recipes

Kitchen Sink Compost Cookies

One of life’s conundrums lies with the small flecks and crumbs on the bottom of a snack bag and what to do with them. We think it’s perfectly acceptable to pour them in your hand, toss ’em back, and wash it all down with milk. Alternatively, you could use them to inspire a batch of these kitchen sink compost cookies, which can be made with any leftover snacks and chocolate you have on hand—making this one of the tastiest ways to reduce food waste.

Makes 36 servings

Ingredients

2 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking soda
1 teaspoon kosher salt
2 sticks (1 cup) salted butter, softened
1 cup brown sugar*
½ cup white sugar
2 teaspoon vanilla
2 large eggs
1 cup old-fashioned rolled oats
2 cups roughly-chopped chocolate snacks or candy (we used Imperfect Foods Chocolate Covered Broken Pretzel Pieces, chopped chocolate bars, and chopped chocolate peanut butter cups, but you can experiment with any sweet snacks you have on hand!)
1 cup roughly-chopped salty snacks (we used pretzel sticks and potato chips)

*If you don’t have brown sugar, you can mix 1 cup of granulated sugar with 1 tablespoon molasses until the sugar is evenly coated

Directions

Preheat the oven to 350° degrees. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper or silicone baking mats.
Whisk together flour, baking soda, and salt in a medium bowl.
Beat together butter, brown sugar, granulated sugar, and vanilla in a large bowl until combined and light and fluffy. Beat in eggs, one at a time, until combined.
Add flour mixture and oats to the batter and mix until combined. Fold in chopped candy and snacks with a rubber spatula.
Portion dough into 2 tablespoon-sized balls and place two inches apart on the prepared baking sheets. Bake for 12-14 minutes, until golden brown and crisp around the edges (yum!).
Remove from the oven and let cool a bit (read: Eating them warm is the best). Leaving the cookies on the pan while they cool will result in chewier cookies. If you prefer a crispier cookie, transfer the cookies to a wire rack to cool.
Cool and store the remaining cookies in an airtight container for up to four days.

Recipe Tips and Tricks

If you somehow have leftover stale cookies, blend them with ice cream and milk for a tasty milkshake!
Stale cookies magically turn soft again if you store them with a slice of soft, fresh slice of bread.
You can freeze dough balls to save and bake for later. Add 1-2 extra minutes on the bake time.
Need more cookie inspo? Check out our recipes for Rosemary Alfajores, 5-Ingredient Chocolate Almond Butter Cookies, and Chewy Oatmeal Raisin Cookies.