The holiday season and cookies go hand in hand. Whether you’re baking a batch to leave out for Santa, or you’re making dozens before heading to a cookie swap, nothing beats a delicious, festive Christmas cookie.
While there are plenty of tried and true classic Christmas cookies from chocolaty cookie options such as chocolate truffle cookies or gingerbread cutout cookies, we’re adding another must-bake cookie to the list: kitchen sink Christmas cookies.
These cookies are the ideal balance between sweet and salty, with a soft, chewy texture. They use mix-ins such as potato chips and pretzels in a surprisingly delicious way and are paired with red and green M&M’s to dress them up for any holiday party.
What are kitchen sink cookies?
Have you ever heard the phrase “everything but the kitchen sink?” This is named for it! Kitchen sink cookies use just about anything you have in the pantry to create a wonderful balance of sweet and salty flavors, all wrapped up in a chewy cookie. While mix-ins are interchangeable, most kitchen sink cookies have chocolate in some form, along with salty components such as crushed chips and pretzels. Some even have an extra sprinkle of flaky sea salt on top.
Ingredients for Kitchen Sink Christmas Cookies
- Butter: Butter is the base of this cookie recipe. It plays a key role in developing the texture and rich flavor of the cookies. Be sure you’re beginning your recipe with softened butter for best results.
- Brown sugar: Brown sugar plays a key role in developing the chewiness of this cookie. It also brings those delicious molasses notes to the cookie’s base flavor.
- All-purpose flour: Flour aids in building the structure of these cookies. It holds everything together for the ideal texture.
- Mix-ins: This Christmas kitchen sink recipe has a mixture of oats, crushed potato chips, crushed pretzels and festive red and green M&M’s in the mix. This adds sweet and salty flavor along with great crunch.
How to Make Kitchen Sink Christmas Cookies
This recipe makes 28 cookies.
Ingredients
- 2 sticks unsalted butter, softened
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- 1 cup light brown sugar
- 2 eggs
- 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
- 2-1/3 cups flour
- 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 cup sprinkles
- 3/4 cup oats
- 1 cup crushed potato chips
- 1 cup crushed pretzels
- 1 cup holiday M&M’s
Directions
Step 1: Preheat the oven
Preheat the oven to 350F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
Step 2: Cream the butter and sugars
In a large mixing bowl, or the bowl of a stand mixer, cream the butter and sugars. Mix in the eggs and vanilla extract.
Step 3: Mix in the dry ingredients
In a medium bowl, combine the flour, baking soda, baking powder and salt. Gradually mix the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients mixture, combining just until the dough comes together. Fold in the sprinkles.
Step 4: Add the mix-ins
Fold in the oats, potato chips and pretzels. Finish things up by mixing in the M&M’s.
Step 5: Scoop the cookie dough
Use a cookie scoop to scoop tablespoon-sized balls of dough. Space the balls of dough evenly on the prepared baking sheet, with 12 cookies to a sheet. Add a few extra M&M’s, crushed chips, crushed pretzels or sprinkles on top.
Step 6: Bake and cool
Bake the cookies for 12 minutes until the edges are golden brown. Remove the cookies from the oven and allow them to cool on the baking sheet for 10 minutes before transferring to a wire rack to finish cooling.
Recipe Variations
- Use chocolate chips: While classic M&M’s add plenty of chocolate flavor to the mix, they can also be swapped out for chocolate chips. If you want to amp up the chocolate flavor even more, add 1/2 cup chocolate chips in addition to the M&M’s.
- Swap in baking chips: Add in other baking chips such as white chocolate chips, butterscotch chips or even peanut butter chips for a great twist on flavor.
- Seek out your pantry for additional mix-ins: The options for additional mix-ins are endless. You can throw in everything but the kitchen sink! Try variations with chopped peanuts or pecans, shredded coconut or crushed Chex or rice cereal. Of course, to make them even more colorful and festive for Christmas, you can add a mixture of your favorite holiday sprinkles into the dough as well.
How to Store Kitchen Sink Christmas Cookies
To preserve the chewy texture of these cookies, keep them in an airtight storage container at room temperature for up to five days.
How to Freeze Kitchen Sink Christmas Cookies
Have extra cookies? You can definitely freeze them. Allow the cookies to completely cool. Store them in a freezer-safe airtight container or plastic bag for up to two months.
Kitchen Sink Christmas Cookies Tips
How do you make soft, chewy cookies?
While these cookies taste great, the texture is a big part of their appeal. These cookies are slightly crispy on the edges, with a super chewy and soft center. The key is not to overbake the cookies. Let them bake until the edges just begin to turn golden brown. Once they do, remove the cookies from the oven and allow them to rest on the hot baking sheet on top of the stove. The residual heat will finish baking the centers of the cookies, giving them that soft texture.
Can I make cookie dough ahead of time?
This is a great recipe to prep ahead of time, especially if you have a long list of must-bake cookies on your list for the holiday season. Prep the dough ahead and store it wrapped in the fridge for up to one week.
The post How to Make Kitchen Sink Christmas Cookies appeared first on Taste of Home.
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