Santa’s Trash Cookies
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Santa’s Trash Cookes are a fun cookie to make for the holiday season. They encompass everything sweet and salty and I am 100% positive you’re going to love them! Just like how you love my Holiday Peanut Butter Cookies, my Christmas Sugar Cookie Bites, these Christmas Monster Cookies, and my Christmas Sheet Pan Cookies.
Santa’s Trash Cookies combine a little bit of everything: chips, festive M&Ms, chocolate chips, salty pretzels, and caramel. I mean, really, any snack in your pantry, feel free to throw in 🤣 Hence the name “trash” since they have a variety of mixed goodies!
These cookies are so fun not only for holiday parties but for cookie exchanges, holiday cookie boxes, or if you just want to make Santa something a little extra special.
- Adding vanilla pudding mix is a secret weapon I use in some of my baked goods recipes like my Pumpkin Bread, Mini Chocolate Chip Cookies, Chocolate Chip Bundt Cake, and my Epic Twix Cookies.
- But why add it? What does it do? Cornstarch in the pudding mix helps make the cookies soft and tender, which is why I also like to add cornstarch to many of my cookie recipes.
- The pudding mix also helps with some added flavor and makes thick, fluffier cookies. (not super flat cookies!)
Why This Recipe Works
- No Chill Time: Santa can’t wait any longer! Whip up a batch and bake them straight away, no need to wait and chill the cookie dough.
- Vanilla Pudding Mix: like I mentioned above, the pudding mix helps create a thick, flavorful, soft cookie. It’s the secret ingredient that takes cookies and baked goods to the next level!
- Sweet & Salty Flavors: You might think potato chips in cookies sounds bizarre, but I promise you the salty notes compliment all the sweetness and creates a delicious treat!
Ingredient Notes
(For the full recipe, scroll down to the recipe card below)
- All-Purpose Flour: All-Purpose Flour provides a delicious texture and gives the cookies the perfect chewiness you love.
- Unsalted Butter: The biggest benefit of unsalted butter lets you control the overall flavor of your cookies, plus you get the pure sweet flavor of butter in the cookies.
- Brown Sugar: I use light brown sugar, but you can easily substitute dark brown sugar.
- Granulated Sugar: granulated sugar adds to the crispiness of the cookie, and makes for a lighter colored cookie.
- Vanilla: Vanilla is a must in cookies, it adds a complex and subtle spice, and I always recommend using real vanilla extract.
- Egg & 1 egg yolk: The protein in eggs adds to a chewy texture, so adding an extra yolk, gives the cookie the extra chewiness that makes these cookies perfect.
- All the mix-ins: pretzels, wavy potato chips, chocolate chips, caramel, sprinkles, festive M&Ms.
Step by Step Directions
(For the full recipe, scroll down to the recipe card below)
This cookie recipe follows the standard cookie making process of creaming together softened butter with sugar, adding in the eggs and vanilla, followed by the dry ingredients. You can do this in a stand mixer or a hand mixer.
Add all of Santa’s trash!
Mix in the goodies: festive M&Ms, pretzels, chips, chocolate, caramel, sprinkles, etc. Feel free to get creative and add in your favorite cookie mix-ins!
Scoop & bake
No chill time necessary, just roll into balls, decorate the tops with more M&Ms and chocolate and bake. Press the cookies down a little so they can flatten just a bit.
Last step: devour!
You will love the sweet and salty combination of flavors!
Other Variations
- Peanut butter: you can add in some Reese’s pieces candy or a couple tablespoons of peanut butter for a nutty spin. Or make my Christmas Monster Cookies!
- S’mores: make a s’mores version by adding mini marshmallows and graham cracker pieces. Or try my epic S’mores Cookies.
- Trail mix: add in some oats, fruit, and nuts. Or try my Trail Mix Cookies!
Success Tips
- Keep some extra M&Ms, chips, or pretzel pieces to decorate the tops of the cookies after they bake.
- Careful not to overbake; just as little as 30 seconds over can take a cookie from being perfect to overbaked and dry!
- Be sure to preheat the oven for 20-30 minutes so the oven is at a stable temperature when you’re ready to pop your cookies in the oven.
