Monster cookie meets folksiest cookie in this delicious mashup! A bit of fun & a bit of health, all rolled into these trail mix cookies.
This is my take on the classic Monster cookie.
Except I did a classically Dietitian thing and kind of amped up the nutritional value! But don’t worry, these are still REAL DEAL cookies! I didn’t go and take out the sugar or butter… I just added nuts and seeds and fruit!
That’s how I approach nutrition counseling anyhow. People often think meeting with a Dietitian is going to be a real killjoy. But, I prefer to focus on adding things in instead of taking things away!
It’s a much more joyfilled way of approaching food!
I also made these Tiny Monsters. You can obviously still eat as many cookies as you want but sometimes I don’t want a giant cookie and it’s so much more mentally satisfying to eat a whole cookie!
Little cookies to the rescue! It’s a strategy I call “divide and conquer”. For more quick wins, read five other ways you can hack your eating habits here!
Why These Trail Mix Cookie Are a Smart Choice
I’m a big fan of seeds.
Think of nuts and seeds as nature’s multivitamin. These mighty little foods are filled with minerals, healthy fats, plant protein, anti-oxidants, and more. They’re the complete package. Observation studies show that people who consume nuts everyday are less likely to develop diabetes or heart disease, which are two of the leading causes of death and morbidity in North America.
To see health benefits, you only need to eat 1/4 cup of nuts/seeds or 2 tablespoons of nut/seed butter each day!
Each cookie has
- 113 calories
- 6.6g fat
- 11.8g carbs
- 3.2g protein.
It even has
- 0.6mg of iron
- 1.4 g of fibre
- 95 mg of potassium
That’s not too bad, for a cookie! A little bit of fun and a little bit of health, all rolled into one cookie.
For more healthier snack ideas check out these Aussie Bites! , Two Bite Protein Brownies, Mix n Match Energy Balls, and No Bake Chocolate PB Protein Bars!
If you give this recipe a go, let me know! Leave a comment, rate it, or snap a photo and tag it with #smartnutritionrecipes on Instagram! I’d love to see your creations! Knowing someone has enjoyed one of my recipes always makes my day brighter.
Trail Mix Cookies (gluten-free)
Ingredients
- 3 eggs
- ¾ cup sugar
- ¾ cup lightly packed brown sugar
- ½ cup butter softened
- 1 cup peanut butter
- ½ tsp salt
- 2 tsp baking soda
- 1 tsp vanilla
- ½ cup unsweeteened flaked coconut
- ½ cup raisins
- ½ cup chocolate chips
- ¼ cup flax seeds or chia seeds
- ¼ cup pumpkin or sunflower seeds
- 3 cups oats choose certified gluten-free to be Celiac-friendly
- ½ cup almond flour or all purpose wheat flour if they don't need to be gluten free
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.
- Combine the eggs, sugars, butter and peanut butter until well combined. Then add the salt, baking soda and vanilla. Stir until combined.
- Then mix in the coconut, raisins, chocolate chips, flax seeds, pumpkin or sunflower seeds, oats, and almond flour.
- Drop by spoonfuls onto a greased baking sheet or one lined with parchment paper or a silicone mat.
- Bake for 7-9 minutes. Don’t overbake! The cookies are done when they have puffed up and the tops are JUST starting to turn a golden brown.
- Allow to cool on baking sheet for 5 minutes to firm up and then transfer to a cooling rack. Contrary to most cookies, these ones actually taste better when they've cooled!
If you loved these trail mix cookies, you may be interested in these edible cookie dough bites!
Thanks for sharing this wonderful recipe. Whether we can avoid using egg in the recipe(or is there any alternate for it).
You could try a flax egg! Mix 1 tbsp ground flax with 2.5 tbsp hot water and let it sit for 5-10 minutes before using.
I made this yesterday and just love them! It tastes like a healthy chocolate chip cookie. Will definitely make these again.
Yay! So glad you enjoyed them!
Made these for my friends yesterday afternoon. They loved them and wanted the recipe. Shared for sure!!
Oh, I’m so happy you all enjoyed them!
yum!!! i have some coconut flour at home, i could use that right?
Instead of the almond flour? I wouldn’t recommend it. Coconut flour is a very thirsty flour and might dry the cookies out. If you don’t need them to be gluten-free you could use all-purpose wheat flour.