Kitchen Sink Cookies

Kitchen Sink Cookies are one of the most addictive cookie recipes! They practically put a spell on you and won’t let you go!

The chewy texture, the chocolaty centers, those crunchy, salty pretzels, and that gooey caramel. You seriously should not be left alone with them or you’ll end up eating the whole batch, they are that good!

For more addictive cookie recipes, try my Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies, Peanut Butter Cookies, or my Brown Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies.

What is a Kitchen Sink Cookie?

• A kitchen sink cookie gets its name from the number of mix-ins that go into it, basically everything but the kitchen sink!
• It’s essentially a chocolate chip cookie with a whole bunch of other mix-ins stirred into the dough.
• Kitchen sink cookie recipes can vary based on the mix-ins used.
• Popular mix-ins include: caramel, pretzels, potato chips, toffee bits, coconut, white chocolate chips, peanut butter cups, nuts, you name it, if it sounds good, throw it in! Whatever your favorite mix-ins are, feel free to use them, just keep the quantities I call for in the recipe the same.
• For me, I personally like this combination: Dark Chocolate Chips, Mini Salted Pretzels, Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups, Snickers Bars (this combines caramel, nougat, and nuts in one!)
• The sensation of all these ingredients in every little bite makes these cookies so incredibly delicious!

Ingredients

• Butter: If you live in the U.S.A., use salted butter, since it will give you more flavor. But if you live outside the U.S.A., use unsalted butter, since salted butters outside the U.S.A. tend to be pretty salty.
• Light Brown Sugar: I like to use a majority of brown sugar for ultimate chewiness and flavor.
• White Sugar: for crispy edges
• Egg: I only use one egg to prevent the cookies from being too cakey.
• Pure Vanilla Extract: Use pure vanilla and not anything labeled “imitation vanilla” for the best flavor.
• All-Purpose Flour: I don’t use too much flour to avoid losing the cookie’s chewiness. So easy does it! Measure well.
• Baking Soda for chewy cookies! If you use baking powder, they won’t have the same chewiness; they will be more cakey.
• Salt to boost all the flavors. I prefer kosher salt in baking, instead of table salt. The flavor is better.
• Dark Chocolate Chips: Since you’ll get the flavor of milk chocolate in the Snickers and Reese’s Peanut Butter cups, I think the contrast of adding the dark chocolate chips to balance the sweetness. Tollhouse Dark Chocolate Morsels deliver the best dark chocolate flavor. Alternatively, you could also use semi-sweet chocolate chips. I just wouldn’t use milk chocolate chips, which may be a bit too sweet with all the other candy.
• Mini Salted Pretzels: For a lovely salty crunch. The salt also helps provide a nice contrast to all the sweetness.
• Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups: The peanut butter adds a lovely extra flavor to these cookies; alternatively, you could swap the peanut butter cups for butterscotch chips. You can use any extras in my Butterscotch Brownies, another delicious treat! Or you could use peanut butter chips or Reese’s pieces.
• Snickers Bars: Provide the gooey caramel flavor that bakes into the cookies, creating an even chewier texture. And the peanuts add a lovely crunch too!

Step#1:Cream the Butter and Sugars

• In the bowl of a stand mixer with the paddle attachment, cream together the butter and sugars until fluffy.
• I like using a stand mixer because once you get to the mix-in stage, it’s a bit easier to combine those ingredients than with a hand mixer. If using a hand mixer, use a wooden spoon or spatula to stir in the mix-ins, one ingredient at a time. This will preserve the chunks of mix-ins and prevent them from being crushed too much.
• Then add the vanilla and egg, beat until combined, and set aside.

Step#2: Whisk the Dry Ingredients

• In a small bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda, and salt.
• Add the dry ingredients in thirds to the butter mixture, beating between each addition and scraping down the bowl as needed.

Step#3: Add the Mix-Ins

• Add the mix-ins, and beat just enough to crush the pretzels and combine the candy.
• Don’t overmix, or you’ll crush these ingredients too much and lose their individual textures.
• The individual textures are what make these cookies so irresistible!

Step#4: Scoop and Bake

• Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. This will prevent the cookies from browning too much on the bottom.
• Scoop out the cookie dough with a 2-oz cookie scoop, allowing room for the cookies to spread.
• Do not add more than five scoops at a time, as they spread out.
• Bake for 15-17 minutes (16 minutes was perfect in my oven), then allow to cool for 10 minutes on the hot baking pan. This will enable them to set up. At this stage, you could also add a little flaky salt on top for a more pronounced sweet-and-salty kick.
• Transfer to a cooling rack, and then devour!