Everything but the kitchen sink cookies recipe is stuffed with all your favorite mix-ins! These kitchen sink cookies (Panera copycat) are the best of all kitchen sink cookies recipes! If you love loaded cookies, you need to try this kitchen sink cookie recipe, or make my kitchen sink cookies Christmas variation!
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And if you like this kitchen sink cookie recipe, you'll love my Oatmeal Cookie Bars, my Coconut Oatmeal Cookies, and my Peanut Butter and Jelly Cookies!
Everything But the Kitchen Sink Cookies Recipe
Kitchen Sink Cookies are the ultimate “everything but the kitchen sink” treat. If you’ve ever looked in your pantry and thought, “What can I make with all these half-empty bags of mix-ins?”—this is the recipe for you!
This recipe is based on my Chocolate Chip M&M Cookies, the same base recipe I use for my Chocolate Chip and Marshmallow Cookies and my Cookie Monster Cookies!
Kitchen Sink Cookies - Panera Copycat
If you've had the kitchen sink cookies Panera sells, you know that theirs are stuffed with semi-sweet chocolate, milk chocolate, caramel pieces, and pretzels and topped with flaky salt. There are versions everywhere: Aldi kitchen sink cookies start with peanut butter dough and loads on the fixings from there, whereas the kitchen sink cookies at Crumbl start with an oatmeal base.
These cookies are inspired by the classic Panera cookie, but they're even better! This kitchen sink cookies recipe is loaded with chocolate chips, M&Ms, mini pretzels, potato chips, caramel bits, and anything else you’ve got hanging around.
Jump to:
- Everything But the Kitchen Sink Cookies Recipe
- Kitchen Sink Cookies - Panera Copycat
- What are kitchen sink cookies?
- Why is it called a kitchen sink cookie?
- What does a kitchen sink cookie taste like?
- Ingredients
- Equipment
- Instructions
- Mix-In Options
- Kitchen Sink Cookies, Christmas Version
- Oatmeal Kitchen Sink Cookies Recipe
- Brown Butter Kitchen Sink Cookies Recipe
- Storage
- Frequently Asked Questions
- Top Tip
- Related
- Pairing
- 📖 Recipe
- 💬 Comments
What are kitchen sink cookies?
Kitchen sink cookies are chewy, bakery-style cookies packed with a mix of sweet and salty add-ins like chocolate chips, pretzels, potato chips, toffee, and candy pieces. They're usually made with a brown sugar cookie base, like chocolate chip cookies, and sometimes topped with flaky sea salt. The sweet-salty combo makes them completely irresistible, and the best part is you can customize them with whatever you love.
Why is it called a kitchen sink cookie?
They get their name because you can throw in “everything but the kitchen sink,” mixing in whatever sweet and salty mix-ins you like! However you like them, everything but the kitchen sink cookies are the perfect customizable cookie recipe.
What does a kitchen sink cookie taste like?
A kitchen sink cookie tastes like the perfect mix of sweet and salty. You’ll get rich chocolate and caramel notes from the chips and toffee, balanced with the crunch and saltiness of pretzels or potato chips. Every bite is chewy, buttery, and crunchy, so it feels like lots of different desserts all at once!
Ingredients
You can find the full list of ingredient measurements in the recipe card below, but here's a quick look at what you'll need to make this recipe for kitchen sink cookies:
- butter - in this recipe, we'll use unsalted butter, that we'll melt before adding to the kitchen sink cookie recipe.
- brown sugar - we'll use light brown sugar for this everything but the kitchen sink cookies recipe to give it a rich sweetness and moister texture!
- eggs - you'll want your eggs to be at room temperature. If they feel cold to the touch, submerge them in a bowl of lukewarm water for 15 minutes.
- vanilla - for the best flavor, I like to use pure vanilla extract. Or you can make your own!
- flour - Measure your all-purpose flour by weight with a kitchen scale to make sure you don't accidentally add too much.
- cornstarch - gives our kitchen sink recipe a softer texture!
- baking soda - this leavening agent helps to ensure a soft texture in our cookies!
- salt - brings out all these amazing flavors!
- mix-ins - I use caramel bits, semi-sweet chocolate chips, mini pretzels, M&Ms, and potato chips. See below for options to substitute what you have on hand, or how to make this a Christmas kitchen sink cookies recipe!
- flaky salt - adds to the sweet and salty flavor combination and balances these cookies perfectly.
Equipment
To mix this recipe for kitchen sink cookies, you'll need a large mixing bowl, a whisk, and a rubber spatula to mix up the dough. I also always recommend a kitchen scale for measuring dry ingredients.
