The Unexpected Snack That Makes Store-Bought Cookie Dough Irresistible

Whether you're a newbie baker or just a busy parent with a kid's birthday on the calendar, store-bought cookie dough is a godsend. All you have to do is scoop or slice and bake to have a fresh batch of treats at the ready, and let's be honest, even if you're not pressed for time, it's nice to have cookies as an option anytime because cookies are for everyone. If you grow bored of the same old store-bought dough, you can easily upgrade chocolate chip cookies with a handful of your favorite cereal, leftover peanut butter chips, or colorful sprinkles. But if you want to enhance your cookies even more, just mix some trail mix made with small candies, salty snacks, or dried fruit into the dough.

If you've ever lusted over signature cookies in a fancy bakery like Milk Bar, don't assume they're out of reach for you as a baker. Most simple drop cookies have the same basic base of unsalted butter or fat, flour, and sugar. It's the extras that turn the cookies into something special. So, if you see a fancy cookie in your travels, chances are you can make a close facsimile (or something new altogether) at home by using a few fun ingredients. Most store-bought cookie doughs are pretty durable when it comes to mix-ins, so you can make some interesting treats with a bit of imagination. 

One of the most irresistible flavor combinations is sweet and salty, so if you have a tube or tub of store-bought cookie dough in the fridge, the salty components of trail mix will add some flavor and texture dimension. In particular, trail mix with pretzels will upgrade store-bought chocolate chip cookie dough, and Claire Saffitz's genius baking tip is to add nuts and seeds, which are other components highlighted in trail mix.

You also can't go wrong by adding candy to cookies, so don't be shy about mixing in M&Ms or chocolate, peanut butter, or butterscotch chips along with your trail mix. If you like chunky cookies, you could add pieces of your favorite candy bars to the trail mix; just freeze them and chop them up to add to the mix. If you're not a candy person but want something a little extra sweet, look for trail mixes with dried fruits included, or add a handful of dried blueberries, cranberries, raisins, dates, or figs for a flavor and texture boost. Anything goes, really, as long as it tastes great in cookie form.

There's no special technique for adding extra ingredients to store-bought cookie dough; just toss everything into a mixer. If you're using trail mix that needs to be in smaller pieces for cookie-making purposes, like those with pretzels or chocolate chunks, add them to the mixer first to chop them up, then add the cookie dough after a couple of spins.

If you don't have a mixer, you can fold in your extras by hand. Let the cookie dough warm up to about room temperature so it's easy to manipulate, then mix everything in a bowl using a spoon or your hands.

The only important rule is to be careful not to over-mix. When flour mixes with wet ingredients, it forms strands of gluten the more the dough is mixed, which can make the cookies come out tough. Keep an eye on the bowl if you're using a mixer, and don't walk away while it's running; you only need a couple of rotations. If you're mixing by hand, only stir enough to incorporate the extra ingredients. Once you have everything mixed in, simply scoop and bake the mix with the same instructions on the package. Then, all that's left is the fun part — tasting your new signature cookies.