Description
Santa’s Trash Cookies are a delightful holiday treat that combine sweet and salty flavors with a mix of chocolate, peanut butter, and crunchy snacks. Loaded with M&M’s, peanut butter chips, potato chips, and pretzels, these cookies offer a fun and festive twist on the classic kitchen sink cookie, perfect for sharing during the holiday season.
Ingredients
Scale
Base Ingredients
- 1 cup butter
- 1 cup packed brown sugar
- ½ cup granulated sugar
- 2 large eggs
- 2 tsp vanilla
Dry Ingredients
- ½ tsp baking powder
- 1 tsp baking soda
- 1 tsp salt
- 3 cups all-purpose flour
Add-ins
- ¾ cup M&M’s
- ½ cup peanut butter chips
- ½ cup potato chips
- ½ cup broken pretzels
Topping
- 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 becomes light and fluffy, about 3 to 4 minutes. This creates a creamy base for the cookies.
- Add Eggs and Vanilla: Incorporate the eggs one at a time along with the vanilla extract, mixing until fully combined to help bind the ingredients together and add flavor.
- Mix Dry Ingredients: Gradually add the baking powder, baking soda, salt, and all-purpose flour to the wet mixture. Mix slowly and stop as soon as the flour is mostly incorporated to avoid over-mixing, leaving some flour traces around the bowl.
- Fold in Add-ins: Gently fold in the M&M’s, peanut butter chips, potato chips, and broken pretzels. These add texture and a delightful combination of salty and sweet flavors.
- Scoop Dough: Use a ¼ cup cookie or ice cream scoop to form large dough balls. Place 6 to 8 dough balls on each prepared baking sheet, spacing them out well. Add a few extra M&M’s and other mix-ins on top of each dough ball for a colorful and tasty finish, then sprinkle lightly with flaked sea salt.
- Bake Cookies: Bake in the preheated oven for 11 to 14 minutes, until the cookies are golden brown on the outside yet still have a slightly glossy and soft texture inside to keep them chewy.
- Shape Cookies if Needed: If the cookies spread unevenly, use a spatula to gently press the edges back into a round shape for an attractive appearance.
- Cool and Serve: Allow the cookies to cool for a few minutes on the baking sheet before transferring them to a wire rack to cool completely. Enjoy the perfect balance of salty and sweet in every bite!
Notes
- Santa’s Trash Cookies are essentially a holiday version of the kitchen sink cookie, loaded with a mix of sweet and salty ingredients.
- Feel free to customize the add-ins based on what you have on hand, such as different types of chips or candy.
- Using flaked sea salt on top enhances the contrast between sweet and salty flavors.
- Do not over mix the dough to ensure tender cookies with a nice texture.
- Large cookie dough scoops help create cookies with a perfect chewy center and crispy edges.
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
