Oatmeal Trash Cookies | You may wonder what that means. Well……it means you can add any leftover treats you have in the pantry. These Oatmeal Trash Cookies have a little bit of everything in them and are super flavorful. Like, pretzels, dried cranberries, white chocolate chips, dark chocolate chips, toffee bits and nuts! Perfect for a bake sale, take along to a potluck or barbecue! Don’t forget about game day!

I named these cookies, oatmeal trash cookies because I used up all my leftover chips, nuts, toffee bits and dried cranberries. Don’t know what to do with that last 1/2 cup? Now you do!

These oatmeal trash cookies are moist and full of flavor. I love sweet and salty together and that’s what these Oatmeal Trash Cookies deliver. Don’t have the same leftovers? Use what you have….just keep the measurement down to 1/2 cup per ingredient. If you don’t have pretzels, another great way to add a salty touch is with coarsely smashed potato chips. Any dried fruit will add a touch of chewy sweetness. Nuts will add another layer of crunch along with the toffee bits.

There’s nothing like a delicious cookie. They’re so special we even hand them out as gifts during the holiday season.

Oatmeal Trash Cookies

Name: Oatmeal Trash Cookies
Prep time: 30 min
Cook time: 15 min
Total time: 45 min
Yield: 26
Ingredients: 1-1/4 cups unsalted butter, softened; 3/4 cup light brown sugar, packed; 1/2 cup granulated sugar; 1 large egg; 1 teaspoon vanilla; 1-1/2 cups all-purpose flour; 1 teaspoon baking soda; 1 teaspoon salt; 3 cups old fashioned oats; 1 cup pretzel sticks, crushed; 1/2 cup white chocolate chips; 1/2 cup dark chocolate chips; 1/2 cup toffee bits; 1/2 cup dried cranberries; 1/2 cup walnuts, chopped

Yield: Makes 26 large cookies

Prep Time: 30 minutes

Cook Time: 15 minutes

Total Time: 45 minutes

The perfect opportunity to use up all the little bits in your pantry.

Ingredients

1-1/4 cups unsalted butter, softened
3/4 cup light brown sugar, packed
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1 large egg
1 teaspoon vanilla
1-1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
3 cups old fashioned oats
1 cup pretzel sticks, crushed
1/2 cup white chocolate chips
1/2 cup dark chocolate chips
1/2 cup toffee bits
1/2 cup dried cranberries
1/2 cup walnuts, chopped

Instructions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
In a mixer combine the butter, brown sugar, sugar, egg and vanilla.
Mix until fluffy.
In another bowl combine the flour baking soda and salt.
Add to the butter mixer, mix until well combined.
Add oats, pretzels, white chocolate chips, dark chocolate chips, toffee bits, dried cranberries and walnuts.
Mix until well combined.
Using a ice cream scoop place 6 cookies per cookie sheet and bake 15 minutes.
Cool on wire rack.

MORE OATMEAL COOKIE RECIPES

TOASTED COCONUT AND CHOCOLATE CHIP OATMEAL COOKIES 2. TRAIL MIX OATMEAL COOKIES 3. CRANBERRY BLISS OATMEAL COOKIES

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Comments

Oatmeal Trash Cookies — 34 Comments

Averie @ Averie Cooks on March 25, 2013 at 3:19 am said:

I’ve made cookies along these lines before…called Compost Cookies. Gotta love clearing out those little dribbles of odds and ends from bags. Love that you were able to throw in the kitchen sink in these 🙂

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DesignedByBH on March 25, 2013 at 11:50 am said:

These look great! And I love the name. Thanks for sharing them!

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Melissa D. on March 25, 2013 at 6:52 pm said:

I made these tonight! My four year old insisted we didn’t NEED to put pretzels in it (translation: SHE didn’t want PRETZELS in HER cookies) so we used macadamia nuts instead. I can’t WAIT for the oven to finish baking them! They look fantastic!

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Simplee Sue on March 25, 2013 at 7:13 pm said:

These sound really good. The name is cute and I think I’d like the pretzels. Thank you for sharing.

We may have met by chance…but we become friends by choice.,
http://simpleesue.com/try-one-new-recipe-a-week-strawberry-cream-omelet/

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emily on March 26, 2013 at 2:07 am said:

yummy!!! I’ve seen versions of these with names that shall not be mentioned on your family friendly blog :o) Thanks for linking up to Tasteful Tuesdays! you are a faithful linker! love it! Really appreciate you stopping by my blog! I’m trying to keep in better touch with my linkers/readers… If you already follow me, please let me know I will find your blog on Bloglovin (I’m transferring my follows there)if you don’t follow in any way, would you consider following via GFC or other method?
http://www.nap-timecreations.com

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Donna Howard on March 26, 2013 at 7:58 am said:

Just the thing I need to use up some ‘stuff’ — I have some coconut that’s I’m going to throw in as well!! Thanks so much!

