Kitchen sink cookies are a salty-sweet, chewy-crispy cookie, inspired by the famous Panera kitchen sink cookies. This version loads up on favorite pantry mix-ins like pretzel pieces, toffee bits, potato chips, dried cranberries, and semi-sweet chocolate chips.
It's got an amazing texture and flavor in every single bite! These cookies are some of my favorites to make when I'm craving something sweet, and they're perfect for clearing out your snack stash!
Quick Bites: Kitchen Sink Cookies Cliff Notes
What It Is:
A buttery, chewy cookie packed with a sweet and salty combo of crunchy pretzels, potato chips, chocolate chips, toffee bits, and dried cranberries.
Why You'll Love It:
Crispy edges, a chewy center, and loads of mix-ins in every bite. These cookies are easy to customize, super flavorful
How to Make It:
Mix your dry and wet ingredients together and toss in your add-ins. Scoop onto a parchment-lined baking sheet, press gently, and bake until golden brown on the edges and soft in the center.
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You're Going To Love This Panera Copycat Cookie!
You're Going To Love This Panera Copycat Kitchen Sink Cookie
- Bakery vibes, zero stress. They look fancy (hello glossy chocolate pools), but they're incredibly easy to make. Perfect for holidays, cookie swaps, or cozy nights with a big mug of Mexican Hot Chocolate
- The balance is everything. These cookies hit that sweet spot between chewy centers and crispy edges, with just enough salty crunch to keep things interesting. If you love that contrast, you'll also be into my classic-style treats like these Brown Butter Ooey Gooey Bars.
- The mix-ins are the fun part. Potato chips in a cookie? Trust me - it works. I tested everything (chocolate chips, oats, fruity bits, peanut butter chips), and this version is the clear winner. It's the same "why didn't I think of that?" energy I love in cookies like my Chocolate Chip Walnut Cookies, Chocolate Chip Marshmallow Cookies, or my Monster Cookie Recipe (don't knock it till you try it).
- Oats make them extra special. Adding oats gives these cookies more structure, a hint of nuttiness, and helps them stand out from your everyday chocolate chip cookie - similar to the texture upgrade in my easy Peanut Butter Oatmeal Bars.
- Totally customizable. Pretzels, peanut butter cups, chocolate chunks, dried cranberries - whatever's hanging out in your pantry is fair game. It's the same bake-once-love-forever vibe as the classic New York Times Chocolate Chip Cookie that everyone knows and loves (but with more personality).
Key Ingredients
The balance of textures - chewy oats, crispy edges, crunchy add-ins - is the best part about these cookies! Here's a look at the main ingredients that give these cookies their signature texture and flavor:
- Rolled oats. These help to form the base of the dough (along with your typical flour, baking soda, and baking powder) and add a hearty, chewy bite that sets this recipe apart from your standard chocolate chip cookie. They also help balance out all the rich mix-ins.
- Butter and brown sugar. Using plenty of softened unsalted butter and mostly brown sugar gives the cookies their chewy texture and rich flavor. A little white sugar adds crispness to the edges.
- Sweet and salty mix-ins. Think of this recipe as your chance to get creative in the kitchen. The combo of semi-sweet chocolate chips, toffee bits, and dried cranberries brings in sweetness and a bit of chew, while crushed salty potato chips and pretzel pieces add a salty crunch that keeps things interesting.
- Vanilla extract, cinnamon, and a pinch of salt. These small players pack a punch and help round out the flavors of the cookie.
Find the complete recipe with measurements below.
Mix-In Variations
The best part about kitchen sink cookies? You own the show! Here are a few favorite mix-in ideas to help you riff on the recipe and use what you've got:
- Extra chocolatey. Swap or combine semi-sweet chips with dark chocolate chips, milk chocolate chips, white chocolate chips, or chopped chocolate bars for puddles of melty chocolate.
- Add some nuts. Try chopped pecans, walnuts, or almonds for extra crunch and richness.
- Swap the fruit. Not a fan of cranberries? Use raisins, dried cherries, or chopped dried apricots instead.
- Make it extra sweet. Add butterscotch chips, peanut butter chips, caramel bits, or crushed peanut butter cups for more indulgence.
- Salty & crunchy. Crushed cornflakes (or another favorite cereal!), pretzel pieces, or salted nuts can bring added crunch.
- Add some festive touches. Around the holidays, we like to mix in colored M&Ms (like green and red for Christmas kitchen sink cookies, mini marshmallows, or seasonal sprinkles for some Christmas-y vibes.
Use the sweet + salty + chewy + crunchy formula as your guide, and the sky's the limit!
How To Make Kitchen Sink Cookies
These cookies couldn't be easier to make! Here's the step-by-step on how to do it.
Step 1: Combine Dry Ingredients. In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt, and cinnamon.
Step 2: Mix Wet Ingredients. In a separate large mixing bowl using an electric mixer (or the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment), cream the softened butter, brown sugar, and white sugar on medium speed until light and fluffy, about 1-2 minutes. Add eggs and vanilla extract and mix until fully incorporated. Reduce the speed to low and slowly add in the flour mixture and rolled oats. Mix until combined.
Step 3: Fold in the Fun.
Using a rubber spatula or wooden spoon, gently fold in the chocolate chips, toffee bits, potato chips, pretzels, and cranberries.
Step 4: Scoop and Flatten.
Use a large cookie scoop, or your hands, to roll dough into 2 ½ inch dough balls and place them on the prepared baking sheet, spacing them about 3 inches apart. Lightly press down each ball of dough with your fingers or the back of a measuring cup to about ½ inch thick. (The dough will be very sticky, so I find using my fingers to be the easiest way to do this!)
