This gorgeous and super-delicious Trail Mix Recipe is perfect for holiday gift-giving or to have out to share for the holidays. Filled full of dried cranberries, dried apples, white chocolate chips, nuts, pepitas, plus gorgeous seasonal spices, makes this recipe an addictive one.
If you love gift-giving that is DIY, then you must also look at our 37 DIY Homemade Christmas Gifts.
Trail mix is a snack mix that usually combines a variety of nuts, dried fruits, seeds, chocolate, and sometimes grains or seeds. It’s designed to be lightweight, nutritious, and portable. This is a favorite snack for hikers, campers, and anyone needing a quick energy boost on the go, hence the name “trail” mix.
Why I Love This Recipe
- Love the flavors
- Crave a salty-sweet snack
- Enjoy giving a DIY gift for the holidays
- Great for a Teacher’s Gift
- Fun to make
Helpful Items For This Recipe
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50 Pcs 5×8 inches Matte Frosted (Not Clear) Zipper Stand Up Drink Bags, Snack Food, Pouches
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It is important to get raw nuts and seeds, or you may over-roast and burn them in the process of making this snack. They are easy to find now in grocery stores and markets.
Recipe Ingredients
Raw whole almonds, Raw whole cashews, Raw pepitas – This is an excellent mix of delicious nuts and seeds. Feel free to mix it up to how you like it.
Coconut oil, melted – This is the perfect oil for this recipe, as it is great to roast nuts with. It imparts a little flavor and withstands the high heat.
Brown sugar – This adds a bit of sweetness, but watch when baking that it doesn’t burn.
Ground cinnamon and nutmeg – Perfect fall spices that add a gorgeous flavor to the trail mix.
Salt – This enhances everything: the spices, the nuts, the fruit, etc.
Dried cranberries and dried apples – Perfect pairing of sweet and tart, with familiar holiday flavors.
White chocolate chips – If you would like this to be vegan, then omit or use an alternative chocolate with no milk products. I find it is the perfect sweet hit with all the other ingredients.
How to Make Homemade Trail Mix
Preheat your oven to 350°F and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
Add the almonds, cashews, and pepitas to a large bowl. Mix together the melted coconut oil, brown sugar, cinnamon, salt, and nutmeg in a small bowl, then pour over the nuts and seeds. Toss until everything is coated.
Spread the nut mixture in a single layer on the baking sheet. Bake for 5-8 minutes, until lightly toasted. Remove from the oven and let cool completely on the baking sheet for at least 30 minutes. Break apart any clumps that form as it cools.
Add the spiced nuts and seeds with the cranberries and apples in a large bowl. Stir to distribute the fruit throughout the mix. Fold in the white chocolate chips last.
Portion the trail mix into the resealable bags for gifting.
You can punch two holes in the top of the bag to insert ribbon or string to attach the gift tags.
Recipe Pro Tips
Variations and Substitutions
Feel free to use your favorite nuts and seeds such as walnuts, sunflower seeds and pecans.
If you prefer other dried fruits, raisins or dried cherries make great alternatives.
You can also swap the white chocolate chips for dark, milk, or peanut butter chips.
Storage Notes
Store the trail mix in a sealed, airtight container at room temperature in a cool, dry place for up to two weeks. Avoid the fridge as it can make the mix too soft.
Troubleshooting and Prep Tips
Make sure the nuts and seeds are absolutely cool to the touch before adding the white chocolate.
Keep a close eye on the nuts while they bake; the sugar coating can go from perfectly toasted to burnt very quickly.
Using parchment paper is important, as the sugar coating will become very sticky and hard to remove from a bare pan.
HERE ARE SOME MORE GREAT SNACK MIXES FOR SHARING
We love making snacks and snack mix. Here are some of our favorites.
Download Your Free Tags
I’ve made you some free tags for your Trail Mix Bags that you can print off at home. Just fill out the form below to get them delivered right to your inbox.
Download Your Free Ingredient Labels
I’ve made you some free ingredient labels for your Trail Mix Bags that you can print off at home. Just fill out the form below to get them delivered right to your inbox.
Trail Mix Recipe
Ingredients
- 1 cup raw whole almonds
- 1 cup raw whole cashews
- ⅔ cup raw pepitas
- 2 tablespoons coconut oil melted
- 2 tablespoons brown sugar
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- ¼ teaspoon ground nutmeg
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 1 cup dried cranberries
- ⅔ cup dried apples roughly chopped
- 1 cup white chocolate chips
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 350°F and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
- Add the almonds, cashews, and pepitas to a large bowl. Mix together the melted coconut oil, brown sugar, cinnamon, salt, and nutmeg in a small bowl, then pour over the nuts and seeds. Toss until everything is coated.
- Spread the nut mixture in a single layer on the baking sheet. Bake for 5-8 minutes, until lightly toasted. Remove from the oven and let cool completely on the baking sheet for at least 30 minutes. Break apart any clumps that form as it cools.
- Add the spiced nuts and seeds with the cranberries and apples in a large bowl. Stir to distribute the fruit throughout the mix. Fold in the white chocolate chips last.
- Portion the trail mix into the resealable bags for gifting.
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