What Exactly Are Kitchen Sink Cookies and Why the Name?

The whimsical name “Kitchen Sink Cookies” comes from the popular idiom, “everything but the kitchen sink.” This perfectly describes these loaded cookies, as they are designed to include a delightful medley of ingredients – essentially, anything delicious you might have stashed in your pantry! At their heart, these are a gourmet twist on the classic chocolate chip cookie, transformed by an exciting array of sweet and salty additions. It’s a celebration of bold flavors and varied textures in every single bite, making them a true adventure for your taste buds.

Our particular recipe draws deep inspiration from the famous Panera Bread Kitchen Sink Cookie, but with a few crucial tweaks to ensure a superior homemade experience. While Panera’s version is beloved, our recipe focuses on achieving that ultimate soft and chewy texture that can sometimes be lost in commercially baked cookies. We build upon a foundational Panera-style chocolate chip cookie base, then generously load it with a winning combination of semi-sweet and milk chocolate chips, rich chopped caramel chunks, and crispy pretzel pieces. This specific blend creates a harmonious balance of sweetness and saltiness that is truly addictive.

But the beauty of kitchen sink cookies lies in their versatility. While our Panera-inspired mix-ins are fantastic, you’re encouraged to get creative! The “everything but the kitchen sink” concept truly means you can customize these to your heart’s content. Other popular additions often include a variety of nuts like pecans or walnuts, crunchy potato chips for an extra salty kick, toffee bits for buttery sweetness, or even a sprinkle of mini marshmallows for a different texture. Feel free to experiment with your favorite sweet and salty elements to truly make these cookies your own. The goal is to combine contrasting flavors and textures that create an exciting, unexpected treat – a true symphony for your palate.

Key Ingredients & Expert Notes for Your Panera Kitchen Sink Cookies

Creating these incredible Panera-style Kitchen Sink Cookies starts with understanding the role each ingredient plays. Below is a detailed look at the core components and essential tips for achieving that perfect sweet and salty balance and chewy texture. For precise measurements and step-by-step instructions, make sure to jump down to the full recipe card.

• Chocolate Chips: To truly capture the Panera experience, we recommend a generous mix of both semi-sweet and milk chocolate chips. This blend offers a richer, more complex chocolate flavor profile. A crucial tip for bakery-style cookies is to chop at least half of your chocolate chips into smaller shards and slivers. This not only ensures you get chocolate in every single bite, but also helps contribute to the cookie’s signature darker color and more uniform spread. Feel free to adjust the ratio to your preference – if you love a bolder chocolate flavor, lean more towards semi-sweet or even a touch of dark chocolate.
• Caramel: For that perfectly gooey, chewy caramel pull, Kraft caramels (the individually wrapped squares) are your best friend. Tearing or chopping them into small pieces (about 6 pieces per caramel) is essential for them to melt beautifully and integrate into the cookie. While Kraft caramel bits are an option, we find they tend to hold their shape more and don’t create the same irresistible molten caramel pockets that the chopped squares do. If your caramels are too hard to chop, microwave them for 5-10 seconds to soften slightly.
• Pretzels: The pretzels are key to the “salty” in sweet & salty. Any variety of salty pretzels will work—mini twists, sticks, or even pretzel rods broken into pieces. Just make sure they’re sufficiently salty to contrast with the sweetness of the chocolate and caramel. Their crunchy texture also adds a fantastic dimension to the chewiness of the cookie, making each bite an exciting textural journey.
• Butter: This recipe calls for melted butter, and using real unsalted butter is non-negotiable for the best flavor and texture. Margarine or butter substitutes will not yield the same results. Melting the butter until it’s quite hot is a specific technique that contributes to a flatter, chewier cookie with those coveted crinkly edges, rather than a puffy, cakey one. This method helps the sugars dissolve better and and prevents excess air from being incorporated into the dough, leading to a denser, more satisfying chew.
• Sugars: A combination of light brown sugar and granulated sugar is used to achieve the ideal balance. Brown sugar adds moisture and contributes to the chewy texture and deeper flavor profile, thanks to its molasses content. Granulated sugar provides sweetness and helps with the cookie’s spread and crisp edges, creating that perfect contrast.
• Egg & Vanilla: A large egg binds the ingredients together, adding richness and structure to the dough. Good quality vanilla extract is essential as it enhances all the sweet flavors in the cookie, elevating the overall taste experience. Don’t skimp on the vanilla!
• Baking Soda & Salt: Baking soda serves as a leavening agent, helping the cookies spread beautifully and contributing to their tender crumb. A touch of fine salt (beyond what’s in the pretzels or any flaky sea salt) balances the intense sweetness and harmonizes the flavors of all the ingredients, especially the chocolate.
• Sea salt: While optional, a sprinkle of flaky sea salt on top of the baked cookies is a game-changer. Panera often tops theirs with flaky salt, which adds a beautiful visual appeal and an extra pop of savory crunch that elevates the entire sweet and salty experience. Even if your pretzels are already salty, the flaky sea salt provides a different textural and flavor note that truly makes the cookie shine.

