Compost Cookies

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While I was wondering around Target a few weeks ago, I came across boxes of new cookie mixes in the baking aisle. I did a double take when I first saw them…does that really say “Compost Cookies”? What on earth is a Compost Cookie?

So I flipped the box around and read the ingredients; flour, chocolate chips, butterscotch chips, and you mix in your own potato chips and pretzels. Well that sounds like fun I thought to myself.

Then I realized that I must be the only person on the planet that had never heard of Compost Cookies before! “MillkBar” “Momofuku” What??? I seriously need to get out of this cornfield!

Christina Tosi’s Milk Bar Compost Cookies®

These cookies have gained a cult following for their deliciously unconventional combination of ingredients. Compost Cookies are known for their “everything but the kitchen sink” approach, incorporating a wide array of sweet and savory mix-ins.

The mix-ins vary, but they typically include ingredients that you might find in a compost bin, hence the name “compost.” Some of the common mix-ins include pretzels, potato chips, oats, chocolate chips, butterscotch chips, coffee grounds, graham crackers, and crushed up snacks like pretzels or cookies.

The combination of sweet and salty, crunchy and chewy, creates a unique and addictive taste experience.

So now we know!

How do you make Compost Cookies?

Beat the butter and sugars together for 2 to 3 minutes! Then add the egg and vanilla and beat for 3 more minutes until light, fluffy, and pale in color, scraping down the sides of the bowl as needed.

Add the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Mix on low just enough to combine together. DO NOT OVER MIX THE DOUGH!

Add the chocolate chips, butterscotch chips, graham cracker crumbs, oats, and coffee grounds and mix just until incorporated.

I used a large ice cream scoop (about 3 tablespoons) to scoop the dough and drop in onto parchment paper or silicone lined baking sheets about 3-inches apart. Place in the refrigerator and chill for 1 hour, or cover with plastic wrap and chill up to 3 days.

Preheat oven to 350° F. Bake for 14 to 16 minutes, until the edges are golden brown and the centers are still slightly pale.

Allow the cookies to sit on the pan for 5 minutes before moving them to a wire cooling rack.

You can really see the coffee grounds in the first batch that I made. I tweaked the recipe a bit each time I made them until they turned out perfect!

Recipe Tips

• The corn syrup gives the cookies a glossy, bakery look when baked.
• The original recipe called for glucose syrup, but you can substitute corn syrup.
• Chilling the dough keeps the cookies from flattening out as much when baking.
• The original recipe calls for mini butterscotch chips. I have never seen those before so I used the standard size.
• Store baked cookies in an airtight container on the counter for up to 5 days. Store in the freezer for up to 2 months.

I also broke up the chips and pretzels a bit before mixing them into the dough. I wanted to spread the flavors throughout the cookies, so I put them into the measuring cup and pressed down. Nothing fancy, just enough to break them.

• The pretzels pretty much disappear and blend into the cookie.
• The chips add a slightly salty flavor to offset the sweetness of the butterscotch chips.
• I personally do not taste the coffee, but I drink a mocha everyday so I may just be immune.

I loved these cookies and will definitely make them again!

More delicious cookie recipes

• Chocolate Chip Waffled Cookies
• Monster Cookies
• Peanut Butter Cookies with Reese’s Pieces
• Baklava Cookies
• Chocolate Mocha Cookies
• Everyone’s Favorite Chocolate Chip Cookies

What do you think, will you try them? Have you heard of compost cookies or garbage cookies before?

Enjoy!!