Kitchen Sink Cookies
Kitchen sink cookies are the perfect cookie recipe for those of us who can never decide on a cookie flavour because they’re packed with everything but the kitchen sink! With an irresistible mix of chocolate, caramel, and crunchy pretzels, these cookies are easy to whip up and even easier to devour.
Kitchen sink cookies are loaded with a variety of ingredients, hence the name—it seems like “everything but the kitchen sink” has been thrown into them! They’re sweet and salty, chewy and crispy, and all-around delicious.
While I love Vegan Snickerdoodle Cookies and Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies, sometimes I’m craving a cookie with a combination of flavours and textures in every bite and kitchen sink cookies definitely fit the bill. Think of them as an irresistible mash-up of all your favourite cookie flavours in one easy-to-make treat!
Why You’ll Love This Kitchen Sink Cookie Recipe
- Vegan. Unlike most kitchen sink cookie recipes, this one is completely plant-based because it’s made without eggs and dairy. But you’ll never miss them!
- Customizable. Kitchen sink cookies are incredibly versatile because you can mix and match ingredients to your heart’s content. As long as you keep the dough-to-mix-in proportions the same, the possibilities are endless.
- Easy to make. This recipe is super easy to make and doesn’t require any fancy equipment or techniques. If you can make Vegan Chocolate Chip Cookies, you can make these kitchen sink cookies.
- Perfect for using up leftovers. Have some leftover nuts, chocolate chips, or dried fruit sitting in your kitchen? Use them in these cookies and clean out your pantry at the same time!
Notes on Ingredients
Scroll down to the recipe card to find the ingredient quantities and recipe instructions.
- Butter – Use your favourite store-bought vegan butter or my homemade vegan butter.
- Sugar
- Brown sugar – You can use either dark or light brown sugar in this recipe.
- Applesauce – Use smooth, unsweetened, and unflavoured applesauce.
- Vanilla extract – I recommend pure vanilla extract for the best flavour.
- Baking soda
- Salt
- All-purpose flour
- Dark chocolate – Any kind you like, but be sure that it’s vegan!
- Semisweet chocolate chips
- Vegan pretzel twists – I love the crunch and salty flavour the pretzels add to these kitchen sink cookies.
- Cocomels candies – These vegan caramels are made with coconut milk.
- Salt flakes – Fleur de sel or Malden salt are both great here.
How Does Applesauce Work for Replacing Eggs?
We use applesauce to replace the eggs in this kitchen sink cookie recipe. The applesauce provides moisture and helps bind the ingredients together. It also adds natural sweetness, which can help reduce the amount of sugar needed in a recipe.
How to Make Kitchen Sink Cookies
- Prepare. Preheat your oven to 350ºF, then line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
- Cream the butter and sugars. In the bowl of a stand mixer, combine the butter with the white and brown sugar, then beat on high speed with the paddle attachment until the mixture is fluffy.
- Add the wet ingredients. Mix in the applesauce and vanilla extract on low speed just until combined.
- Add the dry ingredients. Stir in the sifted flour, baking soda, and sea salt.
- Finish the dough. Fold in the mix-ins, reserving about ½ cup for sticking on top of the cookies. Chill the dough in the refrigerator for 30 minutes.
- Form the cookies. With an ice cream or cookie dough scoop, place balls of dough on the prepared baking sheet, leaving enough space for the cookies to spread while baking. Press the reserved mix-ins into the balls of dough.
- Bake. Place the pan in the oven and bake for 10 to 12 minutes, or until the cookies slightly golden on top and around the edges.
- Finish and cool. Sprinkle the tops of the cookies with salt flakes. Leave them on the baking sheet for 5 minutes, then transfer to the cooling rack with a spatula and let cool completely.
Tips for Success
- Soften the butter. This will help it incorporate evenly into the cookie dough.
- Weigh the flour. Or, if you can’t weigh it, lightly spoon it into the measuring cup. This will prevent you from adding too much flour, which can lead to dry and crumbly cookies.
- Chill the caramels. To make chopping the caramels easier, refrigerate them for 1 hour.
- Don’t overmix the dough. Once you add in the flour, mix until just combined. Overmixing will result in tough kitchen sink cookies.
- Chill the dough. Chilling the dough helps prevent the cookies from spreading too much while baking.
Variations
- Swap the pretzels with nuts. Chopped walnuts or pecans add a delicious crunch to these cookies.
- Add dried fruit. Dried cranberries, raisins, or cherries would make a great addition to these cookies, adding another layer of texture.