Optional: For thicker cookies, chill the dough balls for 30 minutes and skip the pressing step.
Step 7: Bake & Cool
Bake for 7-9 minutes at 350 degrees on a parchment-lined pan, rotating the baking pan halfway through the baking time to ensure the cookies bake evenly. They'll look underbaked (and may even have a slightly bubbly appearance!), but they should be lightly golden brown on the edges.
Important! These are going to be very, very soft when you take them out of the oven. You may even think they aren't done yet, but trust me on this. Don't over-bake the cookies!
Allow the cookies to cool directly on the pan for at least 10 minutes before moving them to a wire rack to cool completely. This is mandatory. Walk away! Don't touch them! They're extremely soft out of the oven and need time to set on the pan before attempting to move them!
Expert Tips For The Best Texture
- Expect some spread. I know, I know, this is not typically what we want, but here, it works. These cookies are meant to be thin with chewy centers and crispy edges. That's part of the magic. Be sure to allow some space for this to happen. I cooked only 6 a tray at a time.
- Want a thicker cookie? These cookies are thin by design, but if you're looking for a little more heft, chill the dough balls for 30 minutes and don't press them down before baking. They'll be slightly puffier and a it less crisp.
- Oat base = chewy texture. These aren't your typical fluffy classic chocolate chip cookies. The oats give them a hearty, chewy structure that holds up well to crunchy mix-ins.
- Customize them. The beauty of this recipe is that you can add whatever your heart desires. Swap chocolate chips for peanut butter chips, dark chocolate chips, or white chocolate chips, add in extra crunchies, or try some gummy candies instead of the fruit.
- Make it pretty. Totally optional, but for a little extra bakery-style flair, press a few extra toppings (chips, chocolate chunks, flaky sea salt) into the tops of each cookie before baking to make the add-ins really stand out.
Storage & Freezing
- These cookies can be stored for up to 5 days in an airtight container. I stack them in single layers with wax paper between each layer.
- Baked cookies will keep for 3-4 months in an airtight container in the freezer.
- You can also make the cookie dough, then freeze it for later! To freeze unbaked dough, scoop balls of dough and freeze them on the cookie sheet. Once frozen, transfer to a freezer bag. Bake from frozen, adding 1-2 minutes to the baking time.
Kitchen Sink Cookies FAQs
That's expected! These cookies are extremely soft when they first come out. They will look like they aren't done, but don't be fooled! Take them out and give them some time to rest on the baking sheet (at least 10 minutes) to firm up. Trust me, the wait is worth it. You'll be rewarded with deliciously chewy cookies with crispy edges, studded with all your favorite mixins!
If you'd rather less spread and a slightly more structured cookie, you can chill your dough for 30 minutes and skip the pressing step. Also, make sure your butter isn't overly melted. This will produce a slightly thicker cookie.
Old-fashioned rolled oats are best for texture, but quick oats can work in a pinch.
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Recipe
Kitchen Sink Cookies
Ingredients
- 1 ¾ cups all-purpose flour
- ¾ tsp baking soda
- ¾ tsp baking powder
- ½ tsp salt
- ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 20 oz unsalted butter softened (2 ½ sticks)
- 1 ½ cups brown sugar packed
- ¼ cup white sugar
- 2 large eggs
- 2 ½ tsp vanilla extract
- 2 ¼ cups old-fashioned rolled oats
- 1 cup semisweet chocoalte chips or chunks
- ½ cup toffee bits like Heath bars
- 1 cup potato chips crushed
- ½ cup pretzels chopped
- ⅓ cup dried cranberries
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 350℉.
- Whisk the flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt, and cinnamon in a large bowl.
- In a separate bowl, or the bowl of a stand mixer with the paddle attachment. Beat the softened butter, brown and white sugars, eggs, and vanilla. Stir the flour mixture and the oats into the butter miture and beat until smooth.
- Carefully fold in the chocolate chips, toffee bits, potato chips, pretzels, and dried cranberries.
- Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper. Roll the dough into 2 ½ inch rounds and place on the lined baking sheet, about 3 inches apart. Use your hands to press down on each dough ball (they will be a bit sticky) until they are roughly ½ inch thick.
- Bake the cookies, 1 sheet at a time, for 7-9 minutes, rotating the sheet halfway through the baking time. The cookies should be lightly browned all over and very soft when lightly pressed in the center.
- Allow the cookies to cool on the pan for 10 minutes before transferring them to a rack to cool completely. (Cookies will be extremely soft and delicate when first remoed from the oven. Allowing them time to rest on the pan will help them to firm up and make it easier to transfer them to the cooling rack.)
Notes
- The add-ins here are incredibly customizable - my general rule of thumb is something sweet (like the chocolate and toffee), something salty and crunchy (like the pretzels and potato chips) and something fruity (like the cranberries). This gives such a great variety of flavor and texture to the cookies.
- When these come out of the oven, they will be super soft, to the point you won't be able to move them until they set. I generally use my spatula to push the cookie in a bit to form a solid circle (the dough spreads a lot), and let the cookies sit for at least 10 minutes on the baking tray before even attempting to move them to the cooling rack. These cookies will be buttery and thin, allowing all the crunchy and sweet bits to really stand out, and you will be rewarded for the wait!
- Store cookies at room temperature for up to 5 days in an airtight container.
- Freeze baked cookies for 3-4 months.
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Sarah Jenkins says
These are one of my families favorite recipes! You're going to love that chewy/crispy texture and sweet and salty combo - delicious!