Kitchen Sink Trail Mix Cookies

Snow days were made for baking.  Cold afternoons when you are stuck inside just call for a warm oven and the smell of cookies.  Earlier this week we had a snow day here in DC.  It wasn't really that snowy, but the government shut down and most people stayed home from work, so it felt like a genuine snow day.  And I decided it was the perfect opportunity to make cookies.

I had saved this recipe for trail mix cookies a while back so it served as an inspiration for these cookies.  I used what I had in my kitchen (a whole assortment of nuts, seeds, and fruits) and thus I coined these cookies "Kitchen Sink Trail Mix Cookies."  Slightly sweet with chunks of nuts and chocolate, they make the perfect healthy dessert and afternoon pick-me-up.  

Kitchen Sink Trail Mix Cookies - Vegan and Gluten Free

Wet ingredients:

1 large ripe banana (mashed)
1/4 cup unsweetened apple sauce

1/4 cup nut butter

1/4 cup coconut oil

1/4 cup maple syrup

1 tsp vanilla

Dry ingredients:

1 1/2 cup GF flour

1/2 cup GF rolled oats

1/4 cup raw cashews, chopped

1/4 cup raw walnuts, chopped

2 TBSP sunflower seeds

2 TBSP pumpkin seeds

4 TBSP hemp seeds

3/4 cup chocolate chips

1/4 (scant) brown sugar

1 tsp cinnamon

1/2 tsp sea salt

1/2 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp baking soda

Preheat oven to 350F and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.

In a medium mixing bowl, stir wet ingredients until well combined.  In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the dry ingredients.  Add the wet to the dry, and mix until just combined.  Scoop tablespoons of dough onto the prepared baking sheet (you may have to roll the dough into balls and then flatten slightly).  Bake for 12-15 minutes.  Cool on baking sheet for a few minutes before moving to a wire rack to cool completely.

A few notes:
- My cookies were a bit on the dry side (I like an underdone cookie).  This may be attributed to the GF flour that I used (Trader Joe's brand, which is a combination of rice flours).  Next time I will probably try with oat flour, as I have had better luck with it in the past.  I would also bake for less time (12-13 minutes).
- The consistency of the wet mixture will depend on two things: the size of your banana and the thickness of your nut butter.  I suggest using a type of natural nut butter, which is generally more liquidy than conventional.  If your dough feels too dry (there are still big patches of flour even after mixing), add a bit more nut butter and applesauce.
- Feel free to mix it up - I used the nuts and seeds listed above because that is what I had in my pantry!  Check out the original recipe here for more ideas for add-ins.