What happens when your favorite chocolate chip cookie recipe is loaded with all your favorite snacks like salty pretzels, caramel candy bites, pecans and coconut? You end up with the Perfect Kitchen Sink Cookies!

Close-up photo of Loaded Trash Can Chocolate Chip Cookies.

Trash Can Cookies sounds a little off-putting…but honestly what else would you call a cookie that has everything, but the kitchen sink in them?

This is my traditional soft and chewy Best Chocolate Chip Cookie Recipe loaded with some of my favorite snacks and treats.

Salty Crushed Pretzels, toasted coconut, semi-sweet chocolate chips, mini caramel chocolate candies, and pecans make this cookie a little salty and slightly sweet! They are truly the perfect cookies!

What you’ll need to Make the Best Cookies

4½ cups of all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking soda
½ teaspoon salt – if you’re worried they will be too salty, you can omit the salt.
2 cups butter, softened – you can use salted or unsalted butter.
1½ cups packed brown sugar
½ cup granulated sugar
2 (3.4 ounce) packages instant vanilla pudding mix – this is where the “soft” comes into play!
2 teaspoons vanilla extract – I always try to use real vanilla extract if possible.
1 Cup mini milk chocolate caramels, or caramel bits
4 large eggs
1 Cup chopped pecans
1½ Semi-Sweet Chocolate Chips
1 Cup Toasted sweetened shredded coconut -toasting is optional, but highly recommended for a deeper depth of flavor.
One Cup Crushed Pretzels

Ingredients for Loaded Trash Can Cookies.

How To Make Loaded Chocolate Chip Cookies Recipe

Preheat oven to 350° (F) degrees.

Line two large baking sheets with parchment paper, or silicone baking mats. Set aside.

In the bowl of your mixer, cream softened butter.

Add brown sugar, and granulated sugar. Mixture should be light brown and slightly fluffy.

Add two packages of instant pudding mix until well blended.

Next, add eggs, one at a time, then add the vanilla.

Adding brown sugar, eggs, and vanilla to creamed butter in mixing bowl.

In a large bowl combine all-purpose flour, baking soda, and salt. Mix with a wire whisk to blend.

TIP: Mixing dry ingredients with a wire whisk eliminates the need to sift dry ingredients.

Add the flour mixture to the “wet ingredients” of creamed butter, sugars, pudding, vanilla and eggs.

Cookie dough with flour mixture combined.

The “add-ins” for Loaded Chocolate Chip Cookies

You can really add anything you want to these chewy cookies. What’s your favorite snack or treat? Add it! Looking for suggestions?

I highly recommend dark chocolate chips and pretzels! The dark chocolate adds richness without being overly sweet, and the pretzels add the salty element. You can even add crumbled potato chips!

On low speed, add semi-sweet chocolate chips, pecans, crushed pretzels, mini-chocolate covered caramels, or Kraft caramel bits, and toasted coconut. If you have the strength of the Hulk you can stir them in by hand and cross of “Cardio” for the day!

I know this sounds like a lot of things going on…but trust me…the all play nicely together! (Unlike our children during a long summer break! Laws they go from best friends to mortal enemies in 3.5 seconds flat!)

Tip: You can buy my mini-chocolate covered caramels from Nuts.com. They have great baking products and ship quickly! However, you can use the mini caramel bits from Kraft at your grocery store.

Baking Cookies

Drop cookies by rounded spoonfuls onto prepared cookie sheet. Each sheet should have about 12 balls of dough.

TIP: I like to use a 2 Tablespoon cookie scoop. Big cookies don’t hide well in my hands. Medium size cookies work best! Press the flat edge of the scoop up against the bowl. This helps pack the dough and creates a nice flat bottom and rounded top cookie dough ball.

To get perfect bakery style cookies, add a chocolate chip, a couple pretzels, and a sprinkle of coconut on top of the dough balls.

Bake cookies for 10 -12 minutes, switching racks half-way through baking time.

TIP: Switching racks allows for more even baking. I’ve done this for years and get a perfectly cooked cookie every time.

Edges should be golden brown, and crispy. The centers just set!

Place on a cooling wire rack until cool enough to eat! (Note I didn’t specify a time! You’re using all the restraint you have! Just remember you like the roof of your mouth! Use good judgment!)

Trash can chocolate chip cookies on a cooling rack to cool.

Finishing and Storing Cookies

Once cool, store cookies in an airtight container at room temperature.

Please note this recipe makes a LOT of cookies! 72 to be exact! You can bake half the dough and wrap the remainder in plastic wrap and freeze.

