Granola Cookies

These cookies taste as if they’re complicated to make because they contain myriad ingredients. But one of those ingredients is trail mix. They can be a healthful alternative to other more decadent Christmas treats too.

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Yield: 4 dozen

Active time: 15 minutes

Start to finish: 30 minutes

1 tablespoon egg replacement powder, such as Ener-G

1 cup (16 tablespoons) soy margarine, softened

1 cup firmly packed light brown sugar

3/4 cup granulated sugar

1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

3/4 cup all-purpose flour

1/2 cup whole wheat flour

1 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon baking powder

1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1/4 teaspoon salt

2 cups old-fashioned oats

1/2 cup unsweetened flaked coconut

2 cups trail mix, coarsely chopped

1. Preheat the oven to 350°F, and grease two baking sheets or line them with silicone baking mats.

2. Mix egg replacement powder with 1/4 cup cold water, and set aside. Combine margarine, brown sugar, and granulated sugar in a mixing bowl, and beat at low speed with an electric mixer to blend. Increase the speed to high, and beat for 3 to 4 minutes, or until light and fluffy. Beat in egg replacement mixture and vanilla. Beat in all-purpose flour, whole-wheat flour, baking soda, baking powder, cinnamon, and salt at low speed. Stir in oats, coconut, and trail mix by hand.

3. Drop dough by tablespoons onto prepared baking sheets, 11/2 inches apart. Bake cookies for 12 to 15 minutes, or until browned. Allow cookies to cool for 3 minutes on baking sheets, and then transfer cookies to racks to cool completely.

Note: Keep cookies in an airtight container, layered between sheets of waxed paper or parchment, at room temperature for up to 5 days. Cookies can also be frozen for up to 2 months.

Variation:

star Substitute ground ginger for the cinnamon and substitute granola cereal for the trail mix.

It’s now fairly easy to find unsweetened coconut in the bulk food sections of whole food markets and the natural food sections of supermarkets, where most vegan ingredients are shelved. But if you end up with sweetened coconut, reduce the granulated sugar by 2 tablespoons for each 1/2 cup of coconut.