Every December, my kitchen turns into a full-blown north pole bakery. Between my Grinch Linzer Cookies, mini Christmas cookies, a it’s basically a Christmas magic-fueled holiday party.
But these Christmas Kitchen Sink Cookies might be the most festive (and most loved) of the bunch. If there’s ever a cookie that says “I had fun making this,” it’s this one.
The Christmas Cookie That Uses Everything (And Always Works)
I like to think of these Christmas kitchen sink cookies as the sweet baked version of “clean out the fridge” dinners.
Whatever you have left in your pantry or baking cabinet will likely work (see mix-in options below), though I have a simple formula so they don’t get too sweet (50% sweet, 30% salty, and 20% festive).
The base is thick and buttery with brown sugar and cornstarch for structure (the same as my peppermint chocolate chip cookies). Then the fun begins. You fold in chocolate, toffee, crushed potato chips, pretzels, and holiday sprinkles. They’re fun, dramatic, and a guaranteed hit on every cookie tray (especially for kiddos!).
They’re a must-make every December because they deliver maximum payoff with zero fuss (no chilling required!)
My Testing Notes: Tips That Make All the Difference
Here’s what mattered most during testing:
- Butter temperature matters: 68–70°F and still cool to the touch (30–60 minutes on the counter) is actually room temp butter. Too soft and they’ll spread on you. A tip I learned when testing these pudding cookies years ago.
- Weigh the flour. Too much and the cookies won’t spread at all.
- Holiday jimmies > nonpareils: nonpareils bleed and melt (it’s what I recommend for frosted Christmas cookies too).
- Add toppings after baking for the prettiest finish.
- Shaping is everything: swirling a glass around the edges creates perfect bakery circles.
- Pull them early: over baked kitchen sink cookies lose their chew so they should look just done in the centers.
The Key Ingredients That Make These Thick, Soft, and Festive
Even though they look over-the-top, the base of this cookie is strategic and intentional:
- Butter + brown sugar: Keeps the centers soft and chewy.
- Cornstarch: Helps the cookies stay thick and prevents overspreading.
- Egg + extra yolk: Adds richness and gives the dough strength to hold heavy mix-ins.
- The sweet-and-salty mix-ins: Chocolate, toffee, potato chips, pretzels, and holiday sprinkles.
Want to add more Christmas cookies to your holiday cookie box? Try Oreo polar bear paws, millionaire cookies, or gooey butter cake cookies too.
Exactly How to Make Christmas Kitchen Sink Cookies
Step 1. Cream the butter and sugar: A full 3 minutes introduces air into the dough and helps them lift, so don’t cut this short.
Step 2. Finish the dough: add the eggs and vanilla then mix in the dry ingredients until just combined (overworking develops the gluten too much).
Step 3. Add the mix-ins: Stir in the chocolate, candy, chips and pretzels until it’s evenly distributed.
Step 4. Bake and finish: Roll the dough into tall mounds so they stay thick and bake until just done on top (about 10 min).
More Christmas Mix-Ins That Work
This is where you get to have fun with more festive ingredients! Stick to the ratio for best results: 50% sweet · 30% salty · 20% festive.
- Sweet options: semi-sweet chocolate, white chocolate, dark chocolate, milk chocolate, chopped chocolate chunks, butterscotch chips, or malt balls.
- Salty options: saltine crackers, salted peanuts,
- Festive additions: red and green M&Ms, dried cranberries, crushed candy canes, holiday jimmies
Note: avoid nonpareils sprinkles because they bleed into the dough (jimmies don’t).
Make-Ahead, Storing, and Freezing for the Holiday Rush
Storage: store airtight for 4–5 days (the potato chips may soften slightly).
Refrigerate the dough: up to 48 hours.
Freeze dough balls: scoop, freeze, then bake from frozen +1–2 minutes.
Freeze baked cookies: up to 2 months.
More Holiday Cookies to Bake Next
Kitchen Sink Cookies
Save this Recipe!
Ingredients
- 2 1/4 cups 270g all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 Tablespoon 8g cornstarch
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 3/4 cup 170g unsalted butter, room temperature
- 3/4 cup 150g light brown sugar, packed
- 1/4 cup 50g granulated sugar
- 1 egg room temperature
- 1 egg yolk room temperature
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1/2 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips chopped chocolate or white chocolate chips work too
- 1/2 cup toffee bits or red & green M&Ms
- 3/4 cup crushed potato chips
- 1/2 cup chopped pretzels
- 1/4 cup holiday jimmies (not nonpareils)
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350°F and line baking sheets with parchment paper.
- Whisk dry ingredients (2 min): In a medium bowl, whisk together the dry ingredients including the flour, baking soda, corn starch, and salt.2 1/4 cups 270g all-purpose flour, 1 teaspoon baking soda, 1 Tablespoon 8g cornstarch, 1/2 teaspoon salt
- Cream the butter & sugar (3 min): In a large bowl using a handheld or stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, beat the butter, brown sugar, and granulated sugar until light and creamy, 2-3 full minutes.3/4 cup 170g unsalted butter,, 3/4 cup 150g light brown sugar,, 1/4 cup 50g granulated sugar
- Add the wet ingredients (2 min): Add the egg, egg yolk, and vanilla, and beat for another 1-2 minutes, until light and fluffy, scraping down the sides of the bowl as needed.1 egg, 1 egg yolk, 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- Add the dry ingredients (2 min): With the mixer on low, slowly add the dry ingredients and mix until combined.
- Stir in the mix-ins (1 min): Add the chocolate chips, jimmies, toffee, potato chips, and pretzels and stir with a rubber spatula until combined.1/2 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips, 3/4 cup crushed potato chips, 1/2 cup chopped pretzels, 1/4 cup holiday jimmies, 1/2 cup toffee bits
- Bake (10 min): Use a large cookie scoop (or a scant 1/4 cup), to scoop out the dough and drop on the cookie sheets. Roll the dough balls into tall ovals (rather than balls) for thicker cookies. Bake for 10-12 minutes, until the edges are slightly golden and the tops are just set.
- Finish the cookies: Immediately swirl the rim of a large glass gently around the outside of the warm cookies for perfect circle and press extra topping pieces on top. Transfer to a cooling rack after 5 minutes to cool completely.
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Your Cookie Questions, Answered
Because they include “everything but the kitchen sink.”
No, the fat in the dough keeps them crisp. And I specifically developed this recipe so the dough doesn’t have to chill so there’s little time from mixing to eating!
Use room-temp (not warm) butter, weigh the flour, and scoop tall dough mounds.
Yes, just stick with a mix of sweet, salt, and festive. My favorite swaps are white chocolate chips and red and green M&Ms.
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Delicious!! 10/10
Thank you!!