Description
Imagine taking every good thing in your pantry—chocolate chips, pretzels, potato chips, M&Ms, toffee bits, whatever random snacks are hanging out in your cabinet—and throwing them all into one cookie. That’s the vibe here. These Kitchen Sink Christmas Cookies are basically what happens when you can’t decide what kind of cookie to make, so you just say “screw it” and make them all at once. They’re sweet, salty, crunchy, chewy, chocolatey, and completely unpredictable in the best way possible. Every bite is different because the mix-ins are everywhere. I made these for a cookie swap last December and people were trying to reverse-engineer the recipe like it was some kind of NASA formula. My sister took one bite and said “this tastes like organized chaos” and honestly that’s the perfect description. My neighbor’s kid picked out all the M&Ms first and still asked for another cookie. These cookies make people forget about every other cookie on the table.
Ingredients
For the Cookie Base:
- 1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, softened
- 1 cup brown sugar, packed
- 1/2 cup granulated sugar
- 2 large eggs, room temperature
- 2 tsp vanilla extract
- 2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 tsp baking soda
- 1 tsp baking powder
- 1 tsp salt
- 1/2 tsp cinnamon (optional but adds warmth)
For the Kitchen Sink Mix-Ins (about 4-5 cups total—go wild):
Choose your adventure! Use a mix of at least 5-6 of these:
- 1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
- 1 cup milk chocolate chips
- 1/2 cup white chocolate chips
- 1 cup M&Ms (holiday colors if you’re feeling festive)
- 3/4 cup crushed pretzels (not too fine—you want chunks)
- 3/4 cup crushed potato chips (seriously, trust me)
- 1/2 cup toffee bits (Heath bits are perfect)
- 1/2 cup butterscotch chips
- 1/2 cup peanut butter chips
- 1/2 cup chopped pecans or walnuts
- 1/2 cup shredded coconut
- 1/2 cup mini marshmallows (add these AFTER baking if you want them melty)
- 1/3 cup crushed graham crackers
- 1/3 cup crushed Oreos
- 1/4 cup holiday sprinkles
- 1/4 cup crushed candy canes or peppermint pieces
- 1/4 cup Rice Krispies cereal (adds crunch)
Equipment:
- Stand mixer or hand mixer
- Large mixing bowls
- Cookie scoops (2-tablespoon size is perfect)
- Baking sheets
- Parchment paper or silicone mats
- Wire cooling racks
- Your bravery
Instructions
This is where you get to be creative and use what you have. The goal is about 4-5 cups of mix-ins total.
If you’re using pretzels or potato chips, crush them by hand into a bowl. You want pieces about the size of chocolate chips—some bigger chunks are fine. Don’t pulverize them into dust. We need texture.
If you’re using candy canes, put them in a ziplock bag and smash with a rolling pin. Very therapeutic. Crush them into pea-sized pieces.
Chop any nuts if they’re not already chopped.
Mix all your chosen add-ins together in a large bowl. Admire the beautiful chaos. Take a picture because it looks insane and amazing.
Set aside. Resist eating handfuls of the mix. Or don’t resist. I’m not your boss.
Preheat your oven to 350°F (175°C). Line your baking sheets with parchment paper. Don’t skip the parchment—these cookies can stick and you’ll cry.
In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt, and cinnamon. Set aside.
In your stand mixer bowl (or large bowl with hand mixer), beat the softened butter with both sugars on medium-high speed for 3-4 minutes. You want it light, fluffy, and pale. This is crucial for soft cookies. Don’t rush it.
The butter needs to be ROOM TEMPERATURE. If it’s cold, you’ll have lumps. If it’s melted, your cookies will spread like pancakes. Room temp means you can press your finger into it easily but it’s not greasy.
Add eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition. Scrape down the bowl between additions.
Mix in vanilla extract.
With the mixer on low, gradually add the flour mixture. Mix until JUST combined—you should still see a few flour streaks. Overmixing = tough cookies.
Now dump in your entire bowl of mix-ins. Use a wooden spoon or sturdy spatula to fold everything together. This will feel chaotic and wonderful. You want everything evenly distributed but it’s okay if some areas have more of certain things.
The dough will be thick, chunky, and barely holding itself together. This is correct. If you can see the dough base, you’re good. If it’s all mix-ins and no dough, you went too hard—add 2-3 tablespoons more flour.
Using a cookie scoop (or two spoons), scoop out dough balls about 2 tablespoons each. These are big cookies—we’re going for statement pieces here.
Place them on your prepared baking sheets, spacing them about 3 inches apart. They WILL spread. Don’t crowd them or you’ll have one giant cookie blob. Which honestly might be delicious but isn’t the goal.
Optional pro move: Press a few extra M&Ms, chocolate chips, or pretty toppings onto the top of each dough ball before baking. This makes them look professionally decorated and gives you control over what shows on top.
Bake for 11-13 minutes. They should look barely set in the center and golden brown on the edges. They’ll look underdone—THAT’S WHAT YOU WANT. They continue cooking on the hot pan after you remove them.
DO NOT OVERBAKE. Nobody likes a dry, crunchy kitchen sink cookie. We want chewy centers.
Let them cool on the baking sheet for 5 minutes. They’ll firm up and be easier to move.
Transfer to wire racks to cool completely. Or eat one warm and burn your mouth because you have no self-control. I get it.
Arrange your cookies on a platter. Marvel at the chunky, colorful chaos.
Take photos for Instagram. Use hashtags. Become cookie famous.
Share with friends, family, or coworkers. Accept compliments graciously.
Watch people try to figure out what’s in them. Refuse to give specifics. Maintain mystery. Tell them “it’s a secret family recipe” even though you just threw everything together.
Notes
These cookies are already a full experience, but here’s how to make them even better:
- With milk: Obviously. Ice-cold milk is mandatory with these.
- Ice cream sandwiches: Put vanilla ice cream between two cookies. Game over.
- Gift boxes: Pack them in decorative tins with tissue paper for impressive homemade gifts
- Cookie platters: Mix them with other simpler cookies so they’re the star
- Crumbled over ice cream: Break them up and use as ice cream topping
- Lunchbox treats: Kids will be the coolest in school with these
- Coffee pairing: The salt and chocolate are perfect with strong coffee
- Prep Time: 20 minutes
- Cook Time: 12 minutes
Nutrition
- Calories: ~180 kcal
- Sugar: ~14g
- Sodium: ~150mg
- Carbohydrates: ~23g
- Protein: ~2g