Easy Trail Mix Cookies
Posted: 11/15/2021
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With M&Ms, peanuts, raisins, and convenient refrigerated cookie dough, easy trail mix cookies can be in your oven in just a few minutes!
Recipe Overview
Why you’ll love it: These cookies are super easy!
How long it takes: 5 minutes to prep, 10 minutes to bake each batch
Equipment you’ll need: large mixing bowl, rubber spatula, baking sheet, parchment paper, oven
Servings: Makes 18 cookies
Warm chocolate chip cookies loaded with the goodies found in trail mix, are delicious and so easy!
Trail mix is such a satisfying snack. How can you go wrong with salted peanuts, M&M’s, and raisins? It’s quick energy, portable, and satisfies our sweet tooth. We used to call it gorp, or “good ol’ raisins and peanuts.” (I always wondered where the name gorp came from –Thanks, Wikipedia!)
Add that tasty combo to chocolate chip cookies and you have a true winner. This recipe is super simple because you begin with refrigerated cookie dough and then just stir the goodies in.
Maybe you’re thinking that these cookies remind you of monster cookies. There are some similarities. Monster cookies generally are peanut butter cookies with oatmeal, M & M’s, and chocolate chips (try monster cookie energy balls!). Unlike monster cookies, trail mix cookies are made without oats or peanut butter.
If you’re looking for a cookie recipe that’s really easy and that everyone will love, this one nails it. The recipe is easy to customize, too!
Easy peasy! With prepared refrigerator cookie dough, you can make these cookies in a flash. If your kids like to help out in the kitchen, this is a perfect recipe for beginners. It’s also a perfect recipe if you’re short on time.
If you’re looking for more shortcut recipes, try peanut butter cookie bars with only five ingredients (the shortcut is Bisquick or Jiffy mix). We also love cake mix blondies with only six ingredients. Both of these easy recipes are great for beginner cooks.
Look for the printable recipe card near the end of this post. It has complete instructions, measurements, and nutrition information.
What you need
- Refrigerated Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough: The base of these cookies is one roll of pre-made cookie dough, such as Pillsbury or Toll House.
- M & M’s: There are lots of varieties! Choose your favorite.
- Dry Roasted Peanuts (Salted): While peanuts are a traditional trail mix ingredient, other nuts work fine, too.
- Raisins: Because your trail mix cookies need fruit, right?
How to make These Cookies
Turn your oven on and let’s get started. Line a cookie sheet with parchment paper. No pans to wash! Yes!
Find a nice big mixing bowl. Take the cookie dough out of the package and put it in the bowl.
Add the trail mix: M & M’s, peanuts, and raisins. If that combo isn’t your thing, try something different: coconut flakes, peanut butter chips, chocolate chips, or other dried fruits, such as cranberries, cherries, golden raisins, etc.
Don’t get really carried away with the add-ins though. Keep it to roughly two cups. If you add much more than that, the cookie dough won’t hold together.
Mix everything together! Try to resist eating it all at this point…
Drop big scoopfuls of dough onto the cookie sheet, about two inches apart.
Pop into the oven and bake until the edges turn golden brown.
FAQs
What can I do with extra trail mix?
If you have extra M & M’s, peanuts, and raisins, mix them together for an easy trail mix. Add more items like small crackers, pretzels, cereal, and so on.
Trail mix is a wonderful portable snack. Fill ziptop snack bags to make single servings that are perfect for lunchboxes or hiking.
What can you add to cookie dough mix?
Any kind of baking chips are perfect, such as semi-sweet, peanut butter, white chocolate, butterscotch, and so on. There are all types of M & M’s that are so wonderful. Reese’s Pieces are great! Candy sprinkles in assorted colors are so festive. Crushed sweet cereals are yummy, too, such as Cinnamon Toast Crunch, Cocoa Krispies, Fruity Pebbles or Lucky Charms, or other favorites. Dried fruits are great and pretty much any kind of nut. Be creative!
Make It Your Own
- Substitute different mix-ins, pretty much whatever you like! Take a look at the list above. Remember to keep the add-ins to no more than 2 cups.
- Can’t find chocolate chip cookie dough? Try a different variety of cookie dough. Peanut butter cookie dough, sugar cookie dough, oatmeal raisin cookie dough — there’s lots of choices!
- Make your own cookie dough, if you prefer. Try this recipe for chewy chocolate chip cookies. Omit the chocolate chips and add trail mix ingredients instead. Or make M&M cookies instead!
Make-Ahead Ideas
If you want to get a jump on making these cookies, mix the dough and trail mix ingredients, cover and refrigerate up to 24 hours in advance.
Or make the dough, shape it into balls, and freeze on a cookie sheet or tray. Once the balls are frozen, put them into a resealable bag, and bake whenever the craving hits for a fresh warm cookie!
Storage Suggestions
After cooling the cookies completely, store them in an airtight container. They’ll keep on the counter for at least a week or in the freezer for a month.
Leftover Love
One of my favorite ways to eat cookies is to lightly crush them and add them to ice cream as a topping. You may even want to add a drizzle of chocolate syrup or hot fudge!
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Did you make this? Be sure to leave a review below and tag me @rachelcooksblog on Facebook, Instagram, or Pinterest!
cookies
With M &Ms, peanuts, raisins, and convenient refrigerated cookie dough, easy trail mix cookies can be in your oven in just a few minutes!
Ingredients
- 1 roll (16.5 oz.) refrigerated chocolate chip cookie dough
- ½ cup M&M’s
- ½ cup salted dry roasted peanuts
- ½ cup raisins
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350°F and line a baking sheet with parchment paper; set aside.
- In a large mixing bowl, mix together cookie dough, M&M’s, peanuts, and raisins with a rubber spatula.
- Using a medium cookie scoop or large spoon, portion out cookie dough and place on the prepared baking pan, leaving 2 inches between cookies.
- Bake for 10 to 12 minutes until the edges begin to turn a golden brown.
- Let the cookies cool on the baking sheet for 2-3 minutes, then transfer to a wire cooling rack.
Notes
- Substitute different mix-ins, pretty much whatever you like! Just keep the add-ins to no more than 2 cups. More than that will be difficult to incorporate into the dough.
- Try a different variety of cookie dough. Peanut butter cookie dough, sugar cookie dough, oatmeal raisin cookie dough — there’s lots of choices!
- Make your own cookie dough, if you prefer. Try this recipe for chewy chocolate chip cookies. Omit the chocolate chips and add trail mix ingredients instead.
Nutrition Information
Serving: 1cookie, Calories: 97kcal, Carbohydrates: 10g, Protein: 2g, Fat: 6g, Saturated Fat: 2g, Polyunsaturated Fat: 4g, Cholesterol: 1mg, Sodium: 10mg, Fiber: 1g, Sugar: 7g
This website provides approximate nutrition information for convenience and as a courtesy only. Nutrition data is gathered primarily from the USDA Food Composition Database, whenever available, or otherwise other online calculators.
