Description
Kitchen sink cookies are a delightful combination of salty and sweet flavors with a chewy yet crispy texture. Inspired by Panera’s famous kitchen sink cookies, this recipe blends pantry favorites like pretzel pieces, toffee bits, potato chips, dried cranberries, and semi-sweet chocolate chips for a unique, satisfying cookie that hits all the right taste and texture notes in every bite.
Ingredients
Dry Ingredients
- 1 ¾ cups all-purpose flour
- ¾ tsp baking soda
- ¾ tsp baking powder
- ½ tsp salt
- ½ tsp ground cinnamon
- 2 ¼ cups old-fashioned rolled oats
Wet Ingredients
- 20 oz unsalted butter, softened (2 ½ sticks)
- 1 ½ cups packed brown sugar
- ¼ cup white sugar
- 2 large eggs
- 2 ½ tsp vanilla extract
Mix-ins
- 1 cup semisweet chocolate chips or chunks
- ½ cup toffee bits (such as Heath bars)
- 1 cup potato chips, crushed
- ½ cup pretzels, chopped
- ⅓ cup dried cranberries
Instructions
- Preheat Oven: Preheat your oven to 350℉ to prepare for baking the cookies evenly at the right temperature.
- Mix Dry Ingredients: In a large bowl, whisk together the all-purpose flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt, and ground cinnamon until well combined to create a uniform dry base.
- Cream Butter and Sugars: In a separate bowl or using a stand mixer with the paddle attachment, beat the softened unsalted butter, packed brown sugar, white sugar, eggs, and vanilla extract until the mixture is smooth and creamy.
- Combine Mixtures: Gradually stir the dry flour mixture and old-fashioned rolled oats into the butter mixture and continue beating until the batter is smooth and fully incorporated.
- Fold in Mix-ins: Carefully fold in the semisweet chocolate chips, toffee bits, crushed potato chips, chopped pretzels, and dried cranberries with a spatula, ensuring an even distribution without overmixing.
- Shape Cookies: Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper. Roll the dough into 2 ½ inch rounds and place them about 3 inches apart on the sheet. Use your hands to gently press each dough ball down until roughly ½ inch thick; the dough will be sticky, so work carefully.
- Bake: Bake one sheet at a time for 7-9 minutes, rotating the baking sheet halfway through to ensure even browning. The cookies should be lightly browned all over and remain very soft when lightly pressed in the center.
- Cool on Pan: Allow the cookies to cool on the baking sheet for 10 minutes. This resting period firms the cookies up, making them easier to transfer without breaking.
- Transfer to Rack: After resting, move the cookies to a cooling rack to cool completely before serving or storing.
Notes
- The cookie add-ins are highly customizable. A good balance is something sweet (chocolate, toffee), something salty and crunchy (pretzels, potato chips), and something fruity (dried cranberries) for balanced flavors and textures.
- Cookies are very soft when first removed from the oven; leave them on the baking tray for at least 10 minutes before moving to the cooling rack to allow them to set and avoid breaking.
- Use a spatula to shape each warm cookie gently into a solid circle as the dough tends to spread a lot during baking.
- Store baked cookies at room temperature in an airtight container for up to 5 days to maintain freshness.
- Baked cookies can be frozen for 3-4 months; thaw before serving for best texture.
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 7-9 minutes per batch
- Category: Dessert
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: American