I use a #24 cookie scoop to scoop out medium-large balls of dough, but you could also use a #30 cookie scoop -- just check them a few minutes early. To bake your cookies, you'll need a baking sheet lined with parchment paper or a silicone baking mat. I also love to have a tiered wire rack to help the cookies cool.
Instructions
The recipe card below will give you detailed step-by-step instructions and a recipe video! But here are the basic steps you'll follow:
In a large bowl, whisk together melted butter and brown sugar until smooth.
Sift in flour, cornstarch, baking soda, and salt through a fine mesh sieve.
Add your mix-ins and fold in gently until evenly mixed in.
Use a medium cookie scoop to portion out cookie balls onto your prepared cookie sheet and bake until golden brown on the edges.
Sprinkle with flaky salt once you remove cookies from the oven, let cool a bit, and enjoy!
Hint: To get perfectly round cookies, swirl the cookies around in a large round biscuit cutter right when they come out of the oven!
Mix-In Options
The objective with our mix-ins is to have a perfect balance of sweet and salty, which is why I combined M&Ms, semisweet chocolate chips, caramel bits, mini pretzels, potato chips. If you want to swap in alternate mix-ins, here are some great options:
- M&Ms - swap in any flavor of M&Ms, Reese's Pieces, chopped up Snickers bars, or sprinkles!
- Chocolate Chips - swap the semi-sweet chocolate chips for milk chocolate chips, white chocolate chips, peanut butter chips, cream cheese baking morsels, or butterscotch chips!
- Caramel Bits - you can also use toffee bits, caramels cut into smaller pieces, mini marshmallows, sweetened dried coconut, or dried fruit like raisins or dried cranberries.
- Mini Pretzels - substitute another crunchy mix-in! Chop up some roasted pecans or roasted pistachios, or your favorite breakfast cereal!
- Potato Chips - swap these for Ritz crackers or saltine crackers, or just use more pretzels!
Kitchen Sink Cookies, Christmas Version
I love making this recipe for kitchen sink cookies at Christmas! They're perfect for cookie trays or a cookie exchange, and they're so customizable with your favorite festive mix-ins! Here's how I do it:
- Replace half of the chocolate chips with white chocolate chips
- Use red and green Holiday M&Ms to give these kitchen sink cookies Christmas color
- Swap the caramel bits for crushed candy canes
- And adding some red and green sprinkles is always a great idea for a festive touch for the holiday season!
Oatmeal Kitchen Sink Cookies Recipe
For even more delicious texture in this kitchen sink recipe, you can turn them into oatmeal kitchen sink cookies! Just reduce the flour to 2 cups and add 1 ⅓ cups of old fashioned oats, and bake as normal!
Brown Butter Kitchen Sink Cookies Recipe
If you really wanna take this recipe for kitchen sink cookies up a notch, use brown butter! If you know my obsession with brown butter recipes, you'll know that I'm all for it.
Just brown your butter according to the step-by-step instructions in my How to Make Brown Butter post, adding in 2 tablespoons of water to account for the water that evaporated during browning, and make the recipe as normal!
Storage
You can store these cookies at room temperature in a cookie jar or another airtight container for up to 4 days. Beyond that, you can keep them in the fridge for up to a week.
You can also freeze these everything but the kitchen sink cookies, well wrapped, for up to two months.
Frequently Asked Questions
Classic kitchen sink cookie mix-ins include semi-sweet chocolate chips, pretzels, potato chips, peanut butter chips, toffee bits, and/or M&Ms. You can also add nuts, white chocolate chunks, butterscotch chips, or even crushed candy bars to make these kitchen sink cookies your own! And don't forget the flaky sea salt on top!
The kitchen sink cookies Crumbl sells are a giant, chewy cookie packed with semi-sweet chocolate chips, toffee pieces, pretzels, and potato chips.
And just like my kitchen sink cookie recipe, it's topped with a sprinkle of flaky sea salt to give you that perfect sweet-and-salty flavor!
No, this kitchen sink cookie recipe is based on my go-to chocolate chip cookie recipe, the one I use for my dairy free cookies and my butterscotch chocolate chip cookies. And just like those, this is a no-chill recipe!
That being said, I love the boost of flavor that comes from letting the dough rest for 30 minutes to an hour, so if you do have extra time, feel free to pop it in the fridge for a bit just to let the flavors mesh together.
Absolutely. Scoop the dough into balls, freeze them on a baking sheet, then transfer to a freezer bag. Bake straight from frozen—just add an extra 1–2 minutes to the bake time.
