Kitchen Sink Cookies are delicious cookies made with everything but the kitchen sink! This unique recipe features pretzels, M&Ms, semi-sweet chocolate chips, and dark chocolate chips for a truly one-of-a-kind treat.

Don’t forget to try some of our other favorite cookie recipes like M&M Cookies, Mini Egg Cookies, and No-Bake Peanut Butter Pretzel Cookies.

Top down view of cookies filled with m&ms, pretzels, and chocolate chips.

Everything But the Kitchen Sink…

A kitchen sink cookie is a type of cookie made with everything but the kitchen sink! Made popular by the quick casual restaurant chain, Panera, these cookies soon became a favorite recipe for many home bakers.

I sometimes jokingly call them “Pantry Cookies” because they’re a great way to clean out the pantry of those half-empty bags of chocolate chips, candy, potato chips, and pretzels.

Our recipe starts with the base from our Easy Chocolate Chip Cookie recipe. Then we add tiny pretzels, plain M&Ms, and two kinds of chocolate chips for a sweet and savory dessert that everyone will love!

How to Make Homemade Kitchen Sink Cookies:

In the bowl of a stand mixer, cream together the butter, brown sugar, and granulated sugar until they lighten in color and become fluffy in texture.
To the butter and sugar mixture, add the eggs and vanilla extract. Mix again on low speed until the eggs and vanilla are well combined.
Add the flour, cornstarch, baking soda, and salt. Continue to mix on low speed just until no dry patches remain.

Butter, sugar, eggs, and vanilla in a bowl.

Flour, baking soda, and cornstarch on top of butter and sugar.

Carefully fold in the pretzels, M&Ms, and both types of chocolate chips. You don’t want to crush the mix-ins, so stir carefully.
Cover the bowl with plastic wrap, and refrigerate for at least 45 minutes to 1 hour.

M&ms, pretzels and cookie dough on top of cookie dough.

When you’re ready to bake the cookies, line two large baking sheets with parchment paper and preheat the oven to 350°F.
Use a 2-tablespoon cookie scoop to measure the dough onto the prepared baking sheets about 2 inches apart. Gently press the mounds of dough flat on the top, and add extra M&Ms, chocolate chips, and pretzels if desired.
Bake for 11 to 15 minutes or until the edges are brown and the tops are golden brown but still soft in the center.

Remove from the oven, and let the cookies rest on the baking sheets for 5 minutes before moving them to a wire rack to cool.
Enjoy!

Tips for Success:

Lightly spoon the flour into the measuring cup, and use a knife to level off the top to prevent using too much flour.
Scoop all the cookie dough into balls, and place them close to each other on a large baking sheet. Transfer the entire baking sheet to the refrigerator to chill the pre-scooped dough rather than chilling the dough in the bowl.
Make sure the butter and eggs are at room temperature before starting so that they incorporate together easily without excessive mixing and stirring time needed.
When adding mix-ins such as chocolate chips, nuts, dried fruit or coconut flakes try and distribute evenly throughout cookie dough before scooping onto prepared baking sheets; this will ensure even distribution of items within the finished cookies themselves!
Use a cookie scoop to transfer cookie dough onto prepared pans; this will help with uniformity for each individual cookie shape as well as ensure consistent cooking times across multiple batches.

Storage:

Room Temperature: Store kitchen sink cookies at room temperature in an airtight container or resealable bag. If stored properly, these cookies will stay fresh for 5 to 6 days.

Freezer: To freeze unbaked cookie dough, start by scooping the dough onto a parchment-lined baking sheet. Place the baking sheet in the freezer for 1 to 2 hours until the cookie dough balls are frozen solid.

Then transfer them to an airtight container or freezer bag and store them for up to 3 months. When ready to bake, preheat the oven and place frozen cookie dough balls on parchment-lined baking sheets at least 2 inches apart.

Bake as normal; however, you may need to add an extra minute or two of cooking time since they are coming straight from the freezer.

Close up view of an everything but the kitchen sink cookie.

Chocolate chips (semi-sweet, milk chocolate, dark chocolate, etc.).
Chopped nuts (almonds, walnuts, pecans).
Dried fruit (raisins, cranberries, cherries).
Coconut flakes.
Toffee bits.
M&Ms or other candy pieces.
Mini marshmallows.
Pretzel pieces.
Peanut butter chips.
Whopper candy.
Butterscotch chips.
Peanut butter.
Oats.
Potato chips.
Maldon sea salt.

Why did my cookies spread?

It’s difficult to determine exactly why cookies spread without being in the kitchen at the time the cookies were made. Several reasons may have caused the issue.

If you find that your cookies are still spreading after following the directions, try reducing the amount of butter or adding a bit more flour. We also recommend using name-brand butter instead of store-brand butter to help prevent spreading.

Batch of chocolate chip cookies with m&ms and pretzels.

Can you use caramel in kitchen sink cookies?

We tried using chewy caramels that were cut into small pieces for this recipe, but it did not work well. The caramel tasted good, but it was hard to get off the parchment paper and wire racks.

The cookies tore into pieces and made a mess because the caramel stuck. If you want to add caramel, we recommend pressing a couple of small pieces on top of the unbaked dough instead of adding it to the dough.

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