Description
Deliciously soft and chewy Trail Mix Cookies packed with peanut butter, oats, chocolate chips, M&M’s, almonds, and roasted peanuts. These cookies are sweetened with brown sugar and honey, offering a delightful blend of textures and flavors perfect for snacking or as a treat.
Ingredients
Scale
Wet Ingredients
- 6 tbsp (84g) unsalted butter, at room temperature
- ⅓ cup (80ml) smooth regular peanut butter
- ⅔ cup (145g) packed light brown sugar
- 1 large egg, at room temperature
- 1 teaspoon (5ml) pure vanilla extract
- 1 tablespoon (15ml) honey
Dry Ingredients
- 1 cup (142g) all-purpose flour
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon baking powder
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ¾ cup (75g) rolled oats
Mix-ins
- ½ cup (85g) dark chocolate chips
- ⅓ cup (70g) M&M’s or other candy-coated chocolates (plus extra for topping)
- ⅓ cup (45g) roasted peanuts
- ¼ cup (30g) chopped almonds
Instructions
- Cream Butter and Sugars: In a large bowl, combine the softened unsalted butter, smooth peanut butter, and packed light brown sugar. Use a spatula to blend these ingredients together by the creaming method until the mixture is smooth, evenly blended, and slightly fluffy, resembling wet sand.
- Add Egg, Vanilla, and Honey: Mix in the large egg and pure vanilla extract until fully incorporated. Then add the honey and mix thoroughly to combine all wet ingredients evenly.
- Incorporate Oats and Dry Ingredients: Stir in the rolled oats. Sprinkle the all-purpose flour evenly over the batter, then add the baking soda, baking powder, and salt on top. Gently mix the dry ingredients into the batter with a spatula to roughly blend raising agents, then fold everything together until mostly combined.
- Add Mix-ins: Fold in the dark chocolate chips, M&M’s, roasted peanuts, and chopped almonds until they are evenly distributed throughout the cookie dough.
- Chill the Dough: Cover the surface of the dough directly with plastic wrap and refrigerate it for 30 minutes while preheating the oven. This step helps the dough firm up for easier handling and better texture.
- Preheat Oven and Prepare Sheets: Preheat your oven to 350°F (175°C). Line two large cookie sheets with parchment paper to prevent sticking.
- Portion and Shape Cookies: Using a 1.35-ounce cookie scoop, portion dough balls onto the prepared cookie sheets, spacing them at least 2 inches apart to allow for spreading. Press a few extra chocolate chips and candy-coated chocolates on top of each dough ball for a decorative finish.
- Bake: Bake the cookies for 11-13 minutes until they are evenly browned on the bottom, lightly golden on the top and edges, but still slightly soft in the center. Avoid underbaking as this can make them too soft.
- Cool Cookies: Let the cookies cool on the baking sheets for 3 minutes to set, then transfer them individually to a wire rack to cool completely. This ensures a perfect chewy texture.
Notes
- These cookies have a soft, chewy texture loaded with trail mix ingredients such as peanuts, almonds, chocolate, and candy-coated chocolates.
- Sweetened with both brown sugar and honey for balanced sweetness and moisture.
- Do not underbake; cookies should be golden on top and edges but slightly soft in the center to maintain chewiness.
- Feel free to customize by substituting some chocolate with dried fruits like raisins for a different twist.
- Ensure to chill dough before baking for better texture and easier shaping.
- Use parchment paper-lined baking sheets for easy cookie release and cleanup.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 cookie
- Calories: 180
- Sugar: 13g
- Sodium: 110mg
- Fat: 10g
- Saturated Fat: 3.5g
- Unsaturated Fat: 6g
- Trans Fat: 0g
- Carbohydrates: 20g
- Fiber: 2g
- Protein: 4g
- Cholesterol: 30mg
