Kitchen Sink Cookies

‘These Kitchen Sink Cookies are so named because they include everything but the kitchen sink! Loaded with crunchy toffee, smashed pretzels, M&Ms, chewy caramel, chocolate chips, and pudding mix (for soft, chewy, and flavorful cookies) this recipe has something for everyone. No chilling, ready to bake in 15 minutes! Recipe includes how-to video!

Zach likes to joke (or… maybe not really joke) about how indecisive I am.

When we were looking at houses, he said there was no way we could get a split-level because each time I entered I’d have to decide if I wanted to go upstairs or downstairs, and I’d never be able to handle that level of decision-making on a daily basis.

So, while that’s a bit of an over-exaggeration… he’s not completely off base. I blame it on the fact that there are just so many choices out there and I feel like I have to make the best possible one. How am I supposed to choose just one option when there are so many possibilities!

These kitchen sink cookies are a testament to that struggle 😉. They’re my way around actually making a decision because instead of choosing one thing to add into them, I’ve just included everything. Everything but the kitchen sink.

What You Need:

Today’s kitchen sink cookies are soft, chewy, and inspired by my pudding cookies. It’s loaded with some of my favorite candies, but there is some room for substitutions. 

• Sugars. I like to use dark brown sugar and granulated. The dark brown sugar adds flavor (and chewiness) to the cookies, but if you don’t have it you may substitute light brown.
• Butter. I like to use unsalted and add salt. 
• Pudding mix. You will want to use instant pudding. It makes the cookies soft and chewy. Use just the dry mix (not the milk or any other ingredient called for on the side of the box). You can use your favorite flavor, I like vanilla, caramel, and butterscotch. 
• Egg, plus an egg yolk. I like to add the extra yolk because it helps to make the cookies more tender, richer, and more chewy. I do this with a lot of my cookie recipes (like my M&M cookies!).
• Vanilla extract. The pudding mix will lend a lot of flavor to the cookies, but I like to add a splash of vanilla for good measure.
• Flour. Use all purpose flour for today’s recipe (do not use self-rising).
• Baking soda and baking powder. To give the cookies some lift and spread.
• Pretzels. I use the small pretzel twists. Measure before breaking and smash them up, but don’t pulverize them to dust or you’ll lose that nice crunch that they add. You can leave these out if you prefer. When I originally shared this recipe (in 2014)I did not use pretzels, but I had enough people ask about adding them that I’ve included them.
• Candy! I like to use caramel bits (or chopped up caramels), M&Ms, chocolate chips (milk or semisweet), and toffee bits (the kind with or without the chocolate coating will work, you can buy the toffee in bags near the chocolate chips, you don’t have to make your own toffee for this recipe). Most of the candy in this recipe can be substituted with your favorite candy (don’t use fruity/lollipop candy).

Note: This list is just meant to be an overview of the ingredients chosen, possible substitutions and why these ingredients were chosen for those of you interested. Please scroll down to the recipe card for the full recipe with amounts and instructions.

Tips

• Make sure to measure your flour properly, otherwise your cookie dough could be dry and crumbly (and therefore your cookies could be dry).
• Never place cookie dough on a hot baking sheet. Allow cookie sheets to cool completely before adding more cookie dough, or the cookies will begin to melt.
• These cookies hold their shape pretty well thanks to the added pudding mix, so you’ll need to flatten them slightly with your fingertips before baking to encourage them to spread a bit (and not stay in a round ball).
• Want to make these cookies but don’t have pudding mix? You can use the add-ins here in my red white and blue cookies instead, they’re the closest to these kitchen sink cookies.

Storing

Store kitchen sink cookies in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 5 days. You can also make the cookie dough, scoop it, slightly flatten, wrap each individual cookie dough ball in plastic wrap, place cookie dough in a freezer Ziploc bag or other airtight container and freeze for several months. Cookies may require an additional few minutes in the oven when being baked from frozen.

More Recipes You Might Enjoy:

• Worst Chocolate Chip Cookies
• Cookies & Cream Cookies
• Oatmeal Scotchies
• Caramel Popcorn
• Monster Cookies

Enjoy!

Kitchen Sink Cookies

These Kitchen Sink Cookies have everything but the kitchen sink! No chilling, ready to bake in 15 minutes! Recipe includes how-to video!

5 from 2 votes

Print Pin Rate

Course: Dessert

Cuisine: American

Keyword: best cookies, kitchen sink cookies

Prep Time: 15 minutes

Cook Time: 10 minutes

Total Time: 25 minutes

Servings: 36 cookies

Calories: 200kcal

Author: Sam Merritt

Ingredients

• 1 cup unsalted butter softened (226g)
• 1 cup dark brown sugar firmly packed (200g) You may substitute light brown sugar
• 1/2 cup granulated sugar 100g
• 1 3.4 oz packet Instant vanilla pudding mix or preferred flavor (96g)
• 1 large egg + 1 egg yolk room temperature preferred
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 2 ½ cups all-purpose flour 315g
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 2 heaping cups small pretzel twists measure before crushing pretzels (75g)
• 2/3 cup toffee bits 110g
• ¾ cup caramel bits 125g (or 15 caramels cut into quarters)
• ½ cup mini M&Ms 105g
• ½ cup chocolate chips (milk chocolate or semisweet) 85g

Recommended Equipment

• Mixing bowls
• Cookie sheet

Instructions

• Preheat oven to 350F (175C) and line cookie sheets with parchment paper.
• Place butter, sugars (dark brown sugar and granulated), and dry pudding mix in a large bowl (or in the bowl of a stand mixer) and use an electric mixer to cream together until well-combined.
• Add egg, egg yolk, and vanilla extract and stir well to combine.
• In a separate bowl, whisk together flour, baking soda, baking powder, and salt.
• Gradually add dry ingredients to wet ingredients and stir until completely combined.
• Place pretzels in a ziploc bag ad use a rolling pin to smash a bit until broken (but not completely crushed). Add pretzels, toffee bits, caramel bits, mini M&Ms, and semisweet chips and stir until combined.
• Scoop cookies by 2 Tablespoon-sized scoops and place on prepared baking sheet, spacing cookies at least 2” apart.
• Gently flatten cookies by pressing down with your fingers, then bake for 10 minutes
• Allow cookies to cool completely on baking sheet.

Nutrition

Serving: 1cookie | Calories: 200kcal | Carbohydrates: 29g | Protein: 2g | Fat: 9g | Saturated Fat: 5g | Cholesterol: 24mg | Sodium: 146mg | Potassium: 59mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 20g | Vitamin A: 223IU | Calcium: 27mg | Iron: 1mg

Tried this recipe?Mention @SugarSpun_Sam or tag #sugarspunrun!

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This recipe was originally published June of 2014. Photos, text, and recipe have been updated and a new video has been added as of May 2020.