Trashy Cookies
I’ve been making these like crazy these past few weeks, as I’ve been out celebrating and signing copies of Dirty Food – yes! It’s out in the wild! I wrote a bit about it in last weekend’s Globe & Mail. It’s slowly trickling into bookstores now… there have been issues with my decision to give it an exposed spine, which looks imperfect (enough that there was concern stores would think they were defective and send them back), but I chose because I liked the look of it, and because it allows the pages to lay flat, which I think is important for a usable book, especially in the kitchen, and particularly when it’s a smaller format than the norm.
ANYHOW. It’s starting to pop up on store shelves, and is available for preorder (though they should be shipping next week) at Chapters, and I’ve been out and about signing copies (thanks for coming to say hi!), and bringing loads of cookies. My favourite are chewy, with peanut butter and enough oats to give them a bit of nutty tweediness, chocolate puddles and anything I can rummage out of the cupboard, ideally sweet and salty – bashed-up pretzels, coconut, salty pumpkin seeds, broken cookies… and at this time of year, random chopped chocolate bars. I have no idea why it’s not a more common thing to stir chopped peanut butter cups or Snickers bars into cookies, but it should be.
I called these trashy cookies in keeping with the theme of the book, and because you can use all those end bits in the bottom of the chip/pretzel bag (I know there’s no such thing as surplus chocolate), and you bash and crush it all up before tossing it in.
Trashy Cookies
AuthorJuliePreheat the oven to 350F. In a large bowl, beat the butter, peanut butter and brown sugar until creamy; beat in the egg and vanilla. Add the flour, oats, baking soda and salt and beat on low or stir until the dough comes together. As you stir, add the chocolate, pretzels or chips, and anything else you like.
Drop by the large spoonful (or use a scoop) onto a parchment-lined baking sheet and bake for 12-15 minutes, or until golden around the edges, but still soft in the middle. Transfer to a wire rack to cool. Makes about 1 1/2 dozen cookies.
Ingredients
Directions
Preheat the oven to 350F. In a large bowl, beat the butter, peanut butter and brown sugar until creamy; beat in the egg and vanilla. Add the flour, oats, baking soda and salt and beat on low or stir until the dough comes together. As you stir, add the chocolate, pretzels or chips, and anything else you like.
Drop by the large spoonful (or use a scoop) onto a parchment-lined baking sheet and bake for 12-15 minutes, or until golden around the edges, but still soft in the middle. Transfer to a wire rack to cool. Makes about 1 1/2 dozen cookies.
I absolutely loved your article in the Globe!!!!! thank you for always “keepin it real”
Thank you!!
Made these with leftover candy and the bottom of a bag of multigrain tortilla chips – very successful!
Amazing!!
Made these today and threw in some leftover Halloween Smarties and chopped up Kit Kat bars (waste not, want not!). Then shared them with friends at a football party who declared them a touchdown.
My batch didn’t seem to spread as much as in the photos, but this was an easy fix. After 10 minutes in the oven I flattened the cookies with the back of a metal spatula and then threw them back in the oven for 3-4 minutes. They came out crisp and trash-tastic!
Thanks for another great recipe, Julie. Give Lou a scritchy scratch for me!
Amazing! yes it will vary depending on how you measure your flour, the accuracy of your oven (if it’s hotter, they will set before they get the chance to spread) – so glad they worked out in the end!
Just purchased the cookbook off your website, I can’t wait to try it! The Globe article really spoke to me. Keep up all your hard work Julie!
Julie –
I can’t wait to make these in large batches for our staff room of stressed out teachers as some kind of sweet gooey salve for the financial/political garbage-fire that is before us. Before I get started though, do you use natural peanut butter or the delightful stuff full of icing sugar? Thanks for all of the deliciousness you grace us with.
PS I can’t wait to give your cookbook to everyone on my Christmas list!
Either! I like the creamy stuff in cookies, though!
I like how you used leftovers for your cookies. Very clever idea!?
I tossed in toasted coconut and Rice Krispies…they’re fantastic but a bit dry and sandy textured…I’ve had that happen before with natural PB but I used regular ol’ Kraft for these. No bother, will definitely bake again!
Interesting! I wonder why? Did you use all-purpose flour?
I sure did…my old standby Robin Hood all the way!
These cookies came out amazingly! Thanks for the recipe!!! I added Mars chocolate with the choc chips and the pretzels of course. And Omg!
Wish I could share the pics.
Mine also came out shape just as I shaped them, didn’t spread, but did the same as our friend Scario_Canada and flatten them at 10 min mark and back in the oven for 3 mins. Voila!
<3
Yay!! that sounds amazing!!
How much extra ingredients can you put in.
Let’s say I was putting in crushed chips. How much extra with all of the above ingredients!!
TIA ??
I usually add a handful, and then a few broken pieces pressed on top before baking so that people can see that they’re in there!
I just made these and they turned out amazingly!! I followed the recipe and the cookies spread perfectly in the oven. I used chopped up Turtles and pretzels. Sooo good! Everyone needs this cookie recipe in their repertoire. Can’t wait to gift Dirty Food to my secret Santa this Christmas!
We have a peanut butter allergy in our house. Is there an alternative I can use that you have tried?
Many thanks!