The “Everything but the Kitchen Sink Cookies” truly do live up to its name by being the perfect combination of salty and sweet, and using quite literally everything but the kitchen sink. This is one of my favorite cookie recipes because it gives you space to experiment and be creative, to see what works in a cookie and what doesn’t.
Cookies with a perfect balance of salty and sweet just elevate the recipe because cookies themselves are pretty simple. Cookie dough takes about fifteen minutes to make max and then you just chop up your add-ins and pop them in the oven for a quick ten minutes and then you’re done! This recipe is definitely for our busy knights because it has a short preparation time but brings just as much to the table as a longer recipe like brownies or a pie. I made these for Thanksgiving and was receiving compliments well until midnight.
Ingredients (makes 18 large cookies):
- 1 cup salted butter softened
- 1 cup light brown sugar (200g)
- ½ cup granulated sugar (100g)
- 2 large eggs
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 2½ cups all-purpose flour (353g)
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 teaspoon salt
- Flaky sea salt for garnish
Add-in Ideas:
- milk chocolate chips
- semisweet chocolate chips
- crushed pretzels
- potato chips
- graham crackers broken up
- toffee bits
- m&ms
- chopped snickers
- chopped reese’s peanut butter cups
- chopped nuts
- chopped oreos
- shredded coconut
- rice krispies
- oats
- any candy/snack you have in your kitchen
Instructions:
- Preheat the oven to 375°F. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper.
- In a large mixing bowl with an electric mixer, or in the bowl of a stand mixer, beat together the butter and the sugars until they are creamy and combined, about 2-3 minutes using the paddle attachment of a stand mixer or an electric hand mixer.
1 cup salted butter,1 cup light brown sugar, ½ cup granulated sugar - Add in the vanilla and the eggs and beat again, scraping the bottom and sides of the bowl until everything is evenly mixed together.
2 teaspoons vanilla extract,2 large eggs - Stir the flour, salt, and baking soda into the wet ingredients and mix just until they are incorporated. It’s okay if a few streaks of flour remain since the dough will continue being mixed together while adding the mix-ins.
2½ cups all-purpose flour,1 teaspoon salt,1 teaspoon baking soda - Add the milk chocolate chips, semi-sweet chocolate chips, crushed pretzels, potato chips, graham cracker pieces, and toffee bits (0r any of your other add-ins) into the flour mixture and stir just until evenly distributed.
- Use a medium cookie scoop to scoop balls of cookie dough onto the cookie sheets lined with parchment paper. Space them about 1 to 2 inches apart to allow for spreading.
- Bake the cookies for 10-12 minutes until golden brown and set around the edges. Top with the flaky sea salt. Let the cookies cool for 5 minutes on the baking sheet before transferring them to a cooling rack.
If you want to make sure the cookies hold their shape and are fluffier, I recommend chilling them for around thirty minutes in the fridge before baking. Additionally, if you make too much cookie dough or you want to save some for later the dough can be frozen in your fridge and preserved for up to six months. These cookies are perfect for any event and are certainly worth spending some time clearing out everything in your kitchen, except the kitchen sink.
