Christmas Kitchen Sink Cookies Recipe delivers a chewy, sweet-salty cookie packed with chocolate, toffee, pretzels, and festive sprinkles that tastes like a holiday bake sale in one bite. It suits cookie swap pros, last-minute party planners, and Santa plate fillers, and it takes about 20 minutes prep, 12 minutes bake time, and about 40 minutes total. I bake these every December with my kid while wearing the loudest sweater.
Why You Should Try This Christmas Kitchen Sink Cookies
Christmas Kitchen Sink Cookies Recipe brings big texture, bold flavor, and colorful sparkle in every bite. You get crisp edges, soft centers, melty chocolate, crunchy bits, and a hint of salt. The dough holds a generous mix of goodies without turning greasy or cakey.
You can tailor the mix-ins to your pantry and your crowd. Swap in gluten-free flour, go nut-free, or lean into peppermint for a win with minimal effort. One dough, many personalities, zero leftovers.
Ingredients You’ll Need
- 2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour (spooned and leveled, about 280 g; use a 1:1 gluten-free blend if needed)
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 3/4 teaspoon fine sea salt
- 1 cup unsalted butter, softened to cool room temp
- 1 cup packed light brown sugar
- 1/2 cup granulated sugar
- 2 large eggs, at room temp
- 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
Mix-ins and holiday add-ons:
- 1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips (Guittard or Ghirardelli melt smoothly)
- 1/2 cup white chocolate chips
- 1/2 cup toffee bits (Heath bits; choose nut-free if needed)
- 1 cup crushed pretzels or ridged potato chips
- 3/4 cup red and green chocolate candies
- 1/2 cup shredded coconut or 1/2 cup chopped pecans, optional
- 2 tablespoons holiday sprinkles
- Flaky sea salt for finishing, optional
Pantry shortcuts and swaps:
- Use pre-cut parchment sheets for quick cleanup.
- Pick pre-chopped pecans and bagged toffee bits.
- Swap in butterscotch chips, chopped peppermint bark, or dried cranberries for a twist.
Equipment:
- Stand mixer or hand mixer, large bowl, and rubber spatula
- Measuring cups and spoons or a kitchen scale
- Two light-colored sheet pans and parchment paper
- Cookie scoop, 1.5 to 2 tablespoons
- Wire rack for cooling
How to Make Christmas Kitchen Sink Cookies
- Prep: 20 minutes
- Cook: 11 to 12 minutes per batch
- Total: about 40 minutes
- Yield: about 24 cookies using a 2 tablespoon scoop
- Heat the oven to 350°F. Line two sheet pans with parchment.
- Whisk flour, baking soda, and salt in a medium bowl.
- Beat the butter, brown sugar, and granulated sugar on medium speed until fluffy, about 2 to 3 minutes. Scrape the bowl.
- Mix in the eggs one at a time, then add vanilla. Beat until smooth.
- Add the dry ingredients and mix on low until the dough looks just combined. Do not overmix.
- Fold in chocolate chips, white chips, toffee bits, pretzels, candies, coconut or pecans, and sprinkles. Reserve a small handful of mix-ins for topping.
- Chill the bowl for 15 to 20 minutes so the dough firms slightly and the cookies bake thick.
- Scoop 2 tablespoon portions, space them 2 inches apart, and gently press a few reserved mix-ins on top. The cookies will look bakery-level with this move.
- Bake one tray at a time for 11 to 12 minutes until edges set and centers look pale and soft. Sprinkle flaky salt right out of the oven if you love sweet-salty.
- Cool on the pan for 5 minutes, then move cookies to a rack to finish cooling. Load the next tray and repeat.
Expert Baking Tips
- Spoon and level the flour or weigh it at about 280 g to keep the texture tender.
- Use room temp butter and eggs for even mixing and better lift.
- Keep a small stash of mix-ins for topping each scoop so the cookies look festive.
- Bake one test cookie to dial in the exact time for your oven and pan.
- Chill the dough if the mix-ins feel heavy or if the dough looks glossy.
- Use light-colored sheet pans to prevent over-browning.
- Pull the cookies when centers look a touch underdone for soft middles.
- Go nut-free by skipping nuts and picking nut-free toffee bits.
- For gluten-free swaps, use a 1:1 blend and add 1 tablespoon milk if the dough seems dry.
What to Serve with Christmas Kitchen Sink Cookies
Pour hot cocoa with a cinnamon stick, or set out spiced cider for a cozy pairing. Brew a strong holiday blend coffee for grown-ups who love that sweet-salty bite with a bold sip. For dessert boards, add peppermint bark, orange slices, and salted almonds. For a dessert twist, sandwich two cookies with peppermint or vanilla ice cream.
Make-Ahead and Storage
Chill the dough for up to 3 days and bake as needed. Freeze scooped dough balls on a sheet pan until firm, then bag them for up to 3 months; bake from frozen and add 1 to 2 minutes. Store baked cookies in an airtight container at room temp for 4 days or freeze them for up to 2 months with parchment between layers. Refresh cookies in a 300°F oven for 3 to 5 minutes or in an air fryer at 300°F for 2 to 3 minutes.
Nutrition Information
Approximate per cookie, based on 24 cookies: 210 calories; 10 g fat; 6 g saturated fat; 27 g carbs; 1 g fiber; 18 g sugars; 3 g protein; 170 mg sodium. Estimates will vary by brands and mix-ins.
Ingredients
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350°F (175°C). Line two baking sheets with parchment paper.
- In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, baking soda, and salt.
- In a large bowl, cream together the softened butter, brown sugar, and granulated sugar until light and fluffy.
- Beat in eggs one at a time, then add vanilla extract.
- Gradually mix in the dry ingredients until just combined.
- Fold in M&Ms, chocolate chips, chopped pretzels, toffee bits, coconut, and holiday sprinkles.
- Scoop tablespoon-sized balls of dough onto prepared baking sheets, spacing them 2 inches apart.
- Bake for 10-12 minutes, or until edges are golden and centers are just set.
- Cool on baking sheets for 5 minutes before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely.