Oatmeal Trash Cookies
Oatmeal Trash Cookies or Kitchen Sink 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! A great recipe and the perfect cookies for a bake sale, take along to a potluck or barbecue! Don’t forget about game day!
![Oatmeal Trash Cookies](https://www.ladybehindthecurtain.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/02/Oatmeal-Trash-Cookies-2.jpg)
How to Make Oatmeal Trash Cookies-My Favorite Cookies!
![Oatmeal Trash Cookies](https://www.ladybehindthecurtain.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/02/Oatmeal-Trash-Cookies-1.jpg)
OATMEAL TRASH COOKIES SIMPLE INGREDIENTS FROM THE PANTRY (full recipe below in the recipe card)
- 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 or quick 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
OATMEAL TRASH COOKIES SIMPLE INSTRUCTIONS
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line a cookie sheet with parchment paper.
- To a large bowl, add the butter, brown sugar, sugar, egg and vanilla.
- Mix on medium-high speed until fluffy.
- In separate bowl, combine the flour baking soda and salt.
- Add to the butter mixture, mix until well combined.
- Add oats, pretzels, white chocolate chips, dark chocolate chips, toffee bits, dried cranberries and walnuts.
- Mix until well combined.
- For best results, use an ice cream scoop for the cookies, place 6 cookies per cookie sheet and bake cookies 15 minutes or until crispy edges with a soft center.
- Cool on wire rack. MAKES 26 LARGE COOKIES
How to Store Homemade Oatmeal Trash Cookies
FREEZER: Baked cowboy cookies freeze up to 3 months. Unbaked cookie dough balls freeze well for up to 3 months. Bake frozen cookie dough balls for an extra minute, no need to thaw.
KITCHEN COUNTER: Cookies stay fresh in an airtight container at room temperature up to a week. You can make the cookie dough and chill it in the refrigerator for up to 3 days. Allow to come to room temperature then continue with step #8.
Oatmeal Trash Cookies-Recipe Variations
These cookies are very forgiving with the mix-ins and super fun, just make sure to keep the ratios as listed in the recipe when making substitutions.
- SWITCH UP THE CHOCOLATE: Don’t like dark chocolate? That’s okay, use milk chocolate instead.
- ADD A FLAVORED MORSELS: Toss in some flavored chips like butterscotch chips or peanut butter chips.
- SUBSTITUTE CHIPS FOR THE PRETZELS: There’s a variety of chips that would be delicious in this cookie recipe. Potato chips, corn chips or tortilla chips.
- SHREDDED COCONUT: Add some sweetened coconut flakes.
- SPRINKLES OR M&M’s: Transform these cookies into celebration cookies with themed colored sprinkles and M&M’s or any candy-coated chocolate.
- COCOA POWDER: Change up the vanilla base of this cookie recipe to be chocolate! Add 1/3 cup of unsweetened cocoa to the cookie dough flour mixture, whisk until combined.
OATMEAL TRASH COOKIE FAQ’s
Yes, the only difference between quick cooking oats and old fashioned are the size. The quick oats have been cut into smaller pieces.
Yes, Add 1 cup of a nut butter and 2 LARGE EGGS INSTEAD OF ONE.
![Oatmeal Trash Cookies](https://www.ladybehindthecurtain.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/05/Oatmeal-Trash-Cookies-4-720x720.jpg)
Oatmeal Trash Cookies
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.
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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 🙂
These look great! And I love the name. Thanks for sharing them!
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!
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/
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
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!
Love the name of these cookies! I’ll bet they are delicious!
i want to eat this garbage up!
What temp do you cook these at?
Sorry about that Melissa, You bake at 350 degrees. I added it to the directions. Thanks for letting me know. 🙂
I made these everyone so far loves them so I have got to keep making them thanks so much for a good recipe.
WooHoo Pamela! I love these cookies too!
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
That’s what these cookies are all about Darcy….use what you have! They sound delicious!
I didn’t have pretzels so I used Chinese crunchy noodles and WOW they were yummy!!!
That’s a fantastic idea Jeanne!
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
Awww…you’re Welcome Darcy!
Love these cookies can’t stop making and sharing them and they are easy to make I followed directions to T.
Awww….Thanks Regina! I’m so glad you love them as much as I do. ♥
Can you prepare the dough and chill . Can you bake them the next day ?
Hi Nancy, Sure you can even freeze the dough.
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!!
Oh Man Kim! That does sound amazing!
Could you tell me what type of oats please. Can i use Old Fashioned oats?
Hi Penny, Yes you can use old fashioned oats.
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.
Thanks Regina!
Made these for a club meeting and they were a huge hit. Thanks for your great recipe. I will definitely make them again!🍪🍪💖💖
That’s amazing Colleen!
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!
Hi Cathy, I use whatever I have on hand…usually old fashioned oats.
Just delicious, tasted at Longwood Gardens then found your recipe, Danke.
I’m so glad you like the recipe Loretta. ♥