Kitchen Sink Cookies are sweet, salty, soft, and chewy, and crunchy and loaded with your favorite treats you have lying around your kitchen pantry (pretzels, potato chips, chocolate chips, peanut butter chips, Twix barsโ€ฆyou name it, it is in there).

This simple cake mix cookie recipe is so quick and easy to make with some surprising ingredients (like everything but the kitchen sink) you may never have considered combining in a cookie!

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Panera Kitchen Sink Cookies

Kitchen Sink Cookies are an easy-to-make Panera Bread copycat recipe, filled with your favorite sweet and salty flavors mixed with soft and crispy textures.

This simple shortcut recipe uses a snickerdoodle cookie mix as its base, mixes in chocolate chips, peanut butter chips, pretzels, Twix candy, and potato chips (everything but the kitchen sink), and bakes it into the best homemade cookie with a different filling in each bite.

This family-friendly cookie creation is a flexible way to have fun in the kitchen as you pull candy pieces or cracker crumbs from your pantry to customize it.

Donโ€™t like pretzels, skip โ€˜em; want to add cereal, swap it โ€“ this no rule recipe makes cleaning out the cupboard delicious!

For more copycat recipes that you can make at home, try my Little Debbie Cosmic Brownies, DoubleTree Chocolate Chip Cookies, and Copycat Disney Churros.

Why We Love This Kitchen Sink Cookies Recipe

  • Quick and easy to make in 15 minutes.
  • Uses a cookie mix as a base for mixing in your leftover ingredients.
  • Crisp buttery edges, soft centers, and each bite is loaded with a different salty-sweet flavor from the last.
  • Make this recipe as written, or swap in your favorite mix-ins.
  • Perfect for potlucks, dessert trays, gift-giving, cookie exchanges, or after school snacks.
kitchen sink cookies hero image

Ingredients

  • Snickerdoodle cookie mix with cinnamon sugar packet (I know most Betty Crocker cookie mixโ€™s have the cinnamon sugar packet. You can look on the back of the bag to make sure it is included)
  • Salted butter: You can use unsalted butter if you prefer. This recipe includes various salted ingredients so the salt isnโ€™t completely necessary.
  • Egg
  • Water
  • Semi-sweet chocolate chips
  • Peanut butter chips: Peanut Butter chips can be difficult to find, so feel free to use butterscotch chips instead.
  • Pretzels
  • Twix candy
  • Potato chips: I used original Lays chips, but you can use whichever is your favorite type of potato chips.

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Substitutions and Additions

  • Change The Cookie Mix: Any snickerdoodle cookie mix will come with a cinnamon sugar packet, however you can also use a sugar cookie mix, chocolate chip cookie mix, or peanut butter cookie mix instead. In those cases you can omit the cinnamon sugar or simply add 1 teaspoon of cinnamon to include the flavor.
  • Choose Your Chip: If you prefer to use milk chocolate, white chocolate, or dark chocolate chips instead of the semi-sweet chips, any of them will be delicious. 
  • Candy: Choose your favorite type of candy bar as a substitute for the Twix. I recommend Snickers, Butterfingers, or Milky Way.
  • More Mix-In Ideas: Feel free to find your favorite treats in your pantry and add them into the cookie dough. Some ideas include toffee bits, pecans or walnuts, M&Ms, shredded coconut, sprinkles, raisins, mini marshmallows, and crushed crackers.
  • Hand or stand mixer
  • Mixing bowl and tools
  • Measuring tools
  • Cookie sheet
kitchen sink cookies on a plate

How to Make Kitchen Sink Cookies

Kitchen Sink Cookies (sometimes called Compost Cookies) are a fun way to customize a soft and chewy dough base with your favorite flavors and textures from pieces of pretzels, bits of candy bars, or crumbs of chips. No chilling needed and ready to bake in 15 minutes.

