Easter Trash Cookies (Printable)

Sweet and salty cookies loaded with pastel candies, pretzels, and festive mix-ins perfect for Easter celebrations.

# What you'll need:

→ Dry Ingredients

01 - 2¼ cups all-purpose flour
02 - 1 teaspoon baking soda
03 - ½ teaspoon salt

→ Wet Ingredients

04 - 1 cup unsalted butter, softened
05 - 1 cup packed light brown sugar
06 - ½ cup granulated sugar
07 - 2 large eggs
08 - 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract

→ Mix-ins

09 - 1¼ cups pastel-colored candy-coated chocolates
10 - 1 cup mini pretzels, roughly broken
11 - ¾ cup crispy rice cereal
12 - ½ cup white chocolate chips
13 - ½ cup mini marshmallows
14 - ⅓ cup sprinkles
15 - ½ cup roasted salted peanuts or chopped pecans (optional)

# How to make it:

01 - Preheat oven to 350°F. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper.
02 - In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, baking soda, and salt until well blended.
03 - In a large mixing bowl, cream together butter, brown sugar, and granulated sugar until light and fluffy, approximately 2 minutes.
04 - Beat in eggs one at a time until fully incorporated, then stir in vanilla extract.
05 - Gradually mix in dry ingredients until just combined. Do not overmix.
06 - Gently fold in candy-coated chocolates, pretzel pieces, rice cereal, white chocolate chips, marshmallows, sprinkles, and nuts if using.
07 - Drop heaping tablespoons of dough onto prepared baking sheets, spacing them 2 inches apart.
08 - Bake for 9-11 minutes, until edges are lightly golden. Centers will appear slightly underbaked.
09 - Let cookies cool on baking sheets for 5 minutes before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely.

# Expert Tips:

01 -
  • These cookies are basically an excuse to use up whatever holiday candy and snacks are languishing in your cupboard
  • The sweet and salty combination hits every craving at once, plus they look absolutely festive on any Easter dessert table
02 -
  • Underbaking slightly is intentional here, the cookies continue cooking on the hot baking sheet and stay chewy for days
  • The marshmallows might puff up and brown in spots, that's completely normal and actually delicious
03 -
  • If your dough feels too sticky to scoop, chill it for 15 minutes, but don't let it get too cold or the mix-ins won't distribute evenly
  • Rotating the baking sheets halfway through baking ensures everything browns evenly, especially if your oven has hot spots

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