Compost Cookies
These famous Compost Cookies from Momofuku Milk Bar are loaded with everything but the kitchen sink… perfect for those who love the sweet and salty combo!
If you’ve heard about Momofuku Milk Bar in NYC, then you’ve likely heard about some of their staple recipes, like crack pie, their birthday layer cake, and these compost cookies.
These cookies are in the vein of “everything but the kitchen sink” type of recipe. It’s the perfect cookie for using up leftover ingredients that are hanging around your pantry. I’m talking oats, chocolate chips, butterscotch chips, coffee, pretzels and even potato chips! I know it sounds absolutely crazy, and I was totally skeptical before I made them, but they just work.
A few years ago, I would have never entertained the notion of chocolate being combined with potato chips. Then, my husband and I went on a tour of the UTZ potato chip factory and, after a visit to their store, came home with chocolate-covered potato chips. I was surprised that I actually liked them; I truly thought that they would be repulsive, but it’s that whole sweet/salty combination that kills me each and every time.
(Since then I made my own chocolate-covered potato chips, which are obviously to-die-for!)
As with most Milk Bar recipes, this one requires following the mixing technique precisely and also includes some very specific ingredients, which I’ve linked to below. Christina Tosi uses glucose in many of her recipes, and you can find it on Amazon, but light corn syrup can be used as a substitute.
You can certainly adapt these cookies based on what mix-ins you have in your pantry and your personal taste preferences. What would you throw in a “kitchen sink” cookie?
If you’ve been to Momofuku Milk Bar, what are some of your favorite things on the menu?
(You know that graham crumb mixture used in these cookies? It inspired me to whip up a fantastic summer-themed Milk Bar layer cake that I’ll be sharing tomorrow!)
One year ago: Chocolate Chip Crumb Cake
Five years ago: Old-Fashioned Ice Cream Sandwiches
Six years ago: Blueberry Muffins
Compost Cookies
Ingredients
For the Graham Crumb Mixture
- ⅓ cup graham cracker crumbs
- 1 tablespoon milk powder
- 1½ teaspoons granulated sugar
- ⅛ teaspoon kosher salt
- 1 tablespoon unsalted butter, melted
- 1 tablespoon heavy cream
For the Cookies
- 1⅓ cups bread flour
- ½ teaspoon baking powder
- ¼ teaspoon baking soda
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1 cup unsalted butter, at room temperature
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- ⅔ cup light brown sugar
- 2 tablespoons glucose
- 1 egg
- ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
- ¾ cup mini chocolate chips
- ½ cup mini butterscotch chips
- Prepared graham mixture
- ⅓ cup old-fashioned rolled oats
- 2½ teaspoons ground coffee
- 2 cups potato chips
- 1 cup mini pretzels
Instructions
- Prepare Graham Mixture: In a small bowl, stir together the graham cracker crumbs, milk powder, sugar and salt. Whisk together the butter and heavy cream, then add to the dry ingredients. Toss with a fork until the mixture is evenly moistened; set aside.
- Prepare the Cookie Dough: In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt; set aside.
- Combine the butter, both sugars and glucose in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment and cream together on medium-high speed for 2 to 3 minutes. Scrape down the sides of the bowl, add the egg and vanilla, and continue to beat for 7 to 8 minutes.
- Reduce mixer speed to low and add the flour mixture. Mix just until the dough comes together, no longer than 1 minute. Scrape down the sides of the bowl with a spatula.
- Still on low speed, add the chocolate chips, butterscotch chips, graham mixture, oats and coffee, and mix until just incorporated, about 30 seconds. Add the potato chips and pretzels and again, mix only until barely incorporated, 15 to 20 seconds.
- Using a 2¾-ounce ice cream scoop (or a ⅓-cup measuring cup), portion out the dough onto a parchment-lined baking sheet. Pat the tops of the cookie dough domes flat. Wrap the sheet pan tightly in plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 1 hour, or up to 1 week.
- Bake the Cookies: Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Arrange the chilled dough a minimum of 4 inches apart on parchment- or Silpat-lined sheet pans (should be about 6 cookies per sheet).
- Bake for 18 minutes. The cookies will puff, crackle, and spread. After 18 minutes, they should be very faintly browned on the edges yet still bright yellow in the center. Give them an extra minute or so if that's not the case.
- Cool the cookies completely on the sheet pans before serving or storing. The cookies can be kept in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 5 days, or frozen for up to 1 month.
Notes
- You can substitute 1 tablespoon light corn syrup for the glucose.
- Do not use instant coffee or espresso powder in place of the ground coffee, as it will dissolve into the cookies, which it is not intended to do.
- Pretzel recommendation: Snyders mini pretzels.
- Potato chips recommendation: Cape Cod potato chips.
Did you make this recipe?
Leave a review below, then snap a picture and tag @thebrowneyedbaker on Instagram so I can see it!
This recipe was originally published on October 22, 2013.
After reading all of the comments about “too much spreading” during baking I decided to toss the dough in a jelly roll pan and bake it as bars instead of individual cookies. Add 6 to 8 minutes of baking time depending on your pan/oven etc. These are FOOD PORN!!!