  1. Make The Base: Beat together the cookie mix, ยผ โ€“ ยฝ of the cinnamon sugar packet (discard the rest), butter, and egg until they form a soft dough.
  2. Add Mix-Ins: Fold in the chocolate chips, peanut butter chips, pretzels, Twix candy, and potato chips.
  3. Bake: Scoop the dough into balls and place them on the sheet pan, 2 inches apart. Bake at 350 degrees Fahrenheit for 11-14 minutes or until cookies begin to brown at the edges.
  4. Serve: Allow cookies to cool before serving. Enjoy!
kitchen sink cookies collage process

Tips

  • I highly recommend lining your baking sheets with parchment paper. This helps the cookies bake evenly and prevents them from spreading too much. Plus, it also makes cleanup so easy!
  • Butter should be soft but still cool to the touch. If the butter is over-softened (or beginning to melt) the cookies will spread too much in the oven.
  • I like to press a few extra โ€œchipsโ€ or candy pieces on top of the dough balls before baking. This makes for a more visually appealing cookie.

Storage Tips

  • To Store: You can store these cookies in an airtight container for up to a week at room temperature. They will keep slightly longer in the refrigerator.
  • To Freeze: You can freeze your baked cookies in a freezer safe container for a few months. I recommend bringing them to room temperature before eating after being frozen.
  • To Reheat: For warm, gooey cookies, heat in the microwave for a few seconds before enjoying them.
kitchen sink cookies on drying rack

Frequently Asked Questions

Do I have to use the cinnamon packet in my cookies?
Why are they called kitchen sink cookies?
Can I make my cookie dough in advance?
Can I freeze my cookie dough?
What changes can I make to my kitchen sink cookies?
 kitchen sink cookies stacked

Other Easy Cookies Recipes

5 from 4 votes
kitchen sink cookies featured image
Author โ€” Jennifer Fishkind
Serves โ€”
Kitchen Sink Cookies are a quick and easy way to create a custom cookie with your favorite tastes and textures. It's fun to combine sweet and salty snacks into one decadent dessert.
Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 10 minutes
Total Time 25 minutes

Ingredients
  

  • 17.9 ounce bag snickerdoodle cookie mix with cinnamon sugar packet
  • 1 cup (1 stick) salted butter softened
  • 1 large egg
  • 2 Tablespoons water
  • ยฝ cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
  • ยฝ cup peanut butter chips
  • ยผ cup crushed pretzels
  • ยผ cup Twix candy roughly chopped (~2-3 mini twix bars)
  • ยผ cup roughly crushed potato chips

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    Instructions
     

    • Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit and prepare a sheet pan by lining it with parchment paper or grease it with cooking spray.
    • Use a stand or hand mixer to beat the cookie mix, ยผ โ€“ ยฝ of the cinnamon sugar packet (discard the rest), salted butter and egg together in a large mixing bowl until they form a soft dough.
    • Fold in the semi-sweet chocolate chips, peanut butter chips, pretzels, Twix candy, and potato chips.
    • Use a 1 inch cookie scoop to scoop out the dough into balls and place them on the sheet pan, 2 inches apart.
    • Bake for 11-14 minutes or until they just begin to brown at the edges and let cool before enjoying.

    Jennโ€™s Notes

    Storage :
    • To Store: You can store these cookies in an airtight container for up to a week at room temperature. They will keep slightly longer in the refrigerator.
    • To Freeze: You can freeze your baked cookies in a freezer safe container for a few months. I recommend bringing them to room temperature before eating after being frozen.
    • To Reheat: For warm, gooey cookies, heat in the microwave for a few seconds before enjoying them.
    Tips:
    • I highly recommend lining your baking sheets with parchment paper. This helps the cookies bake evenly and prevents them from spreading too much. Plus, it also makes cleanup so easy!
    • Butter should be soft but still cool to the touch. If the butter is over-softened (or beginning to melt) the cookies will spread too much in the oven.
    • I like to press a few extra โ€œchipsโ€ or candy pieces on top of the dough balls before baking. This makes for a more visually appealing cookie.

    Nutrition Info

    Calories: 109kcal | Carbohydrates: 11g | Protein: 1g | Fat: 6g | Saturated Fat: 3g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 1g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 14mg | Sodium: 54mg | Potassium: 24mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 7g | Vitamin A: 124IU | Vitamin C: 1mg | Calcium: 3mg | Iron: 1mg

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    5 from 4 votes (4 ratings without comment)

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