Even better, you can make cookie dough balls, place on a cookie sheet, freeze, and then store them in a Ziploc freezer bag. Pull out one, or a dozen, when the urge for a fresh hot cookie hits!

Stack of Ultimate Loaded Trash Can cookies on a piece of news print ready to eat.

One thing I know for sure…you won’t be able to eat just one, or two, of these scrumptious delicious cookies! Nope! You’ll need 3 or 4 of these beauties!

This is an “add to” your favorite cookie recipes type of cookie! They are the perfect chewy chocolate chip cookies with crispy edges! You will love them.

Keep in mind these are not a “Cowboy Cookie”! Cowboy cookies have oatmeal in them. There are no oats in this recipe. The pudding takes care of the “soft and chewy” portion of this cookie recipe. It’s why it is my favorite basic cookie recipe!

Question and Answers about Trash-Can Cookies

What are “Garbage” or “Trash-Can” Cookies? They are made with a combination of sweet and salty treats left-over in your pantry! Basically anything you want to put in your standard chocolate chip cookie.
What’s the secret to chewy cookies? There are several factors. A bakers secret is to “rest” your cookie dough in the refrigerator for about an hour. This helps the wet ingredients evaporate rising the sugar content in the cookies. The other is to “add” something like pudding to the mix! Not only will the pudding mixture produce a chewy cookie, the cookies will stay soft and chewy for days!
What is the best way to store baked cookies? Store the cookies in an airtight container in your pantry at room temperature.
Can this cookie dough be frozen? Yes! Roll the dough into a cylinder shape and wrap in plastic wrap, twisting the ends tightly to keep the air out. Thaw, slice, and bake. You can also place balls of dough on a parchment lined baking sheet and freeze. Place the frozen balls in a Ziploc freezer bag. Freeze up to 3 months. Remove and bake as needed.
Can I omit the coconut? Yes! You can add or leave out any of the “add-in” ingredients. The best part about this cookie recipe is that the creativity is all yours! Add in your favorite treats!

Other Favorite Cookie Recipes

Thanks for stopping by my Nest today! Hope you have a wonderful week and weekend and come back to visit real soon!

Happy Nesting!

Yield: 72 cookies

Ultimate Loaded Trash Can Chocolate Chip Cookies

Name: Ultimate Loaded Trash Can Chocolate Chip Cookies
Prep time: 15 min
Cook time: 12 min
Total time: 27 min
Yield: 72
Cuisine: American
Ingredients: 4½ cups of all-purpose flour; 2 teaspoons baking soda; ½ teaspoon salt; 2 cups butter, softened; 1½ cups packed brown sugar; ½ cup granulated sugar; 2 (3.4 ounce) packages instant vanilla pudding mix; 4 eggs; 2 teaspoons vanilla; 1½ cup semi-sweet chocolate chips; 1 cup mini-caramels chocolate bites or caramel bits; 1 cup crushed pretzels; 1 cup toasted coconut; 1 cup chopped pecans

What happens when your favorite chocolate chip cookie recipe is loaded with all your favorite snacks like salty pretzels, caramel candy bites, and coconut? You end up with the Perfect Kitchen Sink Cookies!

Prep Time 15 minutes

Cook Time 12 minutes

Total Time 27 minutes

Ingredients

4½ cups of all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking soda
½ teaspoon salt
2 cups butter, softened
1½ cups packed brown sugar
½ cup granulated sugar
2 (3.4 ounce) packages instant vanilla pudding mix
4 eggs
2 teaspoons vanilla
1½ cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
1 cup mini-caramels chocolate bites or caramel bits
1 cup crushed pretzels
1 cup toasted coconut
1 cup chopped pecans

Instructions

Preheat oven to 350°. Line two large baking sheets with parchment paper, or silicone baking mats.

In your mixing bowl, cream together the butter, brown sugar, and white sugar. Add in the eggs, one at a time, and the vanilla. Beat in the pudding mix until blended.

In a large bowl combine flour, baking soda, and salt. Whisk to combine. Add to the wet ingredients. Mix on low speed until combined.

With the mixer on low add in chocolate chips, mini caramel chocolates, pecans, pretzels, and coconut.

Drop the cookies, by 2 Tablespoon cookie scoop, on the prepared cookie sheets. Press a few toppings onto the top of each ball of cookie dough.

Bake for 10–12 minutes, switching racks halfway through baking time. Edges should be golden brown. Place on cooling rack until set. Store in an airtight container.

Ultimate Loaded Trash Can Chocolate Chip Cookies

Ingredients

Instructions

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