Sweet, salty, crunchy and chewy–these cookies are the ultimate raid-your-pantry-and-throw-in-whatever cookie. A spin off from Panera Kitchen Sink Cookies, these are easy to customize using different mix-ins!
Preheat the oven and prepare your baking sheet(s). In a large mixing bowl, beat together butter, sugars and vanilla until light and fluffy; gradually adding eggs one at a time.
Flavor
Mix-ins are an easy way to customize the flavor and texture of cookies, and can add new dimensions of interest and excitement. Chocolate chips add sweetness while peanut M&Ms add crunch. Other popular additions may include chopped nuts, oats, ground coffee, plain potato chips or pretzels.
To achieve maximum flavor from these cookies, ensure the unsalted butter is at room temperature so it can easily combine with sugars and cream them together. In addition, granulated and packed brown sugar as well as eggs will be needed as structures; alternatively you could sub out a portion of all-purpose flour with whole wheat flour in order to make these gluten-free.
Homemade Kitchen Sink Cookies give you complete control of how much salt or other additives go into each batch, giving you complete control of their flavor profile. If you want salted versions, sprinkle the cookies when they come out of the oven with coarse salt – this helps counterbalance their sweetness while adding an irresistibly delicious touch!
When making these cookies, either refrigerate the dough for several hours to firm it up before baking, or directly from the fridge. If opting for the latter option, just be aware that cookies baked without resting may have softer centers and may not spread as evenly during baking. Refrigerating may also alter the color; though the cookies will still taste deliciously delicious despite any apparent changes to its brown hue.
Texture
Kitchen Sink Cookies are a fun way to utilize every leftover ingredient from your pantry to make something sweet and salty that’s both chewy and crunchy! Add-ins can be customized according to taste or simply enjoy as-is for an easy treat with milk or coffee!
If you want a denser, cake-like cookie, you can bake longer. Or add extra chocolate chips or pretzels into the tops before baking to give the cookie that bakery look.
Make vegan cookies using this recipe by switching out butter for margarine, vegetable oil or nondairy milk and aquafaba icing as a decorative touch.
To achieve the perfect texture in your cookies, it’s essential that you use only quality ingredients. Unsalted butter will allow you to manage the salt level, while granulated and brown sugar provide structure and flavor, along with eggs to prevent too much spreading during baking.
Use a digital kitchen scale to accurately measure your ingredients for consistent results and to avoid dry, dense cookies.
Refrigerating dough before baking will also enhance the texture of your cookies, so after it has chilled you can use a cookie scooper to portion out cookies onto lined baking sheets. You may add chocolate chips or caramel bits for an added decadence before baking if desired. Alternatively, frozen cookies can also be stored for up to three months in an airtight container and eaten later either at room temperature for several minutes or microwaved in short increments until warm and soft.
Versatility
At Christmas time, everyone wants to bake cookies for friends and family – but choosing between different varieties can be daunting! That’s where Kitchen Sink Cookies come in – these festive bites use an eclectic mixture of ingredients like chocolate chips, pretzels, potato chips and toffee bits – plus you can easily switch up ingredients such as nuts or dried fruit as desired! For an added festive Christmas touch add pistachios and candy cane pieces!
These cookies can be made quickly with just one bowl and simple ingredients, using just a triggered cookie scoop for consistency in size and baking time. To achieve an even more uniform result, consider lining a sheet pan with parchment paper or using nonstick baking mat to avoid sticking cookies to it as you bake.
Chilling the dough before baking cookies can also help ensure their shape remains intact and prevents too much spreading in the oven. Furthermore, this allows flavors of all components of each ingredient to mix before they bake for a more cohesive and flavorful experience!
Make your Kitchen Sink Cookies even tastier and texture by replacing eggs with mashed bananas or applesauce for an amazingly delicious chewy-soft cookie that pairs beautifully with wine – try pairing CK Mondavi Red Blend which features notes of black berries, plum and red fruit!
Make cookies that will delight Santa! Get creative and use whatever is at hand to craft one-of-a-kind confections – don’t forget to save some for him, as he absolutely adores these goodies.
Repurposing
Kitchen Sink Cookies get their name from using everything but the kitchen sink (in other words, all your leftover chocolate, nuts and other bakeable bits). It is an ideal recipe to try when you have some odd ingredients lingering in your pantry that need using up. Plus, you can always alter this recipe according to your personal taste by switching up add-ins!
Soft and chewy cookie bases make an ideal base for adding any ingredients you have lying around your pantry, such as chocolate chips, oats and pretzel pieces – or try other options such as raisins, white chocolate and crushed toffee for something different.
These cookies are easy to make – simply scoop the dough into balls instead of rolling out and rolling it. They make for a quick and straightforward recipe ideal for beginners or those who may lack experience baking.
Making cookies is also an excellent way to use up all those bits and bobs from potato chips, chocolate, or other snack items that have already gone bad in your pantry. I like adding sea salt as soon as they come out of the oven for an authentic bakery-style finish – they taste fantastic!
Store these cookies in an airtight container at room temperature for several days, or freeze them after cooling in order to extend their shelf life up to one month or longer. Reheating can either take place naturally at room temperature or by popping into the microwave briefly until soft again.
Reduced Food Waste
These cookies have earned themselves the moniker “kitchen sink cookies” because of their versatility in being made out of anything in your pantry, from potato chips, pretzels, chocolate and caramel bits – to just about everything! Plus they provide an ideal way to clear out and use up odds-and-ends you may have lying around.
While you can customize these cookies as you please, I suggest keeping the total sweet and salty ingredients to about one cup each for optimal results. Also, feel free to switch up the type of chips based on personal taste – be it white chocolate chips, vanilla ones, butterscotch ones or regular ones.
Making these cookies requires using room temperature butter and eggs, making the dough easier to work with and guaranteeing all ingredients are evenly mixed. If your ingredients get stuck in the refrigerator, simply warm them up briefly in a bowl of hot water before mixing. A triggered cookie scoop is also an invaluable asset when baking these treats as it ensures all cookies have equal sizes that bake more evenly.
Food waste can often go undetected, with as much as 31 percent going uneaten in the U.S. alone. Companies like SOULMUCH are working to combat food waste by upcycling leftovers from restaurants into new products, like brown rice and quinoa that can be ground into flour as well as damaged vegetables that cannot be sold commercially in stores – their goal being keeping unused food out of landfills while feeding communities across America.