Easter Trash Cookies (Print version)

Colorful sweet and salty cookies loaded with Easter candy, pretzels, cereal, and marshmallows for a fun festive treat.

# What you 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)

# Directions:

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.
03 - Beat 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.
05 - Gradually mix in dry ingredients until just combined.
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 - Cool on baking sheets for 5 minutes before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely.

# Expert advice:

01 -
  • The salty-sweet combination keeps everyone coming back for just one more cookie
  • These are basically an excuse to use up whatever festive treats are hiding in your pantry
  • The dough comes together in under 20 minutes, leaving more time for the fun part
02 -
  • Underbaking slightly is the secret to chewy centers that set as they cool
  • The marshmallows will puff up dramatically in the oven and then settle back down
  • Room temperature ingredients prevent the dough from separating during baking
03 -
  • Chill the dough for 30 minutes if it feels too sticky to work with
  • Press a few extra candies on top before baking for that picture-perfect look