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Cookies and Bars

Trail Mix Cookies

August 31, 2020 by Alexandra Daum
Time: 20 minutes   Servings: 24 cookies
Gluten free and vegan trail mix cookies made with a mix of whole grain buckwheat and oat flour, mixed seeds, dried fruit, and chocolate. These healthy oat flour and buckwheat cookies can be changed up with whatever add-ins you like as long as you stick to the base recipe, and they make a great snack.
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A cookie broken in half on a corner of parchment paper.

These buckwheat cookies are adapted from a couple of other recipes I’ve shared – these date sweetened oatmeal breakfast cookies and an oldie, hazelnut oatmeal chocolate chip cookies. I wanted them to be a bit like chocolate chip cookies but something you could take on a hiking trip too.

The neat thing is here that the cookies aren’t really crumbly at all. Oat and buckwheat flour are great for gluten free baking, easily my favourites, and chia, nut or seed butter, and coconut oil hold everything together here really well.

I chose coconut sugar to do most of the sweetening here. It makes them a bit more dessert like rather than breakfast, but with all those seeds it works either way. We are not averse to chocolate for breakfast.

Table of Contents hide
Why You Should Try This Recipe
Ingredients
Ingredient Notes and Substitutions
Step by Step
Recipe Notes
How to Store
Expert Tips
Trail Mix Cookies

Why You Should Try This Recipe

These are true trail mix cookies, with lots of energy-boosting ingredients like whole grain flours and plenty of seeds. If you love to walk or hike, or often need a nutritious midday snack, these are just right for you.

  • No beating needed: the ingredients are first whisked and then you switch to a spatula or spoon, but there’s no need to bring out the electric mixer.
  • It’s ultra flexible: these are like build-your-own cookies, with the add-ins changing to whatever you like most. Use different fruit, seeds, and chocolate if you want to.
  • It’s a big batch: the recipe makes two dozen cookies so you can freeze plenty for later. (Use the slider in the recipe card to reduce it if preferred.)

Ingredients

Trail mix cookie ingredients.

Ingredient Notes and Substitutions

  • Flour: I don’t recommend changing the flours used. There can be some variation in how much liquid is absorbed between types of oat flour and buckwheat flour, so if you feel that the dough seems dry, go ahead and add an extra splash of milk. This might be the case if your nut butter is on the dry side as well.
  • Seeds: You can use any seeds or nuts you like instead, barring extra chia or flax. As long as it’s not a seed that sucks up a pile of moisture you’re good. If you have grain free granola kicking around you could toss a cup of that in instead of the seeds too.
  • Nut or seed butter: any type can be used, as long as it’s fairly soft/runny and not dry. Try the mixed nut/seed butter from my cookbook, sunflower seed butter, peanut, almond, or hazelnut butter.
  • Add-ins: other dried fruit can be used in place of cranberries, and of course you don’t have to add chocolate (but I don’t know why anyone wouldn’t).

Step by Step

1. Mix: whisk the dry ingredients in a large bowl to combine.
2. Add-ins: stir in the add-ins (seeds, chocolate, etc.) to incorporate.

Cookies steps 1 to 4.

3. Mix wet ingredients: in a separate bowl, whisk the wet ingredients until combined.
4. Mix the dough: add the nut butter mixture and stir well to combine. Don’t worry about over mixing.
5. Scoop cookies: place onto a prepared baking sheet and flatten slightly.
6. Bake: if possible, two trays can be baked at once. Otherwise go in two batches.

Trail mic cookies steps 5 and 6.

Recipe Notes

These cookies are really quite sturdy. Part of the reason they’re called trail mix cookies is because they work well to bring on a hike and don’t fall apart so easily. They do get a bit softer when the weather is very warm, so keep that in mind if it’s 30 degrees when you’re out.

The cookie mixture will seem too wet when you first stir it up, so you let it sit for a few minutes to let the chia do its magic. That’s why the recipe is a bit different than usual and you mix up the dough before heating up the oven. It rests and firms up while the oven heats.

I haven’t tried these cookies with 100% either oat or buckwheat flour, just the mix. And if you’re not sure, despite the misleading name, buckwheat is totally gluten free!

How to Store

Storage: place in a sealed container and refrigerate or store at room temperature. In the summer months I suggest refrigerating, and in winter they can be on the counter for 3-4 days.

Freezing: to freeze before baking, freeze the scooped and flattened cookies on a sheet before moving to containers. Bake at the same temperature but add a couple minutes to bake from frozen. For baked cookies, simply freeze in an airtight container for up to three months.

Close up of a cookie with seeds and chocolate.

