Healthy Vegan Trail Mix Cookies featuring oats, dried fruit, nuts and chocolate. Easy, satisfying and always delicious Oil-Free cookie recipe perfect for snacking or road trips.
Raise your hand if you're a cookie lover. If you ask me, cookies are one of my go-to's with a cup of coffee or to beat a midday hunger.
Nowadays, classic chocolate chip cookie is an all-time favorite for so many people. But let's just pretend that even this simple and delicious cookie can be upgraded to satisfy everyone in a family.
Because when you combine toasted oats, nuts, dried fruit and chocolate in a single recipe - the cookies are bound to be a success.
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My Vegan Trail Mix Cookie recipe was inspired by Bon Appetit May 2020 issue. Original recipe contained butter and egg.
With a few tweaks I was able to veganize the original version turning it into a healthy Oil-Free Trail Mix Cookie Recipe perfect for Plant-Based Diet.
Why This Recipe Works
- the cookies are really easy to make and they're packed with healthy ingredients;
- toasting nuts and oats ahead of time makes for a bolder flavor;
- the recipe is very versatile. You can use any nuts or dried fruits that you have at home. Almond butter can also be substituted.
📋 Ingredients
Here's an overview of the specific ingredients for this recipe. For the exact ingredients and measurements, please scroll to the recipe card below.
The thing I love most about this recipe is that it's loaded with delicious ingredients that otherwise can be enjoyed on their own. Here's what you'll find in these Vegan Trail Mix Cookies:
- flour - in this recipe I used All-Purpose Flour, but these cookies will also turn out great with Whole Wheat Pastry Flour
- oats - make sure to choose old-fashioned rolled oats
- assorted raw nuts and seeds - I used Almonds And Pecans. Make sure to chop up the larger pieces of nuts
- assorted dried fruit - dried apricots, papaya, pineapple will all work well in this recipe
- sugar - I used organic brown sugar, but coconut or Turbinado sugar will work here as well
- apple sauce - for binding the ingredients
- almond butter - make sure to choose creamy almond butter. It will act as a "butter" in this recipe making the cookies nice and moist
- baking powder - to help cookies rise
- Vanilla extract - for flavor
- chocolate chips or bittersweet chocolate bar - in vegan baking I recommend using Hu Kitchen products. They're made with real ingredients, Oil-Free, Sugar-Free, Dairy-Free and perfect for Vegan and Paleo diets. Use the code IRYNA15 to get 15% off of all Hu Kitchen products.
🔪 Instructions
1. Start off with 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, 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.
💭 Expert Tips To Make This Perfectly
Since several ingredients in this recipe are chunky in their nature (chocolate chips, nuts, dried fruit), it's best to moisten your hands when shaping cookies.
That way the cookies won't be falling apart.
📖 Variations
Nuts - feel free to experiment with different kind of nuts. Walnuts, Pistachios and Macadamia nuts are all great substitutes or additions to Pecans and Almonds.
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.
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
Yes. This will cut down on the preparation time. Since most store-bought Trail Mixes contain roasted nuts and seeds, there's no need to toast them again.
Yes, just use seeds instead. Sunflower or pumpkin seeds are all great and healthy choices.
Yes, you can substitute all purpose flour for Whole Wheat Pastry Flour or Whole Wheat Flour.
♨️ Storing
These chewy vegan Trail Mix Cookies will stay fresh when stored in an airtight container at room temperature for about 1 week.
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📖 Recipe
Vegan Trail Mix Cookies
Ingredients
- 1 ½ c assorted nuts and seeds preferably raw
- ½ c rolled oats
- ¼ c applesauce
- 4 tbsp creamy almond butter
- 6 tbsp brown sugar you may substitute with coconut sugar
- 1 ½ tsp vanilla extract
- ¼ tsp salt
- 1 tsp baking powder
- ¾ c assorted dried fruits cut into small pieces
- ¾ c Hu chocolate gems or vegan chocolate bar chopped
- ½ c all-purpose flour
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350 F and line a baking sheet with a parchment paper. Place oats, nuts and seeds on a baking sheet and toast for 10-12 minutes until slightly browned. Remove from the oven, transfer to a medium bowl to cool.
- To a bowl with cooled nuts add dried fruit and chocolate.
- In a large bowl combine applesauce, almond butter, sugar, vanilla extract, salt and baking powder. Stir in flour.
- Stir in nut and dried fruit mixture smashing it against the sides of the bowl with a spatula until all ingredients are combined.
- Cover the bowl and chill for 2 hours. Lightly moisten your hands and shape cookies into 12 disks making sure to pack firmly.
- Place the cookies evenly spaced out on your prepared baking sheet. Bake cookies for 11-3 until golden brown. Transfer on a baking sheet and let cookies cool.
Candi says
In the recipe list it calls for baking powder. However in the directions it calls for baking soda....which is the correct ingredient.
Iryna says
Hi Candi! I used baking powder. Sorry for the confusion.