They're even better! Panera Bread’s kitchen sink cookie is thick, chewy, and packed with chocolate, caramel, pretzels, and sea salt. We're recreating that at home, but adding M&Ms and crunchy salty potato chips!
I use a medium cookie scoop -- my preference is a #24 cookie scoop, which holds about 2.5 tablespoons. This gives these everything but the kitchen sink cookies a thick, dense texture and a generous size!
Yes! See my tips up above for making these kitchen sink cookies Christmas friendly, including swapping in crushed candy canes and adding sprinkles!
Top Tip
Don't forget to measure your flour by weight with a kitchen scale! It'll help ensure accurate measurements and prevent dry, dense cookies!
Related
Looking for other recipes like this kitchen sink cookie recipe? Try these:
Pairing
These are my favorite dishes to serve with this recipe:
10 festive recipes. No stress. All the holiday magic.
Let’s make this your best holiday baking season yet. Inside this e-book, you’ll get:
- 10 simple, foolproof holiday dessert recipes
- Cozy flavors like gingerbread, peppermint, eggnog, and vanilla
- Step-by-step instructions made for beginners and busy bakers
- Bonus: Christmas cookie troubleshooting cheat sheet and printable holiday grocery list
If you try this recipe, I would love it if you could leave a star review rating and comment below! It’s so wonderful hearing your feedback! And don’t forget to share your creations with me by tagging @chenee_today on Instagram!
📖 Recipe
Equipment you may need
Ingredients
- 1 ½ cup (330 g) light brown sugar - packed
- 1 cup (227 g) unsalted butter - melted
- 2 large eggs - room temperature
- 1 tablespoon (15 ml) pure vanilla extract - store-bought or homemade
- 2 ⅔ cups (333 g) all-purpose flour - measured by weight using a kitchen scale or with the spoon and level method
- 4 teaspoon (8 g) cornstarch
- 1 teaspoon (4 g) baking soda
- 1 ¼ teaspoon (8 g) salt
- 1 cup (180 g) semi-sweet chocolate chips
- ¾ cup (156 g) M&M chocolate candies
- ¾ cup (177 g) caramel bits
- 1 cup (80 g) mini pretzels - broken into pieces
- ½ cup (43 g) wavy potato chips - broken into pieces
- flaky sea salt - for topping
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350°F and line a large baking sheet with a silicone liner or parchment paper.
- In a large bowl, whisk melted butter with brown sugar until mixture is combined. Add egg, then vanilla, and whisk again until smooth and fluffy.
- Sift in flour, cornstarch, baking soda, and salt. Fold mixture to form a dough.
- Add mix-ins. Fold in gently until evenly distributed.1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips, ¾ cup M&M chocolate candies, ¾ cup caramel bits, 1 cup mini pretzels, ½ cup wavy potato chips
- Scoop cookie dough balls 2 inches apart on prepared cookie sheet. Add extra mix-ins on top, if you like.
- Bake 9-11 minutes, or until edges of cookies are golden brown. Sprinkle with flaky salt as soon as they come out of the oven. Let cool on a wire rack, and enjoy!
Video
Notes
- M&Ms - swap in any flavor of M&Ms, Reese's Pieces, chopped up Snickers bars, or sprinkles!
- Chocolate Chips - swap the semi-sweet chocolate chips for milk chocolate chips, white chocolate chips, peanut butter chips, cream cheese baking morsels, or butterscotch chips!
- Caramel Bits - you can also use toffee bits, caramels cut into smaller pieces, mini marshmallows, sweetened dried coconut, or dried fruit like raisins or dried cranberries.
- Mini Pretzels - substitute another crunchy mix-in! Chop up some roasted pecans or roasted pistachios, or your favorite breakfast cereal!
- Potato Chips - swap these for Ritz crackers or saltine crackers, or just use more pretzels!
- Replace half of the chocolate chips with white chocolate chips
- Use red and green Holiday M&Ms to give these kitchen sink cookies Christmas color
- Swap the caramel bits for crushed candy canes
- And adding some red and green sprinkles is always a great idea for a festive holiday touch!
Nutrition
Last Updated on November 5, 2025 by Chenée Lewis
Diana says
Ok i tried these with peanut butter m&ms and my family loved them!! Guess I'm gonna have to make them again soon lol
Chenée Lewis says
Sounds like it! Glad everyone liked them!
Chenée Lewis says
I know you guys are gonna love these kitchen sink cookies! They're so fun to make and the sweet and salty combo is perfection!!