With the weather shifting and before school starts, think about taking yourself and your family on a beach walk or a hike in the woods. Before you know it the rains will be back and venturing outdoors will take a bigger commitment. I find that being in nature is one of the best ways for me to clear my head, reduce stress and anxiety and become more energized.

I was an Outward Bound instructor in Maine for several seasons and taught my students about the importance of staying hydrated as well as eating well while in the field. Gorp was a mainstay snack because it was high in fiber, protein and carbohydrates. In case you are not familiar with gorp — it means “Good Old Raisins and Peanuts.” This nutritious cookie is a riff on the snack and is a great hiking companion. Feel free to adjust the add-ins to suit your tastes and remember if you have a peanut allergy feel free to substitute almonds, hazelnuts, pecans, walnuts or even macadamia nuts.

This is a cross between a chocolate chip cookie and an oatmeal cookie put on steroids. Adjust the baking time for your preference. If you like chewy cookies, take them out of the oven a bit sooner. If you enjoy a crisper cookie, make sure you bake until golden. Just remember that cookies continue to carry-over bake when they are removed from the oven.

These cookies keep well in a sealed storage container and they hold up when frozen. But I can almost guarantee that they won’t be around for long. Pack up a bag of these Gorp cookies as well as a friend and spend some time outdoors. The days are already getting much shorter!

Gorp Cookies

Ingredients

2 cups/256 g all-purpose flour
2 1/2 cups/250 g rolled oats
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 cup/226 g unsalted butter, softened
1 cup/220 g light brown sugar, packed
1/2 cup/100 g granulated sugar
2 large eggs
2 teaspoons vanilla
4 ounces/115 g semi or bittersweet chocolate chips or chunks
4 ounces/115 g M&M’s, or another similar candy
1 cup/145 g classic salted peanuts
1/2 cup/70 g raisins
1/2 cup/70 g dried cherries or cranberries

Instructions

Heat oven to 350℉. In a medium bowl, stir together flour, oats, salt, baking soda and cinnamon.

In a stand mixer or using a hand mixer, cream together butter and sugars. Beat in eggs one at a time, then add the vanilla. Add flour mixture and mix on low speed until just combined. Add chocolate, nuts and dried fruits; mix on low speed until combined.

Line two baking sheet pans with parchment paper.

Use a cookie scoop to form golf-ball-size balls (35 g each) of dough, and place onto the prepared baking sheet, 1 1/2 inches apart.

Bake for 15 to 17 minutes, switching positions from top to bottom and front to back halfway through the baking time.

Transfer cookies to a rack to cool.

Watch them disappear!

Note: Cookie dough can be wrapped and refrigerated or frozen and baked later.

— By Deborah Binder

Deborah Binder lives in Edmonds with her family. She loves to cook from scratch using produce from the gardens she created and maintains with her husband. She attended culinary school on the East Coast and focused on desserts, pastries and bread. She’s worked for restaurants and caterers in the front and back of the house (kitchen) on both coasts. Her current interest in food is learning to eat for health and wellness, while at the same time enjoying the pleasures of the table. Deborah loves experimenting and developing new recipes. As Julia Child once said, “Everything in moderation including butter.” Deborah can be contacted at jaideborah@yahoo.com.