Kitchen Sink Cookies
Posted Dec 19, 2025
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These kitchen sink cookies are buttery with crispy edges, gooey centers and loaded with everything but the kitchen sink – chocolate chips, pretzels, and toffee bits. They’re the ultimate, totally “extra” cookie recipe you’ll make on repeat!
Based on the saying “everything but the kitchen sink” these kitchen sink cookies really have it all.
I took my famous chocolate chip cookie recipe, modified it slightly and added salty pretzels, crunchy toffee and flaky sea salt for a cookie that is truly special.
I personally think this recipe is even better than the Panera kitchen sink cookies that I grew up eating as a kid! You’ll absolutely love them I promise!
Kitchen Sink Cookies: Ingredients & Substitutions
- Salted Butter. Unsalted butter, vegan butter sticks (like Earth’s Balance) and coconut oil are good substitutes.
- Granulated sugar. I recommend using organic cane sugar or white sugar.
- Light brown sugar. for a stronger molasses taste, use dark brown sugar.
- All-purpose flour. For a gluten-free version use 1:1 all-purpose gluten-free flour.
- Fine sea salt. Use fine (not coarse) sea salt. If using iodized table salt, decrease the amount by half.
- Chocolate chips. use your favorite: semisweet, dark or milk chips! You could substitute some of the chocolate chips for caramel chips too.
- Pretzels. I suggest using small pretzels or pretzel sticks. Use gluten-free pretzels (with the flour) to make these gluten-free. Or, you can replace pretzels with potato chips.
- Toffee. I preferred these cookies with toffee bits. I tried using caramels – dicing each piece into 4. It worked well but the caramel was very chewy (kraft caramels), almost unpleasantly so. So if you want to use caramel I suggest a high-quality, very soft, variety so it doesn’t get too hard during baking (or make your own homemade caramels). Or use caramel bits, or caramel baking chips from Trader Joe’s – although these are very sweet.
How to Make Kitchen Sink Cookies
Let’s walk through this recipe together, and don’t forget to watch the video for additional guidance.
A beginning note – the dough needs to chill for at least two hours, so plan accordingly!
Begin by preheating your oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit to (190 degrees Celsius) and lining two large baking sheets with silicone baking mats or parchment paper, set aside.
Then, combine the flour, baking soda, baking powder, and sea salt in a medium bowl and set aside.
Next, in the bowl of a standing mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, or in a large bowl with a hand-held mixer, beat the butter, granulated sugar and brown sugar on medium-high speed for 1 minute.
Then, add the egg and vanilla and beat for an additional minute.
Next, add the dry ingredients and beat on medium speed until combined.
Then, stir in the chocolate chips, toffee, and pretzel pieces until evenly distributed throughout the dough.
At this point it’s time to chill the dough. You can transfer it to an airtight container with a lid, or put plastic wrap over the bowl. Chill in the refrigerator for at least two hours. You can chill the dough for up to two days before baking.
After the dough is chilled, use a 2 Tablespoon cookie scoop to portion out the dough and roll it into balls.
Spread the cooke dough balls evenly on your prepared baking sheets. Then, if you want to give the cookies that finished, bakery look, press some extra chocolate chips, pretzel pieces and toffee bits into the top of each dough ball.
Bake in the preheated oven for 9-11 minutes. Just like my famous chocolate chip cookies, it’s important not to overbake these cookies for the best, soft and gooey texture.
Immediately sprinkle flaky sea salt (which I often refer to as “grown up sprinkles”) over the tops of the baked cookies. Let them cool for 5-10 minutes on the baking sheet before transferring them to a wire rack to cool completely.
Serve
Serve these kitchen sink cookies room temperature or slightly warm (my preference for the ultimate gooey texture which I love).
They are a great addition to any cookie or dessert tray, so don’t forget to check out my dessert recipes and Christmas cookie recipes.
Store
Once cooled, store kitchen sink cookies cookies in an airtight container at room temperature for 3-5 days.
Freeze
Or, you can freeze baked cookies by letting them cool to room temperature. Then storing them in an airtight container in the freezer for up to 2 months
Thaw the kitchen sink cookies at room temperature until soft. Or you can warm them in the oven set to “warm” or in the microwave for a few seconds.
You can also freeze the dough before baking. Roll the dough into balls and arrange them in a single layer in an airtight container (or ziploc back). Freeze for up to 2 months.
To bake: remove the dough from the freezer and let it thaw in the refrigerator overnight or at room temperature for 1-2 hours before baking according to the recipe instructions. Be sure to add the pretzels, chocolate chips and toffee bits to the top of the thawed dough.
Kitchen Sink Cookies Recipe FAQS
The kitchen sink cookies most people know and love today—with pretzels, toffee, and chocolate chips—was made popular by Panera Bread around 2015. They get their name from the idea that they contain so many mix-ins they have “everything but the kitchen sink.”
