Whole Foods Trail Mix Cookies

First, toast the nuts. Preheat oven to 350 F and spread almonds out on a baking sheet. Toast for 2 minutes, then add the walnuts and toast for another 5-8 minutes. This will vary a lot by oven, so keep a close eye on them. Once the nuts are a few shades darker, remove pan from the oven, allow nuts to cool for a few minutes then chop them.

In a large bowl, beat together the butter and both types of sugar with a hand mixer. You can also use a KitchenAid mixer for this step if you have one. Beat together until light and fluffy, about 3-5 minutes, scraping down the sides of the bowl occasionally. Add the vanilla, almond milk and flax seeds and beat until just combined.

In a medium-sized bowl, mix together the dry ingredients (flour through salt). Add in all of the mix-ins (chocolate through blueberries as well as the toasted nuts) and stir until thoroughly combined.

Dump the dry mixture into the large bowl with the wet mixture. Stir until the dough is evenly mixed. At this point, sampling is mandatory. Anyone else in the vicinity would probably appreciate a sample, too. But leaving some dough to bake later is also mandatory, so don’t get carried away! Cover with plastic wrap and place in refrigerator for at least 3 hours and up to a few days.

When ready to bake, preheat the oven to 325 F. Line several cookie sheets with parchment paper. Remove cookie dough from fridge and scoop it out in 1/4 cup balls. Flatten each ball slightly with the palm of your hand and place them on your prepared baking tray. These cookies hold together nicely and won’t spread too much, but keep a few inches between them just in case. Bake for 15-18 minutes or until cookies are a light golden brown. Remove from oven and cool the entire sheet on a cooling rack for a few minutes. Finally, remove cookies from the sheet and place directly on the rack to finish cooling.

I love eating these cookies while still warm, although they will keep for several days in a sealed container.

Enjoy!

Adapted from Joanne Chang’s Flour cookbook.