Although the cookies came out thin and crispy, they did not disappoint. I will make these again and again. Our family could not get enough of these. I did t use Cape Cod Kettle Chips as is suggested. I will next time. I used Utz and they are not as thick.
These have become my absolute favorite cookies ever. However I am late to the game- I’ve just found them and am in love! I didn’t care for the butterscotch and just added more chocolate chips- got toffee bits for next time! Love these!
I first made these by precisely following Christina Tosi’s recipe. Result? Tasty but hard and flat. I had the same result when using the recipe above. I have experimented with the recipe a few times and have found a formula that results in a tasty, chewy, and thicker cookie that looks like the cookies in the photos above we all hope for. I did the following:
1. Used whole wheat flour (increased cookie density and reduced spreading)
2. Used regular-sized chocolate and butterscotch chips (I consider mini-sized to be a personal preference)
3. Used instant coffee grounds (Dissolves in cookie? Yes. Ruins cookie? Nope)
4. Used regular table salt
5. Used thick-style potato chips and pretzel snaps (pretzel looks like a tic tac toe grid)
6. Used non-fat milk powder
7. Original recipe calls for 1/4 cup heavy cream. I substituted that for 2 Tbsp real maple syrup (reduces water content and also adds to the sweetness)
8. Used light corn syrup
I followed the directions above with some exceptions:
– I did not chill the dough prior to baking. The ingredients I used result in a dough that does not need to be thickened via refrigeration. Besides that, refrigeration nullifies the chemical reaction of the leavening agents.
– I reduced the cookie size by substituting the 1/3 cup measuring scoop for a 1/4 cup scoop.
– I reduced oven temperature to 350 degrees to account for the maple syrup which may brown the cookie too quickly at higher temperatures.
– I baked the cookies for 14 minutes which resulted in slightly browned edges and a chewy center. Baking time may vary depending on your oven and baking sheet, but you simply watch for the edges to brown before removing the tray from the oven.
Hope that helps. Happy baking!
Made these cookies with a slight variation on the mix ins and turned out perfect i did end up baking at 350 for 18 minutes and they were perfect. My suggestion to anyone that are having issues with the cookies spreading it to make sure you use bread flour and make your cookies big enough. I have a regular size cookie scoop so i doubled them up to make these cookies which came out very large only 6 per cookie sheet and to use parchment not silicon baking mats for these cookies. I also omitted the milk powder and heavy cream in the gram mix because i didn’t have any and just used regular milk and butter.
I also made these and completely flat and crisp. I like them but expected something a bit thicker. I actually put them in the fridge overnight too. I’m thinking of putting more flour in?
I tasted some raw cookie dough and was so excited because I thought these were going to be the bomb!! Chilled the dough and followed the recipe exactly… but the first pan spread super thin and were dark brown, crunchy texture. Next tray was similar at less baking time but not as bad. Third tray was the best at 350 and only about 14 min. But I still feel that they spread too much. Any tips out there? More flour? Would love to make these again if I knew how to improve the end results!
made them and good BUT 18 min definitely too long cook time more like 10 or 12 minutes with a modern oven, they spread way out paper thin so I think nextime I’ll add half a cup of oats and half a cup of flour to get them a wee bit thicker and chewier maybe half a cup more sugar. Christina Tosi’s seem thicker and chewier…. what do you think?
Hi! I just made these cookies, and they came out perfectly! I had tried compost cookie recipes from other sites, but they never turned out as they should. My question is…how did you get more than one cookie sheet in your refrigerator at a time? You must have a large fridge.. I had to do mine a bit differently..scooping the cold cookie dough instead of having the mounds on a cold cookie sheet. Thank you!
Too much butter I think, spread out all over the place Look like lace cookies, added more flower & chilled 2 hrs, no different. Cooked in 14 min. Too hot – too long – too much butter ??
love these cookies, tho 1/3 of a cup of dough is far too big in my opinion. i halved that amount and just kept my eyes on them near the end so they wouldn’t burn.
Do you transfer refrigerated cookie dough onto a room temperature cookie sheet before baking or put the cold sheet from the fridge directly into the oven?
Hi Cathy, I put the cold sheet from the fridge right into the oven. Enjoy!
Hmmm. I followed the recipe and mine spread out and burned on the edges.
thoughts?
Hi Cyndy, Do you have an oven thermometer? It’s important the oven temperature is correct. Did you pat them down too much maybe? Did you chill them for at least 1 hour?
Hello I just made a batch and followed directions and they spread out horrible! What did I do wrong ??
Hi Doris, They do spread when they bake, but if they spread too much, try chilling the dough for a longer period of time.
I made these today. Used a scale and did 2 ounce cookies. Barely flattened and refrigerated for almost 2 hours. Still spread out like a lace cookie. Not sure what else could of been done. I also found 375 way too hot especially for 18 minutes. So turned oven down to 350 and baked for 12 minutes. Came out flat but not burnt. They are very tasty that is for sure. But I think I just prefer a more formed cookie