Description
Santa’s Trash Cookies are a delightful mix of sweet and salty with a variety of textures and flavors. Packed with m&m’s, peanut butter chips, potato chips, and pretzels, these cookies offer a unique twist on the classic chocolate chip treat. Perfect for holiday baking or anytime you want a fun and flavorful cookie.
Ingredients
Scale
Cookie Dough
- 1 cup (227 g) butter
- 1 cup (220 g) packed brown sugar
- ½ cup (100 g) granulated sugar
- 2 large eggs
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- ½ teaspoon baking powder
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 3 cups (420 g) all-purpose flour
Mix-Ins
- ¾ cup (125 g) m&m’s
- ½ cup (85 g) peanut butter chips
- ½ cup (25 g) potato chips
- ½ cup (40 g) broken pretzels
- Flaked sea salt for sprinkling
Instructions
- Preheat Oven: 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 until the mixture is light and fluffy, about 3 to 4 minutes.
- Add Eggs and Vanilla: Mix in the eggs one at a time along with the vanilla extract until everything is well combined.
- Add Dry Ingredients: Slowly add the baking powder, baking soda, salt, and flour. Mix carefully to avoid overmixing, stopping when you still see some flour remnants to keep the cookies tender.
- Fold in Mix-Ins: Gently fold in the m&m’s, peanut butter chips, potato chips, and broken pretzels to distribute them evenly through the dough.
- Scoop Dough: Using a ¼ cup cookie or ice cream scoop, portion out large balls of dough onto the prepared baking sheets, placing 6-8 per sheet. Press a few extra mix-ins on top for visual appeal and sprinkle with flaked sea salt.
- Bake Cookies: Bake for 11-14 minutes, until the edges are golden brown and the centers have a slightly glossy appearance. For cookies that spread unevenly, use a spatula to gently bring the edges inward to form a nice round shape.
Notes
- You can customize the mix-ins to your taste. Substitute or add chocolate chips, white chocolate, or chopped candy bars for different flavor profiles.
- Using grams for measuring ingredients is more precise, especially for flour. If using cups, spoon the flour lightly into the cup to avoid packing and ensure accuracy.
- Flaked sea salt on top adds a nice contrast to the sweetness and enhances the flavors.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 cookie
- Calories: 180 kcal
- Sugar: 14 g
- Sodium: 150 mg
- Fat: 9 g
- Saturated Fat: 5 g
- Unsaturated Fat: 3 g
- Trans Fat: 0.3 g
- Carbohydrates: 22 g
- Fiber: 1.2 g
- Protein: 2 g
- Cholesterol: 30 mg
