These Trail Mix Cookies are soft and chewy, sweetened with brown sugar and honey, and filled with trail mix and oats. Use your favorite combination of nuts, seeds, dried fruit, and chocolate chips to create your perfect cookie!
These cookies walk a fine line between indulgent and wholesome. Nuts, seeds, and oats make them healthier than the average cookie, but chocolate chips, brown sugar, and honey make them sweet and tasty. Enjoy these cookies for dessert, pop them in a lunch box, or enjoy as an on-the go-snack.
If you’re like us and you love lots of mix-ins in your cookies you’ll love this recipe! These oatmeal cookies are loaded with creamy, crunchy, chewy mix-ins. They are addicting.
Be sure to also try our Oatmeal Coconut Chocolate Chip Cookies, Kitchen Sink Cookies, Oatmeal Cream Pies, or Maple Oatmeal Cookies.
Recipe overview
Start by making the oatmeal cookie dough:
- Combine dry ingredients (flour, oats, salt, baking soda).
- Beat butter brown sugar, and honey.
- Add egg and vanilla to sugar mixture.
- Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients.
Once the dough is prepared you can stir in the mix-ins. I add one heaping cup of nuts, seeds, dried fruit, and chocolate chips.
Scoop the dough into 2-tablespoon balls and place on parchment lined baking sheet. Bake for 8-10 minutes.
Recipe tips
- Butter should be softened to cool room temperature. It should be soft but still cool to the touch. If the butter is over-softened (or beginning to melt) the cookies will spread too much in the oven.
- Line your baking sheets with parchment paper. This helps the cookies bake evenly and prevents them from spreading too much. Bonus: it also makes cleanup a breeze!
- Use a cookie scoop for evenly sized cookies. I like to make these cookies fairly large, about 2-tablespoons of dough per cookie.
- For thicker cookies leave the dough balls in mounds. For thinner cookies (pictured), lightly press down on the dough mounds before baking.
- Nestle a few extra “chips” or nuts on top of the dough balls before baking. This makes for a prettier cookie.
- Under bake the cookies. You should remove these cookies from the oven when they are just starting to turn light golden brown around the edges but they are still undercooked in the center. They should be so soft that you cannot pick them up off the baking sheet without them falling apart. They will firm up as they cool on the baking sheet.
What trail mix to use
You can use already prepared trail mix or you can use your own blend of nuts, seeds, dried fruit, and chocolate chips. Roughly chop any large nuts and avoid savory flavored trail mix.
If all of your trail mix is salted you can omit the salt in the recipe. If some components are salted (for example, I only had roasted salted pepitas), you can reduce the added salt or leave it based on your taste preferences. I like a noticeable salty-sweet balance.
Serving and storage
Serving: Serve these cookies at room temperature, chilled, or slightly warm (not too warm or they’ll fall apart).
Storage: Store tightly covered at room temperature for up to 3 days or refrigerated for up to 5 days. Cookies may be frozen for up to 3 months (double wrapped).
More cookie recipes
Recipe
Trail Mix Cookies
Ingredients
- ¾ cups old fashioned rolled oats
- ¾ cups all purpose flour
- ¾ teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt, see note
- ½ cup unsalted butter, softened but still cool
- ⅓ cup light brown sugar, packed, make sure it’s fresh and soft
- 2 tablespoons honey
- 1 large egg
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
- 1 ½ cups roughly chopped trail mix, divided (see note)
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350°F. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper and set aside.
- In a medium-sized bowl, combine oats, flour, baking soda, and salt. Set aside.
- With a hand mixer or stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat butter, brown sugar and honey for 1-2 minutes, until smooth and creamy. Add egg and vanilla and beat to combine.
- Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients and beat until combined. Stir in 1¼ cup of trail mix.
- Scoop the dough into 2-tablespoon balls and place a couple inches apart on the baking sheets (the dough will be sticky). If the dough is too sticky you can chill it in the refrigerator for 30 minutes. Use the remaining ¼ cup trail mix to press some pieces onto the top of each dough ball (this makes the trail mix more visible and makes for a prettier cookie). For thinner cookies (pictured) lightly press down on the dough balls to flatten just slightly. Or leave the dough balls in a mound for thicker cookies.
- Bake for 8-10 minutes, until the edges of the cookies are golden brown and the very center is still slightly underdone. Do not over bake, as they will finish cooking on the baking sheet. Place the baking sheets on wire racks and allow the cookies to cool completely.
Notes
- Butter should be softened to cool room temperature. It should be soft but still cool to the touch. If the butter is over-softened (or beginning to melt) the cookies will spread too much in the oven.
- Line your baking sheets with parchment paper. This helps the cookies bake evenly and prevents them from spreading too much. Bonus: it also makes cleanup a breeze!
- Use a cookie scoop for evenly sized cookies. I like to make these cookies fairly large, about 2-tablespoons of dough per cookie.
- For thicker cookies leave the dough balls in mounds. For thinner cookies (pictured), lightly press down on the dough mounds before baking.
- Nestle a few extra “chips” or nuts on top of the dough balls before baking. This makes for a prettier cookie.
- Under bake the cookies. You should remove these cookies from the oven when they are just starting to turn light golden brown around the edges but they are still undercooked in the center. They should be so soft that you cannot pick them up off the baking sheet without them falling apart. They will firm up as they cool on the baking sheet.
Nutrition
Nutritional Information is an estimate based on third-party calculations and may vary based on products used and serving sizes.
Tried this recipe?Leave a comment and rating below!Recipe updated January 2022
Brandi Johnson says
These cookies are SOOOOOO delicious. They have a light and chewy mouthfeel with a hint of sweetness all while the trail mix additions imply I’m doing something good for myself. Thank you for the recipe! I did 1 1/2 trail mix of my own (sunflower seeds, coconut, pipits, chocolate chips and sultana raisins).
Allison says
I’m glad you enjoyed them. 🙂
Teri says
I made these cookies today on a rainy day in San Diego. They are so delicious. They are perfect with a hot cup of coffee
Diana Mattis says
Excellent cookies. I used pecans, white and dark chocolate chips, dried cranberries and coconut for my “trail mix,” big hit! Thank you for a new favorite.
Allison says
You’re welcome! I’m glad you enjoyed them. 🙂
Emmy says
Hi! I want to make these cookies but I’m worried if they will be too sweet. Can you please recommend some alternatives to the recipe to decrease the sweetness? Thanks!!
Allison Mattina says
Hi! You can reduce the brown sugar to 1/4 cup. I wouldn’t reduce the sugar more than that. You can also choose mix-ins that are less sweet (like nuts instead of chocolate). Enjoy!
Chentzu says
Can I use gluten free all purpose flour or measure for measure
Allison Mattina says
I haven’t tried it on this specific recipe, but I would assume a gluten free 1:1 baking blend would work as a substitute.