About Buckwheat

Buckwheat, I think, can take a bit of getting used to. As a flour, it’s very neutral and slightly nutty, but the seeds have a texture that can be a bit strange as you chew. If you’re not sure if you like buckwheat seeds then I’d use something else in the mixed seed bit.

If you have to buy more buckwheat flour than this recipe calls for, it also makes great gluten free banana pancakes, and several readers have had success using buckwheat to make my tahini banana bread gluten free too. As far as gluten free flours go it’s a solid all-purpose one to have around and has a good flavour.

Expert Tips

  • Make your own flour: If you don’t have the flours on hand, but you have buckwheat groats and rolled oats, you can make your own flour in a high-speed food processor. Just blend until a flour forms (it’s easiest to go by weights for this).
  • Don’t forget to flatten: these cookies won’t spread much in the oven, so they should be flattened slightly before baking to ensure an even bake.
  • Don’t preheat: not preheating the oven first isn’t a typo – the dough needs to sit for a few minutes to allow the chia to absorb some of the moisture and make it easier to handle. Once it’s rested slightly, you should be able to roll the dough into balls. If you have a cookie scoop that can be used instead.

More Gluten Free Cookies

Vegan Peanut Butter Oatmeal Chocolate Chunk Cookies
Double Chocolate Chickpea Flour Cookies
Almond Chocolate Chunk Cookies
Ultimate Gluten Free Peanut Butter Cookies

If you make these Trail Mix Cookies or any other cookie recipes on Occasionally Eggs, please take a moment to rate the recipe and leave a comment below. It’s such a help to others who want to try the recipe. For more OE, follow along on Instagram, Facebook, and Pinterest, purchase the Occasionally Eggs cookbook, or subscribe for new posts via email.

Yield: 24 cookies

Trail Mix Cookies

Prep Time 10 minutes minutes
Cook Time 10 minutes minutes
Total Time 20 minutes minutes
4.73 from 11 votes

Ingredients

Metric – American
  • 120 grams buckwheat flour
  • 110 grams oat flour
  • 80 grams coconut sugar
  • 1 tablespoon arrowroot flour
  • 1 teaspoon cinnamon
  • ½ teaspoon baking soda
  • ½ teaspoon sea salt
  • 150 grams mixed seeds or nuts
  • 60 grams dried cranberries or other fruit
  • 100 grams dark chocolate, chopped
  • 50 grams chia
  • 75 grams nut or seed butter
  • 60 grams coconut oil, melted
  • 80 ml oat milk
  • 2 tablespoons maple syrup

Instructions

  • Add the buckwheat flour, oat flour, coconut sugar, arrowroot, cinnamon, baking soda, and salt to a large bowl. Whisk to remove any lumps, then stir in the seeds, dried cranberries, chocolate, and chia.
  • In another bowl, whisk together the nut butter, coconut oil, milk, and maple syrup.
  • Add the nut butter mixture to the large bowl and mix until fully incorporated and no streaks of flour remain. Don’t worry about over mixing. Let the dough rest while you preheat the oven.
  • Heat the oven to 180°C (350°F) and line two baking sheets with parchment paper. Measure out about two tablespoons of dough for each cookie and roll them into balls (or use a cookie scoop).
  • Place each ball about 5cm (1.5 inches) apart on the prepared baking sheet and flatten slightly with your hand.
  • Once all the dough has been used, bake the cookies for 8-10 minutes, or until lightly golden. Remove from the oven and let the cookies cool on the tray for 5 minutes before carefully removing and cooling fully on a rack.

Notes

• As I mentioned above, you can make your own oat and buckwheat flour in a high speed food processor. Just add the same amounts of buckwheat groats and rolled oats into the bowl of a processor and blend until a fine flour forms.
• Not preheating the oven first isn’t a typo – the dough needs to sit for a few minutes to allow the chia to absorb some of the moisture and make it easier to handle. Once it’s rested slightly, you should be able to roll the dough into balls. If you have a cookie scoop that can be used instead.

* For American cup measurements, please click the pink link text above the ingredient list that says ‘American’.


Nutrition

Serving: 1cookie Calories: 169kcal Carbohydrates: 20g Protein: 3g Fat: 9g Saturated Fat: 4g Polyunsaturated Fat: 5g Sodium: 98mg Fiber: 3g Sugar: 10g

Nutrition is provided as a courtesy and is an estimate. If this information is important to you, please have it verified independently.

© Alexandra Daum
Course: Chocolate, Cookies and Bars, Dessert, Snacks
Cuisine: American
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This post was originally published in November 2018. It has been updated with new photos and improvements to the text and recipe as of August 2020.