Make it gluten-free! Embrace inclusivity in your baking! You can easily adapt this recipe to be gluten-free by substituting the all-purpose flour. We recommend using a blend of half-almond flour and half of your favorite gluten-free all-purpose baking flour. For consistent and excellent results, Bob’s Red Mill Gluten Free 1-to-1 Baking Flour is a highly reliable choice that works wonderfully in many cookie recipes, maintaining that coveted chewy texture.

Step 1: Prep Your Delicious Mix-Ins

Precision in preparation is key for perfectly distributed flavors. Begin by measuring out ½ cup of semi-sweet chocolate chips, ½ cup of milk chocolate chips, 10 Kraft caramels, and ½ cup of your chosen pretzels. With a sharp knife, carefully chop at least half of the total chocolate chips into smaller shards and slivers. This ensures a delightful chocolatey presence in every mouthful and contributes to the cookie’s rich, dark appearance. Next, unwrap and chop each caramel into 5-6 small pieces. For your pretzels, simply break or chop them into varying small sizes, ensuring a good mix of crunch in each bite.

Tip: We recommend a total of 1.5-2 cups of mix-ins for the ideal cookie density and flavor in every bite. Feel free to adjust the quantities of each item based on your personal preference. For instance, if you’re a major caramel lover, add a bit more, or if you prefer a stronger salty kick, increase the pretzels!

Step 2: Master the Melted Butter Cookie Dough

In a small, microwave-safe bowl, place ½ cup (which is equal to one stick) of unsalted butter. Cover the bowl with a paper towel to prevent any splattering. Microwave the butter for 30-60 seconds, or until it is completely melted and no solid chunks remain. It’s crucial for the butter to be quite hot; if you hear it ‘pop’ or sizzle, you’ve likely reached the perfect temperature. This hot melted butter is essential for achieving the signature flat and chewy texture of these cookies.

Next, add ½ cup of light brown sugar and ¼ cup of granulated sugar to the hot melted butter. Using a sturdy rubber spatula (do not use an electric mixer for this recipe, as it will incorporate too much air and yield a cakey cookie), stir vigorously until the sugars are fully combined with the butter. The sugars should help cool down the butter to a workable temperature. If the mixture still feels piping hot after mixing, let it cool for just a minute or two before proceeding.

Once cooled slightly, stir in 1 large egg until fully incorporated, followed by 2 teaspoons of vanilla extract. The vanilla enhances all the sweet notes and adds depth of flavor. Then, mix in ½ teaspoon of baking soda and ¼ teaspoon of salt. Finally, add 1 ¼ cups of all-purpose flour, mixing just until all the flour disappears into the dough. Be careful not to overmix, which can lead to tough cookies.

Note: The dough will naturally be quite wet and sticky at this stage. Do not be alarmed! This is completely normal and expected. It will firm up slightly as it rests and once the mix-ins are added.

Step 3: Incorporate the Delicious Mix-Ins

Now for the fun part! Gently fold in your prepared mix-ins: the chopped chocolate chips, the whole chocolate chips, the chopped pretzels, and the chopped caramel pieces. Use your spatula to evenly distribute them throughout the dough, ensuring every bite will be loaded with flavor and texture. Once combined, allow the dough to sit for 1-2 minutes. This brief resting period helps the flour absorb more moisture, causing the dough to firm up slightly and become less sticky, which makes it easier to scoop and handle. Give it another gentle stir after resting, ensuring everything is well-integrated.

Tip: If, after resting, your dough still seems excessively runny, you can add an extra 1-2 tablespoons of all-purpose flour. Mix it in gently, just until the dough reaches a more manageable consistency. The goal is a soft, slightly sticky dough, not a stiff one.

Step 4: Scoop, Roll, and Flatten for Perfect Spreading

Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper; this prevents sticking and ensures even baking. Using a ¼ cup-sized scoop (equivalent to 4 tablespoons), portion out your dough. Gently roll each scoop into a ball between your palms. This helps create a uniform shape. Crucially, flatten the top of each dough ball slightly to form a thick disc, rather than leaving it as a perfectly round ball. This simple technique is vital for achieving those wonderfully flat, chewy, and crinkly-edged Panera-style cookies. If you skip flattening, your cookies will retain more height and result in a thicker, more cake-like texture, which isn’t what we’re aiming for here. For an extra touch of visual appeal and flavor, gently press a few extra pretzel pieces or chocolate chips onto the tops of the scooped dough before baking.

Frequently Asked Questions About Kitchen Sink Cookies: