Chewy Trail Mix Cookies (Vegan & Gluten Free)
By Jessica Hylton -
- Updated
These chewy trail mix cookies are protein packed and so easy to make! They’re perfect for hikes, quick breakfasts, snacks and are vegan!
I found hiking in California to be so many different things all at once. Challenging, especially on really steep hills, yet so absolutely rewarding when finished. That cool breeze, the warming sun, the cold water, and that accomplished feeling really went hand in hand. This ended up being one of my favourite activities while I was there. These trail mix cookies helped to power us before, through and during those hikes. It was so easy to make and great for so many other reasons (hi quick breakfast) that I knew I needed to share this recipe with you!
These weren’t my only go to hiking needs. Lots of water (so much water), granola bars, and energy bites were also among my favourites. You want something healthy with not too much sugar that’ll power you in the perfect way. With a mix of peanut butter, flaxseeds, bananas and some of your favourite trail mix additions, these cookies really do the job.
I included some of my favourite ingredients, such as above, plus oats, because they add a kind of chewiness reminiscent in oatmeal cookies. Also, colour me excited because I remixed my breakfast cookies to make these. I love that they are healthy and nutritious enough for breakfast, but thanks to the natural sweetness of the banana and some maple syrup, they get to be called cookies. Win, win.
Other great things to use these for:
- Your snack
- Your kid’s snack
- On the go breakfasts
- To fix a sweet tooth craving
- A light dessert!
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Also, they are completely customisable so feel free switch up the trail mix ingredients! I really wanted a crunchy salty and sweet flavour here, hence the dried cranberries, white chocolate chips, pepitas and PRETZELS!
Chewy Trail Mix Cookies (Vegan & Gluten Free)
These chewy trail mix cookies are protein packed and so easy to make! They’re perfect for hikes, quick breakfasts, snacks and are vegan!
Ingredients
- 2 ¼ cups gluten free certified old fashioned oats or rolled quick oats
- 1/2 teaspoon sea salt
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
- 1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
- 1/4 cup ground flaxseeds
- 1/2 cup mashed bananas
- 1/4 cup + 2 tablespoons organic peanut butter microwaved for 30 seconds
- 1/4 cup maple syrup
- 2 tablespoons vegan white chocolate chips
- 2 tablespoons dried cranberries
- 2 tablespoons chopped pretzels plus extra whole ones for the top
- 2 tablespoons pepitas/pumpkin seeds or other seeds such as sunflower seeds
Instructions
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 325 ° F/ 165° C.
- Line a baking sheet with a SILPAT or other silicone baking mat.
- Mix all the dry ingredients together, then add in the wet ingredients in order.
- Use a wooden spoon or spatula and stir together until together, stirring for about 30 seconds so as to incorporate everything but not over mix. The batter should be sticky and thick.
- Using a little less than 3 tablespoons for each cookie, form dough firmly into cookies, and place on baking mat. Leave a little space between each cookie (they won't spread out while baking but will puff up just a little bit).
- Bake for 12-15 minutes on the top rack of your oven until tops are golden brown.
- Allow to cool for 5 minutes on baking mat then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely. Enjoy!
NOTES
Nutrition
Calories: 190kcal | Carbohydrates: 28g | Protein: 6g | Fat: 7g | Saturated Fat: 1g | Sodium: 229mg | Potassium: 217mg | Fiber: 4g | Sugar: 9g | Vitamin A: 7IU | Vitamin C: 1mg | Calcium: 54mg | Iron: 2mg
by Jessica
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I am going to keep the whole batch to myself! They look so GOOD!
Hi Jessica, these look amazing! I was looking for nutritional info but couldn’t find it here. Can you please tell me how many grams of protein per cookie/serving? Thanks so much. Can’t wait to try these.
Just made these on a whim, didn’t have banana so I used pureed pumpkin… AND OMG! I love them. Had to stop myself from eating all the batter. I also mixed Almond Butter + PB, and swapped CC from white CC. These will be on repeat!
Aww thank you so much Sarah! I’m so happy that you enjoyed, and that they worked with pumpkin too!!
So easy to make and so delicious!! Perfect for a little snacks on the go. I didn’t have pretzels but they were still so good!
We’re so happy that you enjoyed this recipe Ella! Thank you so much for reading and leaving such a nice comment!
These came together super easily. I was a little nervous at the consistency of the batter and whether or not they’d hold together after being baked, but they totally did. Not super sweet, and full of healthy ingredients–I’ll feel good having these on hand for after school snacks, if they make it past breakfast…
My daughter and I had so much fun baking these today– and they are delicious!
Really like these! We are not vegetarian nor vegan, but we look for delicious opportunities to reduce our sugar intake. These yummy trail mix cookies absolutely do the trick! I’ve made two batches so far, with the only change being the quick oats and the regular oats. The quick oats seem to have turned out slightly more dense, but definitely not in a bad way…I’ll just probably eat just one versus 3 of the quick oats version.
Also, my husband likes them as well.
Hi Jessica! At what point do the whole pretzels go on top of the cookies? Do you press them on before baking, or immediately after they come out of the oven? (I checked here and on the instagram comments for this, but couldn’t find the written instruction anywhere.) Also, do you have any storage tips to prevent the pretzels from going stale?
Thanks so much!
Hey Megan! Sorry about that, I’ll add it in! Right before baking! Once they bake they’ll get crisp so almost self preserved, but store in an airtight Tupperware container to keep them crisp! I hope you love them so much!!
Absolutely delicious! I want to eat every single one of them in one sitting!