When you’re in need of a healthful treat to pack in the lunch box or just an after school treat you can feel good about serving, look no farther than these Nature Cookies.
A few years ago (ok, maybe it was a little longer than that) when I was in middle school, I went on a two and a half week camping trip with some of my classmates. We drove from Kentucky to Colorado to hike, camp and experience living in the wilderness. On our long daily walks through the mountains we would munch on bags of trail mix filled with seeds, dried fruit and nuts, which gave us the energy we needed to go all day and also kept us satisfied between meals. For whatever reason I called it “nature mix”, and I loved it.
When I started writing the Weelicious Lunches Cookbook I couldn’t get that memory out of my head and so I tried to put a fresh spin on the nature mix of my youth. I wanted to make a “healthy” cookie that kids could take to school, eat as a snack or even have for breakfast since it would be filled with all the same naturally sweet, crunchy foods that kept me going on those Colorado mountain trails. I figured packaging all those ingredients in a cookie would make it just as exciting to kids to eat as it did to their parents who knew they were sending their kids off to school with something good in their bellies.
I have made batches upon batches of these cookies for my family and friends over the past few years, and now the publisher of the Weelicious Lunches cookbook has graciously allowed me to share it on the site with you. I like to freeze what we don’t eat right away to slip into my kids’ lunch boxes in the morning or to warm up for them as an impromptu after dinner treat.
If you school is nut-free like ours, you can substitute pumpkin seeds for the walnuts which give it that added crunch. Either way, I’m very excited for you to try these naturally delicious cookies!
Nature Cookies
Ingredients
- 1 cup whole wheat flour
- 2 cups old fashioned oats
- 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1/2 cup unsalted butter, softened (1 stick)
- 1/2 cup honey
- 1 large egg
- 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
- 1/2 cup raisins
- 3/4 cup chopped walnuts
- 1/4 cup sunflower seeds
- 1/4 cup chocolate morsels
- 1/4 cup dried cherries
- greek yogurt
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350°F.
- In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, oats, baking soda, salt, and cinnamon.
- In the bowl of a standing mixer, or in a large bowl using an electric mixer, cream together the butter and honey until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes.
- Add the egg and vanilla and mix to combine.
- Slowly add the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients and mix until just combined.
- Fold in the raisins, walnuts, sunflower seeds, chocolate morsels, and dried cherries.
- Using a small ice cream scoop or a tablespoon measure, drop the dough onto Silpat- or parchment-lined baking sheets. Using the back of the ice cream scoop or the palm of your hand, gently press the dough down into disks. (They won’t spread during baking.)
- Bake until golden brown, about 12 minutes.
- Transfer to a wire rack to cool.
Notes
- To make giant nature cookies, you can use a 1/4 cup measure and add 5 minutes to the baking time.
Just made these for the second time. They’re so good. I followed the recipe exactly the first time… This time, we’re adding coconut flakes and dried cranberries. I don’t need 3 dozen cookies, so I made a dozen and froze the rest for a future batch. Love the make-ahead factor!
Mine came out super dry – any idea?! I like them but the kids are gulping water 🙂 thanks!!
We made these cookies today and they are awesome! Everyone loves them and I like that they are healthy. Thanks for the recipe.
Okay, so I made these last night and the kids went bananas for them! Great recipe!
These are fantastic! We had to modify the recipe slightly as our youngest cannot have dairy or tree nuts, but they turned out great. I really appreciate the oat to flour ratio.
Can these be made gluten free?
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I haven’t tested these that way, but I think it should work just fine! I like to use King Arthur Flour Gluten-Free All-Purpose flour blend!
Is it possible to use GF all purpose flour?! Thank you!!! We LOVE your recipes!!!!
I haven’t tried those flours, but I think they would work!
Can I use almond or coconut flour instead of wheat flour?
I have used a mashed banana, 1 tablespoon grond flax + 3 tablespoons water, or applesauce with good results in other cookie recipes!
My daughter is allergic to eggs and even 1 egg in a cookie is enough to bother her. Her throat gets itchy and if it’s bad enough will start to close up. What is your best idea as a go to to replace an egg in a cookie recipe? I’ve seen you can use a water cornstarch mixture, oil, banana. Do you have a suggestion that works best? Thanks!
Love these cookies! I am a sucker for macadamia nuts so I usually chop those up and add them in with just a touch of white chocolate chunks. I have also had success omitting the egg and using a small banana in it’s place!
Trail mix is one of our go-to snacks and I know we’re just going to love these cookies! I love all the possibilities this recipe offers for customizing according to what I have in the house:)
We love these at our house. We usually add in flax, pistachios, dried blueberries, and a comdo of white and dark chocolate.