Easter Trash Cookies (Printable)
Playful pastel cookies combining sweet candy, salty pretzels, and crunchy cereal for a festive Easter dessert.
# What You 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
# Directions:
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, beat softened butter, brown sugar, and granulated sugar with an electric mixer until light and fluffy, approximately 2 minutes.
04 - Beat in eggs one at a time, ensuring each is fully incorporated before adding the next. Stir in vanilla extract.
05 - Gradually mix the dry ingredients into the wet mixture on low speed until just combined. Avoid overmixing.
06 - Gently fold candy-coated chocolates, pretzel pieces, rice cereal, white chocolate chips, marshmallows, sprinkles, and nuts if using until evenly distributed throughout the dough.
07 - Drop heaping tablespoons of dough onto prepared baking sheets, leaving 2 inches of space between each cookie to allow for spreading.
08 - Bake for 9 to 11 minutes until edges are lightly golden. Centers should appear slightly underbaked for optimal texture.
09 - Let cookies rest on baking sheets for 5 minutes to set, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.
# Expert Hints:
01 -
- The sweet and salty combo hits every craving at once
- They look ridiculously festive with zero fancy decorating skills
02 -
- Underbaking slightly is the secret to keeping these tender with all those chunky mix-ins
- The marshmallows melt into the dough and create these incredible gooey pockets
03 -
- Break pretzels into various sizes for better distribution throughout the dough
- Press a few extra candies on top before baking for that bakery finish