Kitchen Sink Cookie Recipe (2024)

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By Jess Smith

4.22

Published Jul 14, 2022Updated Feb 13, 2024

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Kitchen Sink Cookies are soft and chewy cookies packed with chocolate chips, pretzels, potato chips, and toffee (“everything but the…”). Make them as written, or swap in your favorite mix-ins.

Kitchen Sink Cookie Recipe (2)

My kids still don’t totally understand why these are called “Kitchen Sink” Cookies, but they know they love them. When I started testing this recipe, with each batch, the kids saidmore chocolate chips, more pretzels, more potato chips, more toffee!

We packed these cookies (a fun twist on my original Chocolate Chip Cookies Recipe) full of sweet and salty fillings until they couldn’t possibly hold more. And then we added a few extra chocolate chips. You’re welcome.

Kitchen Sink Cookie Recipe (3)

Ingredients for Kitchen Sink Cookies

  • Unsalted Butter – These cookies were tested with unsalted butter. If using salted butter, skip adding the additional salt.
  • Flour, Baking Soda, Kosher Salt, Light Brown Sugar, White Sugar, Egg, Pure Vanilla Extract – Just regular cookie-baking ingredients.
  • Mix-Ins – These have a great sweet and salty balance with chocolate chips, toffee bits, potato chips, and chopped pretzels. See below for more ideas!
  • Flaked Sea Salt – At our house, we love a light sprinkle of flaked sea salt (I use Maldon) on top of the warm cookies. It’s totally optional but gives the cookies a hint of extra salt and a tiny bit of crunch.
Kitchen Sink Cookie Recipe (4)

How to Make Kitchen Sink Cookes

The process for making these cookies is similar to making chocolate chip cookies. A stand mixer really comes in handy for beating the butter, but you can absolutely use a hand mixer too.

  1. Preheat the oven to 350°F.
  2. Prepare a baking sheet by linking it with parchment paper or a baking mat. (This is highly recommended because the caramel in the cookie dough can melt and cause sticking.)
  3. Whisk together dry ingredients (flour, baking soda, and salt).
  4. Beat butter, white sugar, and brown sugar until light and fluffy (about 3 minutes).
  5. Mix egg and vanilla extract into butter-sugar mixture.
  6. Add dry ingredients to wet ingredients and mix on low just until combined. (Be careful not to overmix or your cookies will be cakey instead of soft.)
  7. Stir in mix-ins like chocolate chips, toffee bits, potato chips, and pretzels.
  8. Roll cookie dough into golf ball-sized balls. (These should be pretty large.)
  9. Bake cookies until edges are crisp and centers are still soft, 10 to 12 minutes.
  10. Cool on the pan for 5 minutes and then transfer to cooling rack.
  11. Enjoy!

Roll Cookie Dough in Mix-Ins (Optional, but fun!)

It’s purely aesthetic, but if I’m delivering these cookies to someone or serving them to friends and family, I like to roll the dough in some extra toppings. It means that before you take a bite, you get a sneak peek of all the delicious things inside.

Kitchen Sink Cookie Recipe (5)

How to Freeze Cookie Dough

Frozen cookie dough is like money in the bank. (Though I have to keep it in my downstairs freezer…and out of reach.) You can bake one at a time or the whole batch any time you need them. The best way to freeze cookie dough is:

  1. Form cookie dough into balls. Line dough balls up in a single layer on a sheet pan
  2. Transfer sheet pan to freezer until dough is frozen solid, 2 to 3 hours.
  3. Transfer dough to a freezer-safe bag and seal, removing as much air from the bag as possible.
  4. Freeze for up to 6 months.

To bake cookies from frozen: Bake the cookie dough directly from the freezer at 325°F / 163°C for 16 to 18 minutes. (This lower temperature and longer cook time is important for the dough to defrost and cook all the way through.)

Kitchen Sink Cookie Recipe (6)

Mix-Ins for Kitchen Sink Cookies

True to their name, you really can put almost anything in these cookies. It’s a lot of fun to experiment with different combinations and flavors. Here are a few ideas to get you started.

  • Milk Chocolate Chips or Semi-Sweet
  • Potato Chips
  • Pretzels
  • Toffee Bits
  • Crushed Cereal
  • Pecans / Walnuts
  • M&Ms
  • Shredded Coconut
  • Butterscotch Chips
  • Sprinkles
  • White Baking Chips
  • Dried Cranberries
  • Chopped Dark Chocolate

Looking for More Cookie Recipes? We’ve got ‘em….

