Description
Santa’s Trash Cookies are a delightful holiday treat combining sweet and salty flavors with a fun mix of m&ms, peanut butter chips, potato chips, and broken pretzels in a soft, chewy cookie. Perfect for festive occasions, these cookies offer a nostalgic yet unique twist on the classic kitchen sink cookie.
Ingredients
Scale
Cookie Dough
- 1 cup butter
- 1 cup packed brown sugar
- ½ cup granulated sugar
- 2 large eggs
- 2 tsp vanilla extract
- ½ tsp baking powder
- 1 tsp baking soda
- 1 tsp salt
- 3 cups all-purpose flour
Mix-Ins
- ¾ cup M&M’s
- ½ cup peanut butter chips
- ½ cup potato chips
- ½ cup broken pretzels
- Flaked sea salt, for sprinkling
Instructions
- Preheat and Prepare: Preheat your oven to 365°F (185°C) and line two baking sheets with parchment paper to prevent sticking and ensure even baking.
- Cream Butter and Sugars: In a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, beat the butter, brown sugar, and granulated sugar on medium-high speed for 3 to 4 minutes until the mixture is light and fluffy.
- Add Eggs and Vanilla: Incorporate the eggs one at a time along with the vanilla extract, mixing until fully combined to create a smooth batter.
- Mix Dry Ingredients: Gradually add baking powder, baking soda, salt, and flour to the wet ingredients. Mix slowly and stop when some flour remains visible to avoid overmixing, which can toughen the cookies.
- Fold in Mix-Ins: Gently fold in M&M’s, peanut butter chips, potato chips, and broken pretzels to distribute them evenly without breaking them up too much.
- Shape Cookies: Using a ¼ cup cookie or ice cream scoop, form large dough balls and place 6 to 8 on each prepared baking sheet. Add a few extra M&M’s and mix-ins on top of each ball, then sprinkle with flaked sea salt for a perfect salty touch.
- Bake: Bake the cookies for 11 to 14 minutes until the edges are golden brown but the centers remain slightly glossy and soft.
- Shape if Needed: If cookies spread unevenly, gently use a spatula to round the edges while warm to maintain a nice circular shape.
- Cool and Serve: Allow cookies to cool on the baking sheets for a few minutes before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely, enhancing texture and flavor.
Notes
- Santa’s Trash Cookies are a festive variation of the kitchen sink cookie, combining sweet, salty, chocolate, and peanut butter flavors for a delightful holiday treat.
- Feel free to customize the mix-ins with whatever chips, candies, or salty snacks you have on hand.
- Using flaked sea salt on top balances the sweetness with a subtle crunch and enhances all flavors.
- Do not overmix the dough once flour is added to keep cookies tender.
- Cookie dough balls can be made larger or smaller depending on your preferred cookie size but adjust baking time accordingly.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 cookie
- Calories: 269 kcal
- Sugar: 21 g
- Sodium: 282 mg
- Fat: 12 g
- Saturated Fat: 7 g
- Unsaturated Fat: 4 g
- Trans Fat: 0.4 g
- Carbohydrates: 37 g
- Fiber: 1 g
- Protein: 3 g
- Cholesterol: 44 mg
