Description
Kitchen Sink Cookies are a decadent treat loaded with semi-sweet and milk chocolate chips, crunchy pretzels, and melty caramel pieces. These chewy and slightly crispy cookies bring together sweet, salty, and gooey textures for a truly irresistible indulgence perfect for any cookie lover.
Ingredients
Units
Scale
Wet Ingredients
- 1/2 cup unsalted butter (1 stick)
- 1 large egg
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
Dry Ingredients
- 1/2 cup light brown sugar, packed
- 1/4 cup granulated sugar
- 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
Mix-Ins
- 1 cup chocolate chips (1/2 cup semi-sweet, 1/2 cup milk chocolate)
- 1/2 cup chopped pretzels
- 1/2 cup chopped caramels (about 10 Kraft caramels)
Instructions
- Preheat Oven: Preheat your oven to 350°F (175°C) to ensure it’s ready once your cookies are shaped and ready to bake.
- Prepare Mix-ins: Chop half of the chocolate chips into small shards, cut caramels into small chunks similar in size to the chocolate, and break up pretzels into small pieces. Set these aside for later addition to the dough.
- Melt Butter: Place unsalted butter in a microwave-safe bowl, cover with a paper towel to prevent splattering, and microwave for 30-60 seconds until fully melted and hot. Let it cool slightly if still very hot.
- Combine Sugars and Butter: Stir the light brown sugar and granulated sugar into the melted butter using a spatula until well combined and smooth—avoid using a mixer for this step.
- Add Egg and Vanilla: Mix in the egg and vanilla extract thoroughly until incorporated into the sugar-butter mixture.
- Add Leavening and Salt: Stir in baking soda and salt, distributing evenly throughout the wet mixture.
- Add Flour: Fold in the all-purpose flour until no dry flour remains. The dough will be wet and sticky, which is normal for this recipe.
- Mix in Chocolate, Pretzels, and Caramel: Gently stir in the chopped and whole chocolate chips, chopped pretzels, and caramel chunks until evenly distributed. Let the dough rest for 1-2 minutes to firm up slightly; add 1-2 tablespoons of flour if needed to reduce stickiness.
- Shape Cookies: Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Scoop the dough into ¼ cup portions, roll into balls, then flatten slightly into thick discs. Optionally press extra pretzel pieces on top for decoration.
- Bake: Bake in the preheated oven for 12-14 minutes until edges and tops are slightly browned and the centers look slightly underbaked. Adjust time as needed depending on your oven.
- Shape and Cool: If cookies come out misshapen, gently wiggle each cookie with a bowl slightly larger than the cookie to reshape while warm. Transfer the pan to a cooling rack and let cookies cool on the pan for 10-15 minutes to finish baking.
- Transfer to Rack and Serve: After cooling, use a spatula to move cookies to a wire rack to cool completely or enjoy warm for gooey caramel centers.
Notes
- Do not use a mixer; stirring with a spatula gives a better texture and prevents overmixing.
- Letting dough sit briefly after adding mix-ins helps it firm up, making it easier to shape.
- Flatten cookies before baking to get a chewy, less cakey texture.
- Using a bowl to gently reshape cookies immediately after baking helps achieve a uniform round shape.
- Cooling on the pan allows the cookies to finish baking and sets their texture perfectly.
- Feel free to customize the mix-ins with nuts or different types of chocolate chips per preference.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 large cookie
- Calories: 280
- Sugar: 18g
- Sodium: 180mg
- Fat: 14g
- Saturated Fat: 8g
- Unsaturated Fat: 5g
- Trans Fat: 0g
- Carbohydrates: 34g
- Fiber: 2g
- Protein: 3g
- Cholesterol: 40mg