- Use a cookie scoop to keep your cookies uniform in shape and size.
Storage and Freezing
- Store these Santa’s Trash Cookies in a sealed container at room temperature for up to 5 days or in the freezer for up to 3 months.
- To freeze the cookie dough, scoop it into 2 Tbsp. balls and freeze in a single layer in an airtight container for up to 3 months. You can bake the frozen cookie dough from frozen; just add an extra minute or so to your baking time. Ovens vary.
- Make Ahead: You can make the cookie dough and chill it in the refrigerator for up to 2–3 days. Allow to come to room temperature, then continue to bake as directed.
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Ingredients
- 1 3/4 cup all purpose flour, spooned and leveled
- 1, 3.4 oz. box instant vanilla pudding mix
- 1 tsp. baking soda
- 1/2 tsp. baking powder
- 1/2 tsp. salt
- 3/4 cup unsalted butter, softened
- 3/4 cup brown sugar, packed, light or dark
- 1/2 cup granulated sugar
- 1 large egg, room temperature
- 1 large egg yolk, room temperature
- 2 tsp. vanilla extract
- flaky sea salt, for garnish
Mix Ins
- 1/2 cup red and green M&Ms, plus more to garnish on top
- 1/2 cup semi sweet chocolate chips, plus more for on top
- 1/2 cup pretzels, crushed
- 1/2 cup wavy potato chips, crushed
- 1/4 cup Kraft caramels, chopped or christmas sprinkles (optional)
Last step! If you make this, please leave a review and rating letting us know how you liked this recipe! This helps our business thrive & continue providing free recipes.
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350°F. Line a few baking sheets with parchment paper.
- In a mixing bowl, whisk together the flour, pudding mix, baking soda, baking powder, and salt. Set aside.1 3/4 cup all purpose flour, spooned and leveled, 1, 3.4 oz. box instant vanilla pudding mix, 1 tsp. baking soda, 1/2 tsp. baking powder, 1/2 tsp. salt
- In a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream together the butter and sugars until creamy, about 2-3 minutes, scraping down the sides of the bowl as needed.3/4 cup unsalted butter, softened, 3/4 cup brown sugar, packed, light or dark, 1/2 cup granulated sugar
- Add in the egg, egg yolk, and vanilla and mix again until combined, again scraping down the sides of the bowl as needed.1 large egg, room temperature, 1 large egg yolk, room temperature, 2 tsp. vanilla extract
- Gradually add in the dry ingredients just until mixed.
- Add in the festive M&Ms, chocolate chips, pretzels, crushed potato chips and caramels or sprinkles if using.1/2 cup red and green M&Ms, plus more to garnish on top, 1/2 cup semi sweet chocolate chips, plus more for on top, 1/2 cup pretzels, crushed, 1/2 cup wavy potato chips, crushed, 1/4 cup Kraft caramels, chopped or christmas sprinkles (optional)
- Place about 6-8 cookies at a time on a baking sheet and gently press a few more M&Ms and chocolate chips on top of the cookies. Gently press down on the cookies to flatten a little. Bake for 8-10 minutes (do not over bake), remove from the oven and let cool for just a couple minutes on the baking sheet then carefully transfer to a wire cooling rack. (You can swirl a cup around them to get perfect circles if needed when they’re warm right out of the oven)
- Garnish with more potato chips or pretzel pieces and flaky sea salt. Enjoy!flaky sea salt, for garnish
Video
Notes
Nutrition Information
Nutritional information is provided as a courtesy and is automatically calculated. It should only be construed as an estimate rather than a guarantee. Ingredients can vary and Kroll’s Korner can’t make any guarantees to the accuracy of this information.
These are delicious! Lots of flavor with sweet and salty.
Thank you soo much! They look perfect!
These cookies are delicious. I didn’t have any regular M & M’s so I substituted peanut butter M & M’s. I will be making these again!!
Thank you so much! I bet it was amazing with the peanut butter M&Ms!
So for Step #2 would it be baking soda and baking powder? I’m assuming that ‘s what I heard on the video.
Typo yes! Thank you! Powder & soda
A perfect balance of sweet and salty! These turned out great! The kids in our neighborhood asked for another batch!
They look perfect!! thank you soo much 🙂