Compost Cookies

This is my version of the famed Compost Cookie by Milk Bar and Christina Tosi. I have made these cookies dozens of time and I even made about 200 of them for one of my best friend’s weddings last year. Seriously, everyone loves these cookies. But the great thing about them is that they are super customizable. Let’s say your friend doesn’t like salty things in baked goods (wink wink Anna). Then you don’t put potato chips or pretzels or whatever, you do other sweet things instead. The recipe below includes my favorite add-ins (minus the butterscotch which I just didn’t have around). If you do sub in different add-ins, just use the ratios of ingredients below so that you don’t add too many. I am going to list some options for add-ins:

Pretzels

Butterscotch chips

Peanut butter chips

Oats

Coconut flakes

Ground coffee (yes! do it! it is sooooooooo insanely good with the ground coffee)

Potato chips

Cereal (maybe some cinnamon toast crunch)

Granola

Graham crackers

White chocolate chips/chunks

Dark chocolate chips/chunks

Caramels

My favorite — STROOPWAFEL (I’ve found them at Homegoods, TJMaxx, Costco, and Grocery Outlet) - I’m going to credit myself on the genius of including this ingredient. Chop these buddies up real small and when the cookies bake, the caramel melts and creates these beautiful pockets of toffee chewiness.

But seriously, get creative!

Compost Cookies

Ingredients:

2 sticks butter (1 cup/16 tablespoons), room temperature

2/3 cup brown sugar

1 cup white sugar

1 egg

1 tablespoon honey

1 1/3 cup bread flour or all purpose flour

1/4 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon baking powder

1 teaspoon salt

1/2 cup oats

1 1/2 teaspoons ground coffee

3/4 cup white chocolate chips

1 cup chocolate chips

1 1/2 cup crushed potato chips

1/2 cup coconut

4 to 6 large stroopwafel (or 10 mini stroopwafel), chopped into small pieces

Instructions:

In stand mixer fitted with paddle attachment, beat sugars and butter together on medium speed for three minutes. Add egg and honey and continue to beat. Add flour, baking soda, baking powder, and salt and mix until just combined.

Add all the “add-ins” and stir by hand until just combined. Scoop dough out into balls and freeze or refrigerate for at least 30 minutes. At this point you can freeze the dough for up to a few months or refrigerate the dough for a few weeks.

When ready to bake, preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Place refrigerated or frozen dough on cookie sheet lined with parchment paper or silpat (the caramel in the stroopwafel will melt and stick to anything it is baked on) and bake for 10 to 14 minutes. The frozen dough will take a minute or two longer.