Kitchen Sink Cookies

Name: Kitchen Sink Cookies
Prep time: 12 min
Cook time: 17 min
Total time: 29 min
Yield: 25 servings
Ingredients: 2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour; 3/4 teaspoon salt; 1 teaspoon baking soda; 1 cup unsalted butter, softened; 1/3 cup granulated sugar; 2/3 cup packed dark brown sugar; 1 large egg; 1 teaspoon vanilla extract; 1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips; 3/4 cup chopped pecans (can sub walnuts or almonds); 1/2 cup pretzels, roughly chopped; 1/3 cup crushed kettle-cooked potato chips; 1/2 cup toffee bits (or butterscotch chips for twist)

By Emma

Certified Culinary Professional

Published on 08 February 2026 • Recipe tested & approved

A chaotic mash of sweet salty crunch. Flour, salt, baking soda crumble; butter and sugars whipped to airy pale. Egg and vanilla lend the smell. Chocolate chips, pecans, pretzels, potato chips, toffee bits thrown in. Dough chills, solidifies, time melds flavors. Scooped, topped, spread, baked till golden edges crackle but gooey centers cling. Bite through layers — sweet, salty, crunchy, chewy in joyful disarray. Subtle salty stones from chips balance the sugar rush. Not just cookies—textural adventure. Timing varies—depends on oven quirks and dough chill. Watch edges brown, centers soft, smell rich vanilla and butter rise. Keep dough cold or cookies just melt flat. Substitute pecans for walnuts, toffee for butterscotch chips, toss in oats for heft. Kitchen noise, warm smells, textures that surprise. A wild cookie, not neat. No fancy. Just stubborn flavor clashing.

Prep: 12 min

Cook: 17 min

Total: 29 min

Servings: 25 servings

#cookies #baking #snack #dessert #chilling #nuts #pretzels #toffee

Before You Start

Gather flour salt baking soda quick. Butter sugars whipped light yellow, sugar melting slightly but not greasy. Egg in, vanilla too—refreshing aroma launches. Dry mix joins wet, clumps break, dough pulls together. Into the chaos, add chocolate chips nuts pretzels potato crushed chips toffee bits—textures everywhere. Plastic wrap hugs bowl, refrigerator chills slow magic. Dough like cold gold, sturdier to scoop. Oven heats. Sheet lined. Scoops flattened slightly or perfectly round, extra toppings pressed on top. Bake. Edges signal done, scent rich vanilla butter swirling kitchen. Gooey middle, crisp border. Eat warm. Messy perfection. Tried pecans swap walnuts? Try smoked salt sprinkle. Replace butter with brown butter if you dare. Chunky, salty, sweet, crunchy—a cookie that yells. No neat perfection here, just stubborn joy in every bite.

Ingredients

2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
3/4 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 cup unsalted butter, softened
1/3 cup granulated sugar
2/3 cup packed dark brown sugar
1 large egg
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
3/4 cup chopped pecans (can sub walnuts or almonds)
1/2 cup pretzels, roughly chopped
1/3 cup crushed kettle-cooked potato chips
1/2 cup toffee bits (or butterscotch chips for twist)

About the ingredients

Flour salt baking soda combo hits leavening and balance. Using unsalted butter gives control over salt level, since salty mix-ins like pretzels and chips pack punch. Dark brown sugar adds deeper caramel notes but light brown works too; reduces intensity. Egg freshness impacts rise and flavor. Vanilla extract—don’t cheap out, coaxes warmth. Pecans swap for walnuts, almonds for crunch variance. Potato chips kettle style—oil and salt linger; regular chips too thin, won’t hold texture. Toffee bits hold sweet crunch, but butterscotch chips mellow flavor and keep chew. Pretzels add salinity and unexpected crunch. Avoid over mix-ins crowding dough; uneven baking risk. Optional extras—sea salt flakes sprinkled on top before baking add contrast. Store dough chilled or frozen; soft dough bakes flat, no fun.