  • Crispy and Chewy Chocolate Chip Cookies
  • Chocolate Oatmeal Cookies with Toffee
  • Salted Caramel Stuffed Chocolate Cookies
  • Chippy Peanut Butter Cookies
  • Vanilla Cookies with Nutella Filling
  • Mini Chocolate Oatmeal Cookies
  • Sunny Thumbprint Cookies

Kitchen Sink Cookie Recipe (7)

4.22 from 343 votes

Kitchen Sink Cookies

When we started testing these Kitchen Sink Cookies (everything but the….) we just kept saying more chocolate chips, more pretzels, more potato chips, more toffee! We packed these cookies full of sweet and salty fillings until they couldn't possibly hold any more. And then we added a few more chocolate chips.

Prep: 25 minutes mins

Cook: 10 minutes mins

Total: 35 minutes mins

Servings: 20

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Equipment

  • Stand Mixer

  • Half Sheet Pan

  • Parchment Paper or Baking Mat

  • Cooling Rack

Ingredients

  • 2 cups All-Purpose Flour (250 grams)
  • 1 teaspoon Baking Soda
  • 1/2 teaspoon Kosher Salt
  • 2 sticks Unsalted Butter, softened to room temperature (1 cup)
  • 3/4 cup Light Brown Sugar, packed (150 grams)
  • 1/2 cup White Sugar (100 grams)
  • 1 large Egg
  • 2 teaspoon Pure Vanilla Extract
  • 1 1/2 cups Semi-Sweet Chocolate Chips
  • 1 cup Toffee Bits (like Heath Bits o’ Brickle English Toffee Bits)
  • 1 cup Crushed Potato Chips (like Ruffles)
  • 1/2 cup Chopped Pretzels
  • 1/2 teaspoon Flaky Sea Salt, for topping (optional; like Maldon flaked sea salt)

Instructions

  • Preheat oven to 350°F / 177°C.

  • Line two baking sheets with parchment paper or a baking mat like Silpat. (These will make it easiest to remove the cookies from the pan after baking.)

  • In a medium mixing bowl, whisk together flour, baking soda, and salt. Set aside.

  • In a stand mixer fitted with the paddle or using a hand mixer, beat together butter and both sugars until light and fluffy.

  • Add egg and vanilla extract and mix on low, scraping down the bowl as needed.

  • Add dry ingredients to mixer and mix on low just until everything is combined.

  • Stir in chocolate chips, toffee bits, potato chips, and pretzels.

  • Roll cookie dough into golf ball-sized balls. (Roll them extra toppings if you would like.) Spread cookie dough out on prepared pans, leaving about 6 inches between them.

  • Bake cookies until edges are crisp and centers are still soft, 10-12 minutes.

  • When you remove the cookies from the oven firmly tap the baking sheets on the kitchen counter to deflate them (this will make the centers soft). Sprinkle the cookies lightly with flaky sea salt (if using).

  • Allow the cookies to cool on the pan for 5 minutes before transferring to a cooling rack.

  • Store in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 1 week.

Notes

Extra Toppings – If you’d like, you can prepare extra filings and gently roll the cookie dough in toppings before baking. This makes the toppings more visible on the top of the finished cookies.

Freeze – This cookie dough freezes well. Freeze it in balls on a baking sheet and then transfer to a freezer-safe bag. Bake within 6 months. Print and attach the label below so cooking instructions are ready when you are!

Kitchen Sink Cookie Recipe (8)

Nutrition

Serving: 1cookie | Calories: 214kcal | Carbohydrates: 28g | Protein: 3g | Fat: 15g | Saturated Fat: 8g | Cholesterol: 34mg | Sodium: 175mg | Potassium: 154mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 16g | Vitamin A: 302IU | Vitamin C: 1mg | Calcium: 19mg | Iron: 1mg

Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.

Author: Jess Smith via Inquiring Chef

Cost: $4.00

Calories: 214

Keyword: compost cookies, cookie recipe, pretzel cookies

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Categorized as:
All Recipes, Cookies, Dessert, Make with Kids

About Jess Smith

Jess is the recipe creator and photographer at InquiringChef.com. She spent nearly a decade as the Chief Recipe Developer for the award-winning meal planning app Cook Smarts. Her colorful, healthyish recipes have been featured in popular online publications including Parade, Hallmark, and HuffPost.

Read More About Me

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Kitchen Sink Cookie Recipe (2024)

FAQs

What ingredients are in Panera's Kitchen Sink cookie? ›

Panera's Kitchen Sink Cookie recipe features the following blend of sweet and salty ingredients:
  • Semi-sweet chocolate.
  • Milk chocolate.
  • Caramel pieces.
  • Pretzels.
  • Flake salt.

Who invented kitchen sink cookies? ›

It wasn't easy packing all of this goodness into a single cookie…but we figured it out with help from our 2009 Cookie Contest winner, Jennifer Wisniewski — the inventor of our Kitchen Sink Cookie.

