Santa's Trash Cookies are the ultimate cookie recipe, and possibly the only one you'll need this holiday season. If you are a fan of sweet AND salty, then you'd better keep this in your back pocket! It's a basic, chewy cookie with bits of crunchy pretzels, crispy potato chips, and M&Ms. Each bite is magical!
Recipe Essentials
- 🍽️ Course: Dessert
- ⏱️ Cooking Time: 12 minutes
- 🍴 Servings: 24
- 🧄 Flavor Profile: Sweet and salty.
- 🍚 Best Served With: Best served with a cold glass of milk, a mug of hot cocoa, or a peppermint-flavored coffee.
- 🧊 Make Ahead?: Yes, Dough keeps 2-3 days in the fridge.
Summarize and Save This Content On
I make these for every holiday occasion I can, from potlucks to parties, and even just because! I crave that sweet and salty combination, and these trash cookies more than deliver. If you're looking for a delectable sweet treat that's worth sharing, you've found it!
More amazing holiday cookie recipes include gingerbread snowflakes and Christmas crack cookies.
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Why You'll Love This Recipe
- It's customizable: You can truly make these garbage cookies your own! There are endless possibilities when it comes to mix-ins and flavor combinations.
- It's a crowd-pleaser: Everyone loves these Christmas trash cookies. If I bring them to share, they all get eaten, and several people go home with the recipe.
- It has balanced flavors: The salty and sweet combo keeps these cookies from leaning overly sweet or too salty. You get the best of both worlds!
Ingredients
The most important ingredients for Santa's trash cookies recipe are listed below. You can't have the perfect result without these!
- Butter: Unsalted, softened butter is best. Salted butter will make the cookies taste too salty. If it's all you have, omit the additional salt in the dough.
- Sugar: That magic combination of white and brown sugar makes the best chewy cookie ever. The edges will still brown, but the center will remain nice and soft.
- Mix-ins: I use pretzels, potato chips, M&Ms, and semi-sweet chocolate chips. These together create just the right amount of sweet and salty flavor as well as crunchiness.
See the recipe card below for exact ingredient amounts, nutritional information, and detailed instructions.
Variations
- Peppermint white chocolate: Swap the swmi-sweet chips for white chocolate, and the sprinkles for crushed candy canes on top to make them extra festive.
- Add toffee bits: Trade some of the pretzels or chocolate chips for toffee bits to add a buttery crunch.
- Double chocolate: Fold about ¼ cup of cocoa powder into the cookie dough to create a double chocolate version.
How to Make Santa's Trash Cookies
Here are the steps needed to make Santa's trash cookies. Before you get started, preheat your oven to 350 degrees and line your baking sheets with parchment paper, because you will likely need more than one!
Step 1: Combine the wet ingredients. Start by creaming the butter with the brown and white sugar until they are light and fluffy, and then beat in the eggs and vanilla.
Step 2: Add the dry ingredients. Stir in the dry ingredients until well combined, and a soft dough forms.
Step 3: Fold in the mix-ins. Next, pour in all of the treats and fold them in until they are well incorporated throughout. Reserve a little bit extra to sprinkle on top before the cookies bake.
Step 4: Form the cookies. Make two tablespoon dough balls and place them 2 inches apart on the baking sheets. Sprinkle the extra mix-ins on top, and slightly flatten each dough ball.
Step 5: Bake them. Stick the pans into the oven and bake the cookies for 10-12 minutes.
Step 6: Cool and serve. After they cool on the baking sheets for about 5 minutes, move them to a cooling rack to cool completely before eating one!
Recipe Tips
- Don't overmix the cookie dough: Be careful not to overmix the cookie dough. Only mix it until it just comes together, so the cookies don't become dense or tough as they bake.
- Gently add the mix-ins: Fold the mix-ins gently so they don't break up too much. You don't want large pieces, but you still want to be able to identify them!
- Don't add too many mix-ins: Do not go over a total of 3 ½ cups of mix-ins. If you want to add something else, you must take something away first. Too much will prevent the dough from holding together.
If you want another holiday Santa dessert, try these Santa's hat cupcakes.
Storage Directions
- Storing: Store your cookies at room temperature for about 5 days in an airtight container. You may freeze them for 1-2 months, but the chips and pretzel pieces will be soft when the cookies thaw.
- Make Ahead: Prepare the cookie dough and keep it in the fridge for a few hours before you plan to form and bake the cookies. Leave out the mix-ins so they don't become soggy.
Serving Suggestions
- There's nothing better than a cold glass of milk and one of these trash cookies!
- If you want an adult beverage, I highly recommend a gingerbread martini or a Jack Frost cocktail.
- For a hot beverage, you can't go wrong with a brewed cup of coffee and a couple of splashes of pumpkin spice creamer.
- If you're looking for a simple treat to serve with the cookies, Hershey kiss pretzels are a simple sweet you can prepare.
Recipe FAQs
The butter must be softened but not melted. If the butter is too warm, the cookies will spread and flatten in the oven.
Ensure you are measuring the flour accurately. Too much flour can make the cookie dough dry. Also, avoid overbaking them so they don't become too crispy and crumbly.
Check your butter to ensure it is unsalted, and don't use only salty mix-ins. If you switch the M&Ms for something else (as an example), make sure it is a sweet item to keep the balance.
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Do you like cookie recipes? Here are some recipes you may also like to try.
If you try this recipe and love it please leave a star rating in the recipe card below or even better, drop a review in the comment section. I always appreciate your feedback. Be sure to follow along with me on Facebook, Pinterest, and YouTube for more easy recipes!
Santa's Trash Cookies
Ingredients
- 1 cup 2 sticks unsalted butter, softened
- 1 cup light brown sugar packed
- ½ cup granulated sugar
- 2 large eggs
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 2 ½ cups all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 1 cup red & green M&Ms
- 1 cup semisweet chocolate chips
- 1 cup crushed salted pretzels
- ½ cup crushed plain potato chips
- 2 tablespoon holiday sprinkles jimmies or nonpareils
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350°F. Line baking sheets with parchment paper.
- In a large bowl, cream together butter, brown sugar, and granulated sugar until light and fluffy (about 2-3 minutes)with an electric mixer.
- Beat in eggs and vanilla until well combined.
- In a separate bowl, whisk together flour, baking soda, and salt. Gradually add to the wet mixture and mix until just combined.
- Fold in M&Ms, chocolate chips, crushed pretzels, potato chips, and sprinkles with a silicone spatula. (Reserve some M&M's, sprinkles, and chocolate chips to garnish the top before baking).
- Scoop dough into 2-tablespoon portions roll into balls and place 2 inches apart on prepared baking sheets. Slightly flatten the balls and add the extra M&M's, sprinkles, and chocolate chips to the top.
- Bake for 10-12 minutes or until edges are golden and centers are just set.
- Cool on baking sheet for 5 minutes before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely.
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Notes
- If your butter is too warm or almost melted, it will cause your cookies to spread too much in the oven.
- When you fold in the mix-ins, do it gently so they don't break up too much.
- Ensure that your butter is unsalted so your cookies don't taste overly salty. If you have to use salted butter, leave out the extra salt.
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