Get ready for the first week of school with two easy recipes. Make this homemade healthy peanut butter granola with your kids. Serve as a delicious crunchy topping for yogurt or overnight oats, or serve plain for breakfast with almond or oat milk. Pack it in your lunch or snack with fruit and peanut butter. Best of all, make it at home and have fun with your kids.
Then make some cookies. It’s always fun to find treats in the bento box. The first week of school needs something special. Wholesome Trail Mix Cookies are a handful of your favorite trail mixes turned into a soft, crunchy cookie. It has just the right amount of saltiness and sweetness, and has plenty of crunchy nuts, making it a filling snack. Perfect for back to school. Pack it in your lunch box or hide it to take on your next adventure. Loaded with toasted nuts, dried fruit, hearty whole grain oats and chocolate, it’s just what everyone needs to lift their spirits and energy.
Feel free to use whatever kind of nuts you like. Same with dried fruits. I used dried cherries and apricots, but cranberries, blueberries, or raisins all work well. Toasting the nuts and oats before adding them to the cookie dough adds flavor. I used one sheet pan for the nuts and seeds and another sheet pan for the oats because I wanted to be careful not to burn them.
If you want these to be nut free, use sunflower butter and use seeds only. If you make this with flax eggs, the cookie dough is safe to eat raw. You can also use chopped bittersweet chocolate bars, chips or discs. If you don’t want this to be plant-based, swap out the two eggs, but I wanted to keep this vegan, so I used flax eggs, which are a mixture of flaxseed and water, as shown below.
Double the recipe and freeze half. Get ready for the busy weeks ahead with freshly baked healthy cookies. Let’s get the new school year off to a great start!
trail mix cookies
- 2 tablespoons ground flaxseed
- 6 tablespoons lukewarm water
- 1 1/2 cups assorted raw nuts and seeds
- 1/2 cup old-fashioned oats (gluten-free if desired)
- 1/2 cup crunchy peanut butter
- 1 1/2 tsp vanilla essence
- 1/4 cup maple syrup
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
- 3/4 cup dried fruit platter
- (If it’s too big, cut it in half.)
- 1/2 cup chocolate chips
- Flaky sea salt (optional)
Place the flaxseeds and water in a small bowl and stir well. set aside.
Place racks in top third and bottom third of oven and preheat to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Toast nuts, seeds, and oats on a rimmed baking sheet and bake until golden brown, about 10 minutes. Let cool.
Meanwhile, combine peanut butter, vanilla, maple syrup, flax eggs, salt, and baking soda in a large bowl. Let stand until nuts cool.
Add dried fruit and chocolate chips to the nut mix. Stir in the peanut butter mixture, then stir in the oats. Stir in the nut mixture until thoroughly blended. (Can be refrigerated for up to 3 days.)
Divide the dough into 1/3 cup portions and pack tightly. Place the cookies on a parchment-lined baking sheet and use the bottom of a measuring cup or your hand to press the cookies into a disc 1/2 inch in diameter and about 3/4 inch thick. Sprinkle with sea salt if desired. Bake until golden brown and edges just set, 10 to 13 minutes. Cool on a baking sheet. Up to 1 week ahead. Store airtight at room temperature for up to 3 days, or in the refrigerator for up to 1 week. Makes 8 cookies.
Healthy peanut butter granola
- 2 cups old-fashioned or quick-cooked oats
- 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1/4 teaspoon sea salt
- 6 tablespoons natural peanut butter
- 1/4 cup honey or maple syrup (vegan)
- 1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla essence
Preheat oven to 325 degrees Fahrenheit. Grease a large cookie sheet and set aside.
Combine oats, cinnamon, and salt in a small bowl. set aside.
In a microwave-safe dish or stovetop, melt peanut butter and honey (or maple syrup) together and stir until smooth. Remove from heat and stir in vanilla. Combine the dry ingredients and mix until well blended. Spread mixture on prepared cookie sheet.
Bake 15 to 20 minutes or until granola is lightly browned, stirring once halfway through. (To check doneness, take it out and let it cool. When it hardens, the granola is ready.) Remove from the oven and let it cool. Break into pieces when cool. Store tightly closed at room temperature for 2 weeks or frozen for 2 months.
– recipe from joyfoodsunshine.com
Donna Ferguson
I love to cook, garden, and write about all the things that make life great in Vancouver and the Northwest.
