Trail Mix Cookies {vegan, grain-free, sugar-free}

As we wind up the (too short) weekend, it's easy to dismiss Sunday as a day that is just-waiting-for-Monday-to-hit-you-right-in-the-face.  But, it's still the weekend, which for me, means bit of extra time.  

So, let's whip up some cookies.  

And these aren't just any cookie...

These are what I like to call your "cookies for everyone." It's pretty much a healthy granola bar, but in cookie form... that just happens to be vegan and grain free! And heck, without the dark chocolate, it's sugar free and whole 30 approved. It's almost too good to be true!

But it is true. And I baked these three times in one week to prove it.  

This recipe is inspired by my friend Kayli's "happy hippie cookie." To sweeten her oatey cookies, she blended dates into a paste. Now, I regularly use dates to sweeten nut bars and bites. But for a cookie? I never had. But I quickly realized I've totally been missing out. And now it's all I've been doing.

I took Kayli's method and created a grain-free cookie using ingredients you'd find in trail mix: almonds, pecans, dried cherries, sunflower seeds and dark chocolate, if you'd like. 

These are practically a healthy snack that are just disguised as a sweet treat.  Which, let's be honest, are probably my favorite kind of treats.

Enjoy!  

Trail Mix Cookies

• 1 1/2 cups almond flour (grind raw almonds into a flour or buy store-bought almond meal/flour)
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon sea salt
• 1/2 cup Medjool dates, pitted
• 1/4 cup coconut oil
• 2 "flax eggs" (2 tablespoons ground flaxseed mixed in 6 tablespoons warm water) 
• 1 1/2 tsp. pure vanilla extract
• 1/3 cup sunflower seeds
• 1/3 cup dried cherries, chopped
• 1/4 chopped pecans
• 1/4 cup chopped dark chocolate, optional

Directions: 

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Make the flax egg, by mixing the flaxseed and water in a small bowl and set aside. 
2. In a large glass bowl, whisk the almond flour, baking soda, and salt. Set aside. 
3. In a food processor, blend the dates with the coconut oil for about 1 minute, until forms a paste.  Add the vanilla and flax egg and pulse until combined (scrape down the sides a few times as you process into a paste).
4. Scoop the paste mixture out and stir into the flour mixture with a wooden spoon until well incorporated. It will seem very thick, just keep stirring and it will come together!
5. Stir in the seeds, nuts, cherries, and dark chocolate chunks. 
6. Using a cookie scoop or tablespoon, scoop the dough out on a cookie sheet and press down slightly with your fingers.  Bake for about 8-9 minutes until golden brown. Take out and let cool on the cookie sheet.  Store in the refrigerator in a container for up to 2 weeks. 

See, cookies can easily be healthy, made with real food and should always shared with others. 

I made these for a summer supper club dinner last month in the Central West End.  To find information on the next event later this month, where I will be baking some sweet seasonal treats, click here!