These easy trail mix cookies are grain and refined sugar-free. They’re naturally sweetened with Medjool dates, and make the perfect healthy treat or satisfying snack.
Can we talk about how hard it is to make friends as an adult? The further I get from college, the harder it becomes. Throughout my 20’s, I have found it hard to find and connect with like-minded people who I truly enjoy being around. Some of the friendships I formed during my younger years have stood the test of time, as I do have some amazing friends I have continued to grow with throughout the years.
But life gets busy.
People move, they get married, they have babies and life changes. As much as we all love those solid old friendships we have held onto for so long, sometimes you have the strong desire to branch out. To connect with people who are in the same place in life as you.
I feel super fortunate to have made a lot of progress in this area over the past year or so. I’ve made a handful of amazing new friends who share my same interests – who are willing to go on the occasional (non-competitive) workout date, who are body-positive, and who snap pics of their food for the ‘gram as much as I do.
Last week, I was on a friend date with my girl Sarah, and we had one of those awesome “hey you like all the same stuff as me” kind of days. We went to the gym and helped each other film workout videos for our respective social channels and projects. We got in fun partner workout encouraging and pushing one another when we got tired. Then, we went to Jujubeet (one of our favorite juice/smoothie shops) where we knocked out a ton of work for our businesses.
Now that’s what I’m talking about. It was basically the best day ever.
During our work sesh at Jujubeet, I tried a yummy trail mix cookie they had in their case. It was super tasty and filled with coconut, dried cranberries and chocolate chips – aka all my favorite trail mix fixings. Their version was crunchy, which was awesome, but I knew I wanted to recreate it at home and try my hand at making a softer version.
To give the cookies a softer texture and get more bang for my nutritional buck, I sweetened them with Natural Delights Medjool Dates. Using dates in place of sugar gives these cookies the most amazing chewy texture, as well as an extra boost of fiber and potassium. They’re also made from a base of almond butter with coconut, dried cranberries and of course, chocolate chips.
Like a good friend, these cookies have major staying power. Give them a try and let me know what you think!
Easy Trail Mix Cookies (Paleo-Friendly)
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| Prep: | Cook: | Yield: 12-15 | Total: |
You'll Need...
- 1 Cup Almond Butter
- 1 Cup Pitted Natural Delights Medjool Dates, Chopped
- 1 Egg
- 1 Teaspoon Vanilla
- ½ Teaspoon Cinnamon
- ¼ Cup Shredded Coconut
- ¼ Cup Dried Cranberries
- ¼ Cup Chocolate Chips
Directions
- Preheat the oven to 350F and line a baking sheet with parchment paper or a silicone mat.
- In a food processor, combine the chopped dates, almond butter, egg, vanilla and cinnamon until all the ingredients are fully mixed and a ball of dough forms. Transfer to a mixing bowl.
- Add the coconut, dried cranberries and chocolate chips to the mixing bowl with the cookie dough. Stir until well incorporated.
- Use a cookie scoop or tablespoon to make balls out of the dough (each ball should be ~2 Tablespoons). Place on the cookie sheet and flatten slightly.
- Bake for 10-12 minutes. Remove from oven and let cool before serving.
This post is sponsored by Natural Delights Medjool Dates. I was compensated, and all opinions are my own. Thank you for supporting brands that keep The Balanced Berry running.
Your Turn:
- How are you feeling about making friends as an adult?
- Favorite type of cookie – TELL ME.
That’s so cool that you went on a friend outing, and you got inspiration for these beautiful little cookies. I so agree that it is hard to find friends as you get older, but when you do find a friend, they are such a treasure. It’s hard for me to change and when friends have to move on, get married, and have babies. But . . . that means too that I’m always given the opportunity to reach out and make new friends.
duuuuude, i totally get that. i had so many friends in university and then i graduated and became some kind of leper hermit with zero friends. hahaha. only after living in Toronto for close to three years have i started to expand my friend circle once again which took like way too long.
but ya. these cookies look awesome 😉