Pin
These Kitchen Sink Christmas Cookies are the ultimate answer for holiday sweet tooth - they've got soft gooey middles with crunchy edges filled with chocolate, pretzels, potato chips, M&Ms, and festive sprinkles. Everyone in my family loves them because each bite has something different to enjoy. I always include these in my Christmas cookie selection, and I treasure the memories of making them with my children on snowy days off school.
I started baking these cookies when I needed something fun to do with my kids during Christmas break. Now it's our yearly tradition, and everyone gets excited about picking their favorite add-ins.
Tasty Ingredients
- All purpose flour: creates the soft backbone of these cookies - try to grab unbleached for better taste and feel
- Baking powder and baking soda: these give your cookies height and softness - check they're not expired for proper lift
- Salt: brings out the sweetness and ties flavors together - fine sea salt mixes in most evenly
- Unsalted butter: adds buttery goodness and moisture - melt it then cool completely for better mixing and soft centers
- Dark brown sugar: brings deep molasses flavor - always push it into the measuring cup firmly
- White granulated sugar: creates those crispy edges and balanced sweetness
- Eggs: hold everything together and add chewiness - use large eggs at room temp for smoother dough
- Vanilla extract: pulls all the flavors together - real vanilla makes a big difference
- M&Ms: add pops of color and chocolate bits - red and green ones scream Christmas
- White chocolate chips: bring creamy sweet spots - spend a bit more for chips that melt nicely
- Pretzels: add salty crunch - snap them into tiny chunks for better cookie balance
- Potato chips: surprise everyone with salty crispness - crush them lightly to keep some bigger pieces visible
- Holiday sprinkles: make cookies look festive - stick with traditional jimmies for the best look
How to Make It
- Melt and Cool the Butter:
- Melt your butter then let it sit out about twenty minutes with no cover until it's room temperature and doesn't feel warm when you touch it. This helps your dough mix up smoothly and keeps cookies chewy instead of greasy.
- Mix the Dry Ingredients:
- In a big bowl whisk the all purpose flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt until they're totally mixed. Good whisking breaks up any lumps so your cookie dough turns out even.
- Whisk Wet Ingredients:
- In another bowl whisk the cooled melted butter, dark brown sugar and white granulated sugar until it looks smooth and a bit puffy. Then whisk in the eggs one by one, add the vanilla extract, and keep going until everything's completely mixed.
- Combine Wet and Dry Mixtures:
- Put the flour mix into the wet mix. Stir gently with a rubber spatula just until the dough comes together and you can't see any flour streaks. Don't mix too much or your cookies might turn out hard.
- Fold in the Mix-Ins:
- Throw in the M&Ms, white chocolate chips, pretzel pieces, crushed potato chips, and holiday sprinkles. Fold them in carefully so every cookie will have a bit of everything. Save some of each to put on top later.
- Scoop the Cookie Dough:
- Use a one and half ounce cookie scoop to drop dough onto a parchment-covered baking sheet with two inches between each scoop for spreading. Make each scoop nice and full for thick cookies.
- Chill the Dough:
- Stick the tray of dough in the fridge for one hour to stop too much spreading and build up flavor. If you're in a rush, put it in the freezer for thirty minutes instead.
- Bake the Cookies:
- Heat your oven to three hundred fifty degrees. Move six dough balls at a time to a fresh parchment-lined baking sheet. Bake for thirteen to fifteen minutes, turning the pan halfway, until edges look set but centers still look slightly underbaked. This keeps the middle chewy and thick.
- Shape and Top the Cookies:
- Right after baking, use a big round cookie cutter to gently push cookies into perfect circles. While still warm, stick extra M&Ms, pretzels, potato chips, and white chocolate chips on top to make them look like they came from a fancy bakery.
The salty potato chip flakes are my favorite part of these cookies. My kids turn cookie decorating into a contest to see who can make the most perfectly round cookie with the prettiest toppings. These fun moments make holiday cookies taste even better.
Delicious Enhancers
Add extra goodies on top right after the cookies come out of the oven for that fancy bakery look and better taste. Don't skip chilling the dough - it's why you get thick, chewy cookies that won't flatten too much. Let cookies sit on the hot pan for five minutes so they firm up before moving them.
Serving Suggestions
Put them on a holiday plate with other cookies for a colorful dessert table. Make ice cream sandwiches by putting vanilla or peppermint ice cream between two cookies for a fancy treat. Enjoy them warm with hot chocolate while putting ornaments on your Christmas tree for a cozy December night.
Creative Twists
Try light brown sugar instead of dark, or use leftover candy from other holidays as mix-ins. Try dried cranberries, chopped walnuts or butterscotch chips in place of some chocolate or pretzels. Use pastel M&Ms for Easter or cinnamon chips for fall treats. Gluten free flour mixes can work just fine too.
These cookies have become our family tradition and they're always the first to disappear from the holiday cookie plate. Roll the dough into balls and freeze them so you can bake a fresh batch whenever you want a warm holiday treat.
Common Questions About This Recipe
- → How do I get cookies perfectly round?
For even shapes, grab a large cookie cutter and gently circle around each cookie right when they come out of the oven while they're still soft.
- → Can I swap out the mix-ins?
Sure thing! Try your preferred chocolate pieces, different nuts, or seasonal candy to make these cookies your own.
- → Why chill the dough before baking?
Chilling stops the cookies from spreading too much, giving you thicker, chewier treats with better flavor.
- → How do I store these cookies?
Put cooled cookies in a sealed container at room temperature and they'll stay fresh for about 5 days.
- → Can I make the dough ahead?
You can keep the dough in your fridge for up to 2 days or freeze scooped cookie balls to bake whenever you want a fresh batch.