Easter Trash Cookies (Printable)

Colorful sweet and salty cookies loaded with Easter candies, pretzels, and marshmallows for a fun festive dessert.

# 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 - Optional: ½ cup roasted salted peanuts or chopped pecans

# Steps:

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, then stir in vanilla extract until fully incorporated.
05 - Gradually mix in dry ingredients until just combined, being careful not to 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 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 the baking sheets for 5 minutes before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely.

# Expert Advice:

01 -
  • The salty pretzels cut through all that sweetness in ways regular cookies never could
  • Every bite is different which keeps everyone reaching for just one more
  • They turn ordinary afternoons into tiny celebrations without any fuss
02 -
  • Overbaking is the enemy here pull them when edges barely start coloring
  • The marshmallows might puff up dramatically in the oven then settle as they cool
  • Room temperature ingredients prevent the dough from separating during mixing
03 -
  • Chill the dough for 30 minutes if it feels too sticky to scoop cleanly
  • Press a few extra candies on top of each dough ball before baking for maximum visual impact

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