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Tonia@thegunnysack on March 30, 2013 at 9:21 pm said:

Love the name of these cookies! I’ll bet they are delicious!

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lynn chen on April 1, 2013 at 9:19 pm said:

i want to eat this garbage up!

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Melissa on September 21, 2014 at 2:23 pm said:

What temp do you cook these at?

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- Sheryl on September 21, 2014 at 9:39 pm said:
  
  Sorry about that Melissa, You bake at 350 degrees. I added it to the directions. Thanks for letting me know. 🙂
  
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Pamela L Gower on December 2, 2018 at 12:35 pm said:

I made these everyone so far loves them so I have got to keep making them thanks so much for a good recipe.

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- Sheryl on December 4, 2018 at 9:35 am said:
  
  WooHoo Pamela! I love these cookies too!
  
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Darcy on December 13, 2018 at 1:44 pm said:

I just made these first pan is in oven but before I started to bake them I realized the dough was to crumbley , so rechecked the recipe and sure enoug I only used 1 and 1/2 cube of butter sooo melted the cube I forgot and poured in the dough mixed it in by hand and got a better cookie dough . It tasted great so Im sure it will be just tasty . Lol sometimes missing an ingredient happens lol, I used my medium ice cream scoop as my large is jumbo size , What can I say we love cream and cookies I used trail mix that had all the ingredients you called for and them few more also used quick cooking oats and used 2 1/4 . I do this all the time as the quick cooking are bit more powdery, Thank you for the great recipe

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- Sheryl on December 13, 2018 at 2:11 pm said:
  
  That’s what these cookies are all about Darcy….use what you have! They sound delicious!
  
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- Jeanne on January 18, 2021 at 3:01 pm said:
  
  I didn’t have pretzels so I used Chinese crunchy noodles and WOW they were yummy!!!
  
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  - Sheryl on January 19, 2021 at 4:03 pm said:
    
    That’s a fantastic idea Jeanne!
    
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Darcy on January 2, 2019 at 7:10 pm said:

They were awesome couldn’t stop eating them and I’m making a batch now I love this recipe thank you so much for it

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- Sheryl on January 2, 2019 at 8:23 pm said:
  
  Awww…you’re Welcome Darcy!
  
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Regina on August 15, 2019 at 7:12 pm said:

Love these cookies can’t stop making and sharing them and they are easy to make I followed directions to T.

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- Sheryl on August 16, 2019 at 8:55 am said:
  
  Awww….Thanks Regina! I’m so glad you love them as much as I do. ♥
  
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Nancy on December 15, 2019 at 9:24 pm said:

Can you prepare the dough and chill . Can you bake them the next day ?

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- Sheryl on December 16, 2019 at 8:31 am said:
  
  Hi Nancy, Sure you can even freeze the dough.
  
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Kim on January 5, 2020 at 10:46 am said:

These are amazing! Used all of the left over odds and ends after making my dipped holiday pretzels (heath bits, crushed butterfingers, peanuts, m&ms, crushed Oreos) and they were delicious! Thanks for sharing this great recipe!!

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- Sheryl on January 5, 2020 at 7:24 pm said:
  
  Oh Man Kim! That does sound amazing!
  
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Penny on January 6, 2020 at 7:09 pm said:

Could you tell me what type of oats please. Can i use Old Fashioned oats?

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- Sheryl on January 7, 2020 at 7:21 pm said:
  
  Hi Penny, Yes you can use old fashioned oats.
  
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Regina Perez on July 26, 2020 at 5:38 pm said:

I love ❤️ these cookies 🍪 I make them at least ones a month friends and family ask me to make them all the time I am always giving out the recipe.

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- Sheryl on July 28, 2020 at 7:04 pm said:
  
  Thanks Regina!
  
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Colleen on September 4, 2020 at 1:27 pm said:

Made these for a club meeting and they were a huge hit. Thanks for your great recipe. I will definitely make them again!🍪🍪💖💖

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- Sheryl on September 4, 2020 at 5:13 pm said:
  
  That’s amazing Colleen!
  
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Cathy Edmonds on May 5, 2021 at 1:02 pm said:

Do you use quick cooking or old fashion oats in your Oatmeal Trash Cookies?
I made them with quick oats and they seemed dry.

Thank you!

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- Sheryl on May 5, 2021 at 4:45 pm said:
  
  Hi Cathy, I use whatever I have on hand…usually old fashioned oats.
  
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Loretta stade on December 2, 2021 at 7:08 pm said:

Just delicious, tasted at Longwood Gardens then found your recipe, Danke.

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- Sheryl on December 3, 2021 at 12:45 pm said:
  
  I’m so glad you like the recipe Loretta. ♥
  
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