Method

Mix flour salt baking soda in small bowl. Whisk quickly to blend but don’t overthink.
In big bowl beat butter sugars using mixer until light pale yellow, about 3 minutes. You want air in there, soft and fluffy. No melting butter.
Add egg and vanilla, beat until batter smells rich, airy. Use fresh egg, no shortcuts.
Dump dry ingredients into wet. Fold with low speed or spatula until dough forms but don’t overmix. Flour pockets okay, no problem.
Add in chips nuts pretzels chips toffee bits. Stir gently but fully. Texture is key here, make sure mix even but not beaten to dust.
Wrap bowl tight with plastic wrap. Chill minimum 2 hours, longer better. Dough firm to touch, flavors settle. Skip chilling? Cookies spread flat, lose chew.
Preheat oven 340-350°F (you know your oven’s quirks). Line sheet with parchment or silicone mat—keeps bottoms even.
Scoop dough with 2 tablespoon measure. Place 2 inches apart on sheet. Optional: press extra chips and nuts on top for fancy look.
Bake for 11-16 minutes depending on your oven. Edges golden and slightly crisp but centers still soft to the touch. Jiggle test: if middle wiggles, good. Burnt edges? Oven too hot or baking too long.
Cool 5 minutes on sheet before moving. Warm cookies gooey. Serve with milk or black coffee.
Store leftovers airtight but dough better fresh or frozen before baking. Dough freezes beautifully for surprise batch later.

Cooking tips

Mixing dry and wet separately controls flour incorporation—overmixing toughens cookie. Creaming butter sugars is key—takes 2-3 minutes until light yellow, air bubbles visible. Use hand or stand mixer with paddle attachment for consistent texture. Don’t skip chilling—flavors marry and dough firms, avoids spread. Scooping with tablespoon measure yields consistent size, uniform baking. Spacing dough at least 2 inches avoids merging blobs, remember dough spreads once warm. Oven temps vary—watch edges first, not just timer. Edges firm and golden mean cookie is done, center slightly soft when touched signals gooey middle. Remove immediately; residual heat cooks more. Cooling on baking sheet preserves softness; transferred early, cookies break. Leftover dough freezes well; scoop in balls onto tray, freeze solid then store in bag. Warm cookie with glass of milk—simple joy.

Chef's notes

💡 Butter and sugars whipped 2-3 minutes till pale yellow, air bubbles visible. Key step. Avoid warm butter which melts instead of traps air. Use paddle attachment if possible; texture changes instantly. Not fluffy? Beat longer but stop once sheen dulls.
💡 Chill dough minimum 2 hours. Rest lets flour hydrate, flavors meld, dough firms. Cold dough prevents spread, maintains chew. Tried baking fresh dough? Cookies flatten, gooey centers lost. Longer chilling better but watch dough dryness; add splash water if crumbly.
💡 Fold chocolate chips pecans pretzels and toffee bits gently to avoid breaking them too fine. Works best with spatula slow turns. Over stirring crushes mix-ins, breaks texture, cookies come out uniform but boring.
💡 Scoop dough with 2 tablespoon measure. Space cookies 2 inches apart because spread can merge otherwise. Dough warm? Spread worse—keep bowl chilled. Press extra toppings on top for visual cues, more crunch but risk slight burning on sugar bits.
💡 Oven temp 340 to 350F. Not exact number. Watch edges golden and slightly crisp, centers still soft. Jiggle test works well: center moves slightly without wobble. Burnt edges? Lower temp or reduce time. Oven quirks vary widely; smell of vanilla butter often precedes color change.

Common questions

Why chill dough?

Dough firms up, flavors meld. Skip it? Cookies spread flat, lose chew. Also helps dry flour hydrate. Sometimes overnight best. Dough too cold get crumbly, add tiny splash water.

Can I swap nuts?

Pecans good but walnuts or almonds work fine. Each changes crunch and taste. Toasted nuts deeper flavor but raw keep texture softer. Substitutions not one-to-one in moisture, expect slight texture shift.

Edges burn but centers soft?

Oven hot or baking time too long. Try lower temp first, 10-15 minutes then check. Rotate sheets mid bake. Position rack higher if needed. Sometimes thin sheets burn faster though centers barely cooked.

Storage options?

Dough holds in fridge 3 days wrapped tight plastic. Freeze dough balls on tray then bag up; thaw before baking. Baked cookies best eaten within 2 days sealed, else dry. Reheat slightly to re-soften chewy centers.