Almond Butter Trail Mix Cookies (Gluten-Free)

Preheat the oven to 350 F. Line a cookie sheet with parchment paper.

Toast almonds in the oven for 7-10 minutes (oven doesn’t have to be fully preheated at this point) until toasted and fragrant. Remove from oven. Let them cool for a few minutes.

Place almonds in a food processor and process for 5-10 minutes until it becomes smooth almond butter. You may have to stop it every so often to scrape down the sides. Once almonds have reached the desired consistency transfer to a bowl. Make sure this is about to room temperature before mixing with the other ingredients. It will make the dough easier to handle.

Add the egg, brown sugar, baking soda, and vanilla extract. Stir until completely combined. Stir in the raisins, dark chocolate chips, sunflower seeds, and peanuts.

Optional step: Refrigerate dough for 10-15 minutes before baking. This will result in denser cookies. If you don’t refrigerate they will spread a bit and will be thinner and crispier. They will be delicious either way!

Roll dough into your preferred size balls and place on the cookie sheet about 2 inches apart. Bake for 8 minutes. Remove from oven. Let them cool on the baking sheet for 5 minutes before transferring to a rack to cool completely.

Notes:
1. You can use store bought almond butter rather than making your own. Use 1 cup.
2. You can replace the raisins, chocolate chips, sunflower seeds, and peanuts with 1⅓ cups of your favorite trail mix.