Most versions include all the normal cookie ingredients (like flour, butter, sugar, brown sugar, eggs, etc.) as well as chocolate chips, pretzels, toffee bits, and sometimes potato chips or caramel pieces. You can choose your favorite mix-ins.
Yes you can. However the crunchy saltiness of the pretzels is very characteristic of these cookies, so I’d suggest replacing them with something the gives a similar flavor/texture to the cookies like crushed potato chips or nuts.
If you want to add a peanut butter vibe to this recipe I’d suggest using peanut butter chips. Yes you can add M&Ms. I just suggest reducing the other mix-ins according to the amount of peanut butter chips or M&Ms added.
Absolutely! You can double the recipe and it will make about 32 cookies.
Yes, follow my instructions here: how to brown butter, and use it in this recipe.
If you make and love my recipes, it would mean so much to me if you would leave a comment and rating! And don’t forget to follow along on Instagram, Pinterest, Facebook, TikTok and Youtube – be sure to tag @joyfoodsunshine and use the hashtag #joyfoodsunshine so I can see your creations!
Kitchen Sink Cookies
Equipment
Ingredients
- ½ cup salted butter (softened)
- ¼ cup white sugar
- ¾ cup light brown sugar
- 1 tsp pure vanilla extract
- 1 large egg
- 1 ¼ cups all-purpose flour
- ½ tsp baking soda
- ¼ tsp baking powder
- ½ tsp sea salt
- ¾ cup chocolate chips (5 ounces)
- ½ cup pretzels (chopped, measured after chopping)
- ¼ cup toffee bits (or caramel bits)*
- Flaky sea salt
Instructions
- In a medium bowl, combine baking soda, baking powder, and sea salt. Set aside.
- In the bowl of a standing mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, or in a large bowl with a hand-held mixer, beat together the butter, white sugar and brown sugar on medium-high speed for 1 minute.
- Add egg and vanilla and beat on medium-high speed for an additional 1 minute, until the mixture is light and fluffy.
- Add the dry ingredients, beat on medium speed until combined.
- Add the pretzels, toffee and chocolate chips and stir until evenly distributed throughout the dough.
Chill the Dough
- Transfer the dough to an airtight container and chill for 2 hours (and up to two days).
Bake & Cool
- Preheat oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit (190 degrees Celsius). Line two large baking sheets with silicone baking mats or parchment paper, set aside.
- Use a 2 Tablespoon cookie scoop to measure out portions of dough, roll them into balls and place them evenly spaced on the two baking sheets (about 8 per sheet). Repeat until all the dough is used.
- Press extra toffee/caramel bits, chocolate chips and pretzel bits on top for looks if desired
- Bake in preheated oven for 9 to 11 minutes, or until the top is just set and just barely beginning to turn light golden brown.
- Remove from oven and immediately sprinkle with flaky sea salt. Then, let the cookies cool on the baking sheet for 5-10 minutes.
- After 5-10 minutes, transfer the cookies to a wire rack to cool completely.
Notes
- Salted Butter. Unsalted butter, vegan butter sticks (like Earth’s Balance) and coconut oil are good substitutes.
- Granulated sugar. I recommend using organic cane sugar or white sugar.
- Light brown sugar. for a stronger molasses taste, use dark brown sugar.
- All-purpose flour. For a gluten-free version use 1:1 all-purpose gluten-free flour.
- Fine sea salt. Use fine (not coarse) sea salt. If using iodized table salt, decrease the amount by half.
- Chocolate chips. use your favorite: semisweet, dark or milk chips! You could substitute some of the chocolate chips for caramel chips too.
- Pretzels. I suggest using small pretzels or pretzel sticks. Use gluten-free pretzels (with the flour) to make these gluten-free. Or, you can replace pretzels with potato chips.
- *Toffee. I preferred these cookies with toffee bits. I tried using caramels – dicing each piece into 4. It worked well but the caramel was very chewy (kraft caramels), almost unpleasantly so. So if you want to use caramel I suggest a high-quality, very soft, variety so it doesn’t get too hard during baking (or make your own homemade caramels). Or use caramel bits, or caramel baking chips from Trader Joe’s – although these are very sweet.
Store/Freeze Baked Cookies
Once cooled, store kitchen sink cookies cookies in an airtight container at room temperature for 3-5 days, or in the freezer for up to 2 months. Thaw the kitchen sink cookies at room temperature until soft. Or you can warm them in the oven set to “warm” or in the microwave for a few seconds.Freeze the Dough
Roll the dough into balls and arrange them in a single layer in an airtight container (or ziploc back). Freeze for up to 2 months. To bake: remove the dough from the freezer and let it thaw in the refrigerator overnight or at room temperature for 1-2 hours before baking according to the recipe instructions. BNutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
