Vegan Trail Mix Cookies (Gluten-Free + Grain-Free)

Friends! They’re here! My new cookie crush.

Imagine this: a perfectly baked, tender cookie studded with dark chocolate (or dried fruit!) that’s naturally sweetened, vegan, gluten-free, and grain-free! Plus, it’s made with 10 wholesome ingredients you probably have on hand right now. Let’s bake!

The base of this cookie is inspired and adapted from my Best Almond Meal Chocolate Chip Cookies. Aquafaba provides moisture and binding (acting as our egg substitute), almond flour and shredded coconut replace traditional flours, and coconut oil replaces butter.

To keep things naturally sweetened, we went with coconut sugar and a little maple syrup. To keep these entirely refined sugar-free, be sure to use a bittersweet dark chocolate chip (or unsweetened dried fruit!).

The star of the show is seeds! I used this lovely Superfood Burcha mix, which includes tasty things like pumpkin, flax, sesame, sunflower, and cacao nibs. But you can really use any combination of seeds you want!

The result is a cookie with lots of fiber, healthy fats, protein, and a subtle crunch.

We hope you LOVE these cookies! They’re:

Tender on the inside
Perfectly browned on the outside
Naturally sweet
Studded with dark chocolate
Easy to make
& Healthier than your average cookie!

These would make the perfect healthier dessert to have on hand throughout the week. Store in a cookie jar (because fun) or in the freezer to keep them fresh even longer! I could see making these in larger batches and tucking them away in the freezer for future snack attacks. Also, these would make the ideal trail, camping, or road trip treat! So many options.

For healthier cookie recipes, check out our 5-Ingredient Vegan Gluten-Free Cookies, 3-Ingredient No Bake Peanut Butter Cookies, Healthy Chocolate Chip Oatmeal Cookies, and Fudgy Vegan Brownie Cookies!

If you try this recipe, let us know! Leave a comment, rate it, and don’t forget to tag a photo #minimalistbaker on Instagram. Cheers, friends!

Vegan Trail Mix Cookies (Gluten-Free + Grain-Free)

Vegan, gluten-free trail mix cookies made with 10 wholesome ingredients and simple methods. A delicious, tender, chewy snack or dessert!

Author Minimalist Baker

Print SAVE SAVED

5 from 69 votes

Prep Time 45 minutes minutes

Cook Time 15 minutes minutes

Total Time 1 hour hour

Servings 7 (large cookies)

Course Dessert, Snack

Cuisine Gluten-Free, Grain-Free, Vegan

Freezer Friendly 1 month

Does it keep? 1 Week

Cook ModePrevent your screen from going dark

Ingredients

US Customary – Metric

• 1 ¼ cups almond flour
• 1/3 cup vegan dark chocolate* (bar or chips), loosely chopped (or sub dried fruit of choice)
• 1/4 cup mixed seeds* (such as hemp seeds, sesame seeds, ground pumpkin, or ground flax seeds)
• 1/4 cup desiccated unsweetened coconut
• 1/2 tsp baking powder
• 1/4 tsp sea salt
• 1/3 cup coconut sugar
• 1/4 cup aquafaba (chickpea brine)
• 3 Tbsp coconut oil, melted
• 1/2 tsp vanilla extract (optional)
• 1 Tbsp maple syrup

Instructions

• In a large mixing bowl, stir together almond flour, dark chocolate chips, seeds, coconut, baking powder, salt, and coconut sugar.
• In a separate bowl, beat aquafaba (using a handheld mixer or whisking vigorously) until light and fluffy and loose peaks have formed. (TIP: Add a little cream of tartar to help it along if not whipping.)
• To the aquafaba, add the melted coconut oil, vanilla (optional), and maple syrup and beat or whisk to combine (aquafaba will deflate a little – that’s normal). Then add to dry ingredients and mix until just combined. You should have a firm, semi-tacky dough (see photo). If too wet, add a bit more coconut or almond flour.
• Loosely cover and chill in the refrigerator for at least 30 minutes or overnight. 
• Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (176 C). Scoop out 3-Tablespoon amounts of dough (I used this scoop, scooped out two balls, and then formed them together) and form into balls. Then slightly press them down into discs (see photo). Top with a few more chocolate chips if desired.
• Place on a bare or parchment-lined baking sheet with about a 1-inch gap in between each cookie to allow for a little spreading. Bake for 20-25 minutes or until the undersides are golden brown and the tops appear slightly puffy and cracked.
• Remove from oven and let cool on the pan for 10 minutes. Then carefully loosen with a spatula – they can stick a little to the bare pan.
• Enjoy immediately or let cool completely before storing leftovers in a sealed container at room temperature up to 4 days, 1 week in the refrigerator, or 1 month in the freezer. 

Video

Notes

*To keep these entirely refined sugar-free, be sure to use a bittersweet dark chocolate chip (or unsweetened dried fruit!).
*The seed mixture I used is the Superfood Burcha from Feel the Lean. Feel free to mix and match any of these seeds. If using large seeds (like pumpkin or sunflower seeds), give them a blitz in a blender or food processor or chop finely with a knife before using.
*Nutrition information is a rough estimate calculated with 1 Tbsp of each type of seed listed and without optional vanilla.

Nutrition (1 of 7 servings)

Serving: 1 Cookies Calories: 302 Carbohydrates: 20.9 g Protein: 6.4 g Fat: 24.7 g Saturated Fat: 10.2 g Sodium: 123 mg Potassium: 199 mg Fiber: 4.7 g Sugar: 14.1 g Vitamin C: 0 mg Calcium: 70 mg Iron: 3.2 mg