Santa's Trash Cookies That Should Be Anywhere Other Than The Trash Can

Christmas comes once a year, but that doesn't mean we have to reserve the celebrations for one day out of 365, right? Right. One of the best things about the season is all the sweet treats we get to enjoy along the way. Thankfully, each year means we can also bring out some new recipes to keep our loved ones fed and happy throughout the festivities.

Santa's trash cookies are a tried-and-tested favorite for plenty, and they definitely shouldn't be anywhere near the trash can. Instead, they're the perfect combination of sweet and salty that many need to get them through the rest of an afternoon or to finish off a delicious meal.

1. Start by making your cookie dough

• 1 cup softened butter
• ½ cup brown sugar
• ½ cup granulated sugar
• 1 egg
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract

To get started, turn the oven on and preheat it to 350 degrees Fahrenheit before lining two baking sheets with baking parchment. Then, take a large bow and use a hand mixer to blitz the butter and sugar together. Do this for three to four minutes until the mixture is nice and fluffy. From there, crack the egg into the mix and add in the vanilla extract before beating again until you're left with a smooth mixture. 

2. Add the rest of the cookie ingredients

• 2 ¼ cups all-purpose flour
• ¼ teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon baking soda

Take another large bowl and mix together your dry ingredients, being sure to break up any lumps. Once it is all combined, add the dry ingredients to the wet ones and stir until they are just combined. You want to make sure there are no lumps or bits that haven't been combined without disturbing the mixture too much.

3. Stir through Santa's trash

• ¾ cup broken potato chips
• ⅓ cup green and red sprinkles
• 1 ¼ cup chocolate chips
• ¾ cup broken pretzels

The final part of making Santa's trash cookies is the main attraction: the "trash." This comes in the form of potato chips, sprinkles, chocolate chips, and pretzels that all come together to make the perfect salty-sweet taste that so many crave. Prepare and measure all your ingredients before adding most of them to the mixture. However, reserve a small amount of each to sprinkle on your cookies. 

4. Bake your Santa's trash cookies and top

Take your baking trays and measure out 20 cookies. The best way to do this is with an ice cream scoop to keep them equal. Once you have your cookie dough balls, push them down slightly until they're almost flat and sprinkle over the remaining trash mixture. Press this lightly into the cookies and bake in the oven until they're starting to turn gold at the edges, around 14 minutes. Allow your cookies to cool completely before storing them in an airtight container for up to a week.

When it comes to Christmas cookies, it could be time to think about Santa's trash cookies. While they have "trash" in the name, these cookies shouldn't be anywhere near the trash can - and your loved ones should agree.