More Cookies and Bars:

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Previous Post: « Coconut Panna Cotta
Next Post: Coconut Whipped Cream »

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Comments

  1. Claire says

    March 13, 2021 at 12:58 pm

    Loved these cookies and the versatility of them. Thanks for sharing. Looking forward to trying other versions including trying tahini instead of peanut butter.
    Awesome recipe!

    Reply
  2. tara says

    March 9, 2021 at 7:35 am

    HI! i was wondering if I can freeze the dough if i dont want to bake all of them. Thanks!

    Reply
    • Alexandra Daum says

      March 9, 2021 at 8:06 am

      Hi Tara, I’m not sure if I replied to another comment from you about this just a few minutes ago – if not, funny coincidence! You can freeze the dough, scooped and pressed into individual cookies, before placing into an airtight container. Bake from frozen.

      Reply
  3. Aa says

    March 9, 2021 at 12:53 am

    Hi! I was wondering if you can freeze the cookie dough and how long to bake them after the freezer. How long does it last on the counter top too. Thank you!

    Reply
    • Alexandra Daum says

      March 9, 2021 at 7:30 am

      You should be able to freeze the dough like other cookies, scooped out and pressed, then freeze on a sheet before moving to containers. Bake at the same temperature but add a couple minutes on if baking from frozen. The cookies will last a few days on the counter but it totally depends on ambient temperature, since they contain so much fruit. In the winter months, 3-4 days. In summer I refrigerate them. Hope that helps!

      Reply
  4. sherri webber says

    December 29, 2020 at 3:50 pm

    4 stars
    Your pics make it impossible to not want to make these ‘things’….I can’t unsee these now😉😋

    Reply
  5. Anita Sabados says

    August 2, 2020 at 12:42 pm

    5 stars
    I wrote a review and forgot to give a rating. I love these cookies. They have become a staple in my freezer. I always keep something in there to add to my lunch, or when I’m running out the door in a rush. I always keep something that feels like a treat, but not something that will tempt me to eat 3 at a time. These are perfect

    Reply
  6. anita says

    June 28, 2020 at 7:27 pm

    I’m a very avid healthy baker and I love these cookies. They have become my favourite cookie to keep in the freezer for whenever i “need” a dessert. Thank you!

    Reply
  7. Mia says

    October 5, 2019 at 2:44 am

    Any suggestions for substitutions for the oat flour and chia?

    Reply
    • Alexandra | Occasionally Eggs says

      October 5, 2019 at 6:52 am

      Both pretty important ingredients in this recipe – I suppose you could try spelt and ground flax, or a gluten free flour blend if you want to keep them gluten free.

      Reply
  8. Jenny says

    May 16, 2019 at 10:12 pm

    Would these be good to bring on a backpacking camping trip? Are they pretty sturdy cookies?

    Reply
    • Alexandra | Occasionally Eggs says

      May 17, 2019 at 8:44 am

      They are quite sturdy! I’ve taken them camping before – just don’t keep them at the bottom of your bag and they should do well.

      Reply
      • Jenny says

        May 18, 2019 at 2:02 am

        Awesome! Thank you.

        Reply
  9. sherri says

    December 21, 2018 at 5:47 am

    Love the recipe – will be playing around with adding some hemp seeds and dates or figs too…yummo

    Thanks so much for the great photo and recipe

    Reply
    • Alexandra | Occasionally Eggs says

      January 2, 2019 at 6:35 pm

      Thanks so much, Sherri!

      Reply
  10. Heidi | The Simple Green says

    November 25, 2018 at 2:05 am

    Seriously, it took me like 30 minutes to scroll through all the preamble to find the recipe…

    (JK, obviously).

    I’ll definitely give these a go when were back in town; I love how simple the ingredients are! A ‘choose your own adventure cookie’ sounds like an adventure I’d like to have xo

    Reply
    • Alexandra | Occasionally Eggs says

      November 25, 2018 at 12:21 pm

      lol I GUESS it is a really long post, I didn’t realize. Your scrolling finger has probably fallen off now.

      I’m sure you have all the stuff in your pantry, too! I bet Connor would like these too <3

      Reply
  11. Katja says

    November 21, 2018 at 7:18 am

    Hi! All of my favourite ingredients in one bite! Have to try! Can I use tapioca flour instead of arrowroot?

    Reply
    • Alexandra | Occasionally Eggs says

      November 25, 2018 at 12:20 pm

      Hi Katja! Yes, I think tapioca would work just fine.

      Reply

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