Tulo

Kitchen Sink Cookies Recipe

Melted butter instead of creamed softened butter gives these cookies a dense, chewy texture that can hold a heavy load of mix-ins without falling apart, and pulling them from the oven while the centers still look underbaked keeps them soft after they finish setting on the hot pan.

Prep
20 min
Cook
12 min
Total
32 min
Servings
24

Ingredients

Servings24
  • 1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, melted and slightly cooled
  • 1 cup brown sugar, packed
  • 1/2 cup granulated sugar
  • 2 eggs large eggs
  • 2 tsp vanilla extract
  • 2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
  • 1 tsp baking soda
  • 1/2 tsp baking powder
  • 1 tsp salt
  • 1 cup old-fashioned rolled oats
  • 1 cup mini pretzels, coarsely broken
  • 1 cup semisweet chocolate chips
  • 1 cup kettle-style potato chips, crushed
  • 3/4 cup candy-coated chocolate pieces (such as M&Ms)
  • 3/4 cup chopped pecans
  • 1/2 cup toffee bits

Nutrition per serving

Calories
304
Protein
4g
Carbs
38g
Fat
16g

Based on the recipe as written, one serving. Recalculates if you swap an ingredient above. An estimate only, exact values depend on the specific ingredients used.

Need different units or a different yield? Try our Conversion Calculator →

Instructions

  1. 1Preheat the oven to 350°F (175°C) and line two baking sheets with parchment paper.
  2. 2In a large bowl, whisk the melted butter with the brown sugar and granulated sugar until smooth and no sugar lumps remain.
  3. 3Whisk in the eggs one at a time, then the vanilla extract, until the mixture is glossy.
  4. 4In a separate bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda, baking powder, and salt.
  5. 5Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients and stir with a spatula until just combined, with no dry streaks left.
  6. 6Fold in the oats, pretzels, chocolate chips, crushed potato chips, candy pieces, pecans, and toffee bits until evenly distributed through the dough.
  7. 7Scoop the dough into balls about 3 tablespoons each and place them 3 inches apart on the prepared baking sheets, pressing a few extra pretzel pieces or candy pieces on top of each mound if you want a prettier finish.
  8. 8Bake for 11-13 minutes, until the edges are set and lightly golden but the centers still look slightly underbaked and puffy.
  9. 9Let the cookies cool on the baking sheet for 5 minutes, they will continue to set up, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.

Tips & variations

  • Swap in whatever is in the pantry: crushed graham crackers, dried cranberries, white chocolate chips, or peanut butter chips all work in place of any single mix-in listed here, as long as the total volume of add-ins stays around 4 to 4.5 cups.
  • Weigh out mix-ins loosely rather than packing them into the measuring cup, over-adding solids is the most common reason kitchen sink cookies end up dry and crumbly instead of chewy.
  • Chill the scooped dough balls for 30 minutes before baking if the kitchen is warm; this keeps the cookies thick instead of spreading thin.
  • Press a few reserved pretzel pieces, chocolate chips, or candy pieces onto the tops of the dough balls right before baking for a bakery-style finish, since folded-in mix-ins can get buried.

Storage & reheating

Store cooled cookies in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 5 days. Freeze baked cookies in a single layer, then transfer to a freezer bag for up to 3 months; thaw at room temperature. Unbaked dough balls can be frozen on a tray until solid, then bagged and baked straight from frozen, adding 1-2 minutes to the bake time.

Tips from the Tulo kitchen

  • Line the pan with parchment rather than greasing it directly, the sugar and butter in this dough can cause cookies to stick and tear on a bare or lightly greased sheet.
  • Rotate the baking sheet halfway through baking if the oven runs hot on one side, since these cookies are thick enough that uneven heat shows up as one side browning faster than the other.

FAQ

What makes a cookie a 'kitchen sink' cookie?

It refers to loading a basic cookie dough with a wide mix of leftover pantry items, typically a combination of something salty (pretzels, potato chips), something chocolatey, something crunchy (nuts), and something chewy (toffee, dried fruit, oats), so no two batches need to be identical.

Can I use different mix-ins than the ones listed?

Yes, as long as the total volume of add-ins stays close to 4 to 4.5 cups. Going much heavier than that makes the dough too loose to hold together and the cookies will fall apart when lifted off the pan.

Why did my cookies spread too thin?

Butter that's still warm or fully liquid when mixed in, rather than melted and cooled to room temperature, is the most common cause. Chilling the scooped dough for 30 minutes before baking also helps control spread.

Can I make the dough ahead of time?

Yes. The dough keeps well covered in the refrigerator for up to 3 days, or scoop it into balls and freeze for up to 3 months, baking straight from frozen with a couple of extra minutes in the oven.