What is the secret to making good cookies? ›

The key is to always use top-quality ingredients as they'll result in a better cookie; it really is that simple.
  1. Always use butter.
  2. Choose the right sugar.
  3. Choose the right flour.
  4. Check your flour is in date.
  5. Choose the right kind of chocolate.
  6. Cream the butter and sugar.
  7. Beat in the eggs.
  8. Fold in the flour.

Is Panera getting rid of kitchen sink cookies? ›

A spokesperson also confirmed to CNN that these updates are different from a larger change last year that it was testing at a few restaurants, which saw a big chunk of menu items being eliminated. Panera confirmed that the kitchen sink cookie, kids menu and soufflés are staying.

How much sugar is in a kitchen sink cookie? ›

Contains Egg, Milk, Soy, Wheat
Calories820 Cal
Carbohydrates99 g
Dietary Fiber2 g
Total Sugars56 g
Protein8 g
6 more rows

What are McDonald's cookies made of? ›

Ingredients: Semi-sweet Chocolate Chips (sugar, Unsweetened Chocolate, Cocoa Butter, Milkfat, Soy Lecithin, Natural Flavor), Enriched Flour (bleached Wheat Flour, Malted Barley Flour, Niacin, Reduced Iron, Thiamine Mononitrate, Riboflavin, Folic Acid), Margarine (palm Oil, Water, Soybean Oil, Salt, Whey, Natural Flavor ...

Are Aldi cookies Girl Scout cookies? ›

Turns out, Aldi makes its own version of some Girl Scout staples: Caramel Coconut, Fudge Mint, and Peanut Butter-filled cookies. While they don't have knock-offs of every cookie, if you're a Samoas, Thin Mint, or Tagalong fan, you'll be on happy camper.

Why did Mother's cookies go out of business? ›

The company suffered an accounting scandal in 2008 and in October 2008, the company became a victim of the financial crisis of 2007–2010 when the company filed Chapter 11 bankruptcy and laid off all of its workers.

What cookies were invented by a black man? ›

The History of Famous Amos

Big was in, but Wally Amos dared to go small and perfected the ultimate bite-size chocolate chip cookie. He used only the best ingredients from an original family recipe to create the cookie you know and love. From there, the Famous Amos story became a Hollywood success story.

What cookie was invented in 1938 by accident? ›

Chocolate chip cookies are claimed to have originated in the United States in 1938, when Ruth Graves Wakefield chopped up a Nestlé semi-sweet chocolate bar and added the chopped chocolate to a cookie recipe; however, historical recipes for grated or chopped chocolate cookies exist prior to 1938 by various other authors ...

Are there nuts in the kitchen sink cookie from Panera? ›

The Panera kitchen sink cookies do not contain nuts, but many variations do! Feel free to add them in, if you like.

What makes cookies chewy and not hard? ›

The science is simple: According to the flour authorities over at Bob's Red Mill, cornstarch can help “soften the rigid proteins of the flour, resulting in a light and chewy dessert.” “The cornstarch complements the flour in absorbing the liquids, but won't develop gluten structure like the flour will,” stresses ...

What not to do when making cookies? ›

Common Cookie Baking Mistakes:
  1. Cookies not baking evenly.
  2. Overcrowding the pan.
  3. Not chilling the dough.
  4. Using wrong flour.
  5. Too much butter softening.
  6. Using stale baking powder or baking soda.
  7. Overworked the dough.
  8. Measuring ingredients incorrectly.
Jan 31, 2023

What makes cookies taste the best? ›

When you think cookies, you likely think of sweet ingredients, but salt is essential. It balances the flavor of caramelized sugars. We even love sprinkling a little extra flake salt on our cookies to awaken the tongue and complement the sweetness.

Does the kitchen sink cookie from Panera have nuts? ›

The Panera kitchen sink cookies do not contain nuts, but many variations do! Feel free to add them in, if you like.

Are Panera bread cookies vegan? ›

Unfortunately, none of the sweet treats are vegan; however, the Steel Cut Oatmeal with Strawberries and Pecans and the fruit cup are technically part of the bakery menu, offering a naturally sweet option for those in search of breakfast before 10:30 a.m.

How much sugar is in a Panera cookie? ›

Nutrition & Allergens
Nutrition InformationValue
Carbohydrates52 g
Dietary Fiber2 g
Total Sugars31 g
Protein4 g
8 more rows

Does Panera use artificial ingredients? ›

Our Food Beliefs serve as a compass, helping us provide meals that are delicious, and made with high-quality, select ingredients. Clean Foods - Clean simply means we don't fill our pantry with the artificial preservatives, sweeteners, flavors, and colors from artificial sources that are listed on our No No List.

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