Easter Trash Cookies (Printer-friendly)

Colorful cookies packed with candies, pretzels, and sprinkles for a sweet and salty Easter treat.

# What You'll Need:

→ Dry Ingredients

01 - 2¼ cups all-purpose flour
02 - 1 tsp baking soda
03 - ½ tsp 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 tsp 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 Prepare:

01 - Preheat oven to 350°F. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper.
02 - Whisk together flour, baking soda, and salt in a medium bowl until well blended.
03 - Beat softened butter, brown sugar, and granulated sugar in a large mixing bowl until light and fluffy, approximately 2 minutes.
04 - Beat in eggs one at a time, then stir in vanilla extract until fully incorporated.
05 - Gradually add dry ingredients to wet mixture, mixing 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 cookies 2 inches apart to allow for spreading.
08 - Bake for 9 to 11 minutes until edges are lightly golden. Centers will appear slightly underbaked.
09 - Let cookies cool on baking sheets for 5 minutes, then transfer to wire rack to cool completely.

# Expert Advice:

01 -
  • Theres something deeply satisfying about throwing everything but the kitchen sink into one cookie
  • The salty pretzel crunch against sweet candy makes these completely addictive
02 -
  • Underbaking slightly is crucial because these cookies continue cooking on the hot baking sheet
  • The marshmallows can melt completely in the oven, creating little caramelized spots that are magical
03 -
  • Breaking pretzels by hand creates more interesting textures than uniform pieces
  • Press a few extra candies on top of each cookie before baking for that picture-perfect look

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