is incredibly simple to follow. With the use of common ingredients and straightforward instructions, even beginners in the kitchen can successfully bake these delicious treats.
• Packed with flavor: The nuts and oats are toasted before mixing them into the cookie dough and this simple step adds a whole new level of flavor! 
• Variety in every bite: The versatility of this recipe is a true highlight. It allows for the use of any nuts or dried fruits available at home. Whether you prefer almonds, walnuts, raisins, or dried cranberries, you can customize these cookies to suit your preferences.
• Substitution-friendly: The recipe is flexible when it comes to ingredients. For instance, almond butter can be substituted with other nut butter, making it a great option for those with specific dietary needs or preferences. You can even M&M to them if you like!

What You Need to Make Trail Mix Cookies At Home

All you need are some incredibly simple, pantry-staple ingredients to make this delicious trail mix cookie recipe at home.

Here's an overview of the specific ingredients for this recipe. For the exact ingredients and measurements, please scroll to the recipe card below.

Assorted nuts and seeds: They add a wonderful crunch and are packed full of healthy fats and proteins. Using raw nuts and seeds help make sure that they don't get overly toasted during baking. For this recipe, I used almonds And pecans. Make sure to chop up the larger pieces of nuts.

Rolled oats: These give the cookies a hearty texture and add a nice nutty flavor. Remember to use old-fashioned rolled oats for best results.

Applesauce: This acts as a binder and adds a hint of sweetness and moisture to the cookies without using an egg!

Creamy almond butter: This adds a rich, nutty flavor and helps to bind the ingredients together. If you're allergic to nuts, you can use sunflower or pumpkin seed butter.

Brown sugar: This sweetens the cookies and adds a touch of molasses flavor. You can also use coconut sugar or turbinado sugar as a healthier alternative.

Vanilla extract: This enhances the flavors of the other ingredients.

Salt: A touch of salt balances the sweetness and brings out the flavors of the other ingredients.

Baking powder: This helps the cookies rise and become light and fluffy.

Assorted dried fruits: These add sweetness and a chewy texture to the cookies. Using a variety of fruits will give a range of flavors; dried apricots, papaya, and pineapple will all work well in this recipe. 

Chocolate chips or Bittersweet chocolate bar: They add a rich, chocolatey flavor. If you're using a bar, make sure to chop it into small pieces so it distributes evenly throughout the cookies.

All-purpose flour: This forms the structure of the cookies. You can substitute with whole wheat pastry flour or whole wheat flour for a healthier option.

How to Make Trail Mix Cookies (Step by Step)

Making this incredible trail mix cookie recipe at home is super easy and will give you great results every single time. Here's how to make it step by step:

1. Start off by preheating the oven to 350 F. Next, place oats, nuts, and seeds on a baking sheet and toast for 10-12 minutes until slightly browned. Remove from the oven and transfer to a medium bowl to cool.

2. To a bowl with cooled nuts add dried fruit and chocolate.

3. Next, in a large bowl combine applesauce, almond butter, sugar, vanilla extract, salt and baking powder. Stir in flour.

4. Stir in nut and dried fruit mixture smashing it against the sides of the bowl with a spatula until you combine all ingredients.

5. Cover the bowl and chill for 2 hours. After that, lightly moisten your hands and shape cookies into 12 disks making sure to pack firmly. 

6. Place cookies evenly spaced out on your prepared baking sheet. Bake cookies for 11-3 until golden brown. Transfer on a baking sheet and let the cookies cool.

Tips For Making the Best Trail Mix Cookies

Moisten Your Hands for Shaping: Several ingredients in this trail mix cookie recipe are chunky (chocolate chips, nuts, dried fruit), so it's best to moisten your hands when shaping cookies. This will prevent the cookies from falling apart.

Choose Old-Fashioned Rolled Oats: For this recipe, be sure to pick old-fashioned rolled oats. They offer a heartier texture and more better flavor than quick oats.

Use Store-Bought Trail Mix to Save Time: You can use store-bought trail mix to cut down on prep time. As most store-bought trail mixes contain roasted nuts and seeds, there's no need to toast them again.

Opt for Seeds and Seed Butter for Nut Allergies: If you're allergic to nuts, you can make these cookies with just seeds and seed butter. Sunflower or pumpkin seeds are healthy and tasty choices.

Substitute All-Purpose Flour: You can replace all-purpose flour with whole wheat pastry flour or whole wheat flour. This can add extra fiber and nutrients to your cookies.

Chill the Dough for Better Texture: Cover the bowl and chill the cookie dough for at least two hours before baking. This helps to firm up the dough and makes shaping the cookies easier.

Serving Suggestions

• Kickstart your day with these trail mix cookies! Pair them with a wholesome glass of almond milk for a morning full of energy and delicious flavors.
• Have a sweet tooth? Serve these trail mix cookies as a dessert, topped with a dollop of vegan ice cream. The cool creaminess of the ice cream contrasts beautifully with the chewy texture of the cookies.
• Need a pre-workout boost? Grab a couple of these cookies before heading to the gym. The oats and nuts will provide you with sustained energy, while the dried fruits and chocolate will satisfy your sweet cravings.
• Hosting a movie night? Keep a bowl of these trail mix cookies on the coffee table. They make for a delicious and healthier alternative to traditional movie snacks like popcorn or candy.
• For those on the go, these cookies are a great portable snack. Tuck a few into your lunchbox or backpack for a delicious pick-me-up during your busy day or even a road trip!

Recipe Variation Ideas for Trail Mix Cookies

This delicious trail mix cookie recipe is so flavorful and easy to make you'll want to try out some of these delicious variations! Here are some great ideas:

Use Different Nuts: Feel free to experiment with different kinds of nuts. Walnuts, peanuts, cashews, pistachios, and macadamia nuts are all great substitutes or additions to Pecans and Almonds.

Try Other Dried Fruit: In this vegan cookie recipe, I preferred using smaller pieces or dried fruits, as it's easier to shape the cookie. Dried bananas cut into smaller chunks, raisins, dried cranberries and small pieces of dates will all work in this recipe.

Change Up the Nut Butter: No Almond Butter? No problem. Peanut butter, cashew butter, or seed butter make a great substitution. Just make sure to choose a "creamy" variety.

🍽 Frequently Asked Questions

How to Store Leftover Trail Mix Cookies

At Room Temperature: These chewy vegan trail mix cookies will stay fresh when stored in an airtight container at room temperature for about a week. 

In the Fridge: If you want to extend their freshness, you can keep them in the fridge. Simply place the cookies in an airtight container, separating layers with parchment paper to prevent them from sticking together, and they'll stay good for up to two weeks.

Freezing: Good news for those who love to plan ahead, these cookies can be frozen for up to three months! Scoop out your cookie dough onto a parchment-lined baking sheet and freeze. Once solid, transfer the frozen cookie dough balls into a zip-top bag and keep them in the freezer. When you're ready to bake, there's no need to thaw. Just add an extra minute or two to your total baking time.

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