Sat. Rick's Recipes: TRAIL MIX COOKIES

 

Photograph By Laura Murray. Food Styling By Yekaterina Boytsova

These cookies are inspired by the most trusted human energy source: trail mix. They’re crammed with toasted nuts (such as walnuts, pecan, cashews), dried fruit (like apricots, raisins, and tart cherries), hearty oats, and chocolate.  SOURCE: BY SOHLA EL-WAYLLY

Ingredients

MAKES TWELVE 3" COOKIES

1½ cups assorted raw nuts and seeds

½ cup (60 g) old-fashioned oats

1 large egg

4 Tbsp. unsalted butter, melted

¼ cup (packed; 50 g) dark brown sugar

2 Tbsp. (25 g) granulated sugar

1½ tsp. vanilla extract

1 tsp. kosher salt

½ tsp. baking soda

¾ cup assorted dried fruit (cut into ½" pieces if large)

¾ cup chopped bittersweet chocolate bars or chips or disks

½ cup (63 g) all-purpose flour

 

Preparation

Step 1

Place racks in upper and lower thirds of oven; preheat to 350°. Toast nuts and seeds and oats on a rimmed baking sheet, tossing once, until golden brown, 10–12 minutes. Transfer to a medium bowl; let cool.

Step 2

Meanwhile, mix egg, butter, brown sugar, granulated sugar, vanilla, salt, and baking soda in a large bowl; let sit until nuts are cool (this will make for a chewier cookie).

Step 3

Add dried fruit and chocolate to nut mixture; toss to combine. Give egg mixture a good stir, then stir in flour. Mix in nut mixture, smashing it against the sides of the bowl with a rubber spatula, until combined and mix-ins are evenly coated in dough. (It will look like too many mix-ins, but dough will come together as it chills.) Cover and chill at least 2 hours and up to 3 days.

Step 4

Reheat oven to 350°. Using a ⅓-cup measure or #16 cookie scoop, portion out dough, packing firmly, to make 12 cookies. Divide between 2 parchment-lined baking sheets as you go. Using measuring cup or your hand, press cookies into 2½"-diameter disks about ¾" thick; sprinkle with sea salt.

 

Step 5

Bake cookies, rotating baking sheets top to bottom and front to back once, until golden brown and no longer wet-looking, 11–13 minutes. Let cool on baking sheets.

Step 6

Do Ahead: Cookies can be made 1 week ahead. Store airtight at room temperature.