- Switch up the chocolate. Use white chocolate or peanut butter chips instead of dark chocolate for a different flavour profile.
- Make them gluten-free. Simply use a gluten-free all-purpose flour blend in place of regular flour to make gluten-free kitchen sink cookies.
How to Store
Store kitchen sink cookies in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 3 days.
Can I Freeze This Recipe?
You can freeze both the dough and the baked kitchen sink cookies.
To freeze the dough, scoop it onto a parchment-lined baking sheet and place it in the freezer for about an hour. Then, transfer the frozen dough balls to a freezer-safe container or bag and freeze for up to 2 months. Bake them according to the recipe instructions, adding a few extra minutes to the baking time.
To freeze baked cookies, allow them to cool completely and then store them in an airtight container or freezer-safe bag for up to 3 months. Thaw at room temperature before serving.
Enjoy friends! If you make this kitchen sink cookies recipe please snap a photo and tag #jessicainthekitchen on Instagram! We’d also love it if you would leave a comment below, and give the recipe a rating! Thanks so much!
More Vegan Cookie Recipes
- Vegan Oatmeal Cookies
- Banana Oatmeal Cookies
- White Chocolate Macadamia Nut Cookies
- S’mores Cookies
- Vegan Sugar Cookies
Kitchen Sink Cookies
Ingredients
- 1 cup vegan butter, softened (240g)
- ½ cup sugar, 100g
- ¾ cup brown sugar, 160g
- ½ cup applesauce, 122g
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 3 cups all-purpose flour, 360g
- ½ cup chopped dark chocolate, 2.8 oz, 80g
- ½ cup semisweet chocolate chips, 80g
- ½ cup chopped vegan pretzel twists, 40g
- 3.5 ounces Cocomels candies, chopped (99g)*
- Salt flakes for sprinkling on top
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350ºF and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
- Place softened butter in a mixer bowl, add white and brown sugar. Beat on high speed with the paddle attachment until fluffy.
- Add applesauce and vanilla extract, mix on low speed just until combined. Don’t worry if it curdles a little.
- Add sifted flour, baking soda and sea salt and mix with a spoon until combined. Don’t overmix the dough at this point.
- Add mix-ins: chopped chocolate, chocolate chips, pretzel twists, chopped candies, reserving about ½ cup for sticking on top of cookies. Mix again. Refrigerate the dough for 30 minutes.
- With an ice cream or cookie dough scoop, place balls of dough on the lined baking sheet, leaving enough space for the cookies to spread while baking.
- Press the reserved mix-ins onto the tops of the cookie dough balls, making sure the mix-ins are evenly distributed among them.
- Bake for 10-12 minutes until slightly golden on top and around the edges. Remove from the oven and sprinkle with salt flakes. You can slightly push the uneven edges with a spatula if you want a perfectly shaped cookie.
- Leave the cookies on the baking sheet for 5 minutes then transfer to the cooling rack with a spatula and let cool completely. Hot cookies will be very soft and crumbly so be careful not to break them.
Notes
- To make the chopping of candies easier refrigerate them for 1 hour.
- To store: Store kitchen sink cookies in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 3 days.
- To freeze the dough: Scoop the dough onto a parchment-lined baking sheet and place it in the freezer for about an hour. Then, transfer the frozen dough balls to a freezer-safe container or bag and freeze for up to 2 months. Bake them according to the recipe instructions, adding a few extra minutes to the baking time.
- To freeze baked cookies: Allow the cookies to cool completely and then store them in an airtight container or freezer-safe bag for up to 3 months. Thaw at room temperature before serving.
Disclaimer: Although jessicainthekitchen.com attempts to provide accurate nutritional information, kindly note that these are only estimates. Nutritional information may be affected based on the product type, the brand that was purchased, and in other unforeseeable ways. Jessicainthekitchen.com will not be held liable for any loss or damage resulting for your reliance on nutritional information. If you need to follow a specific caloric regimen, please consult your doctor first.
So so good!!! I just baked them today!!
The most insanely delicious cookies!! They didn’t last a day!
Thanks for sharing Kimberly!!
Jessica these are awesome!! I gave these out to a bunch of friends and family and got so many compliments! I used chocolate chunks, chopped caramel, pretzels, pecans, and a couple crumbled up brownies that I made earlier in the week😆 loved this recipe and will definitely be making again! Thank you:)
Awesome! We’re so happy that you enjoyed it. Thanks so much for sharing your your experience!