These soft & chewy kitchen sink cookies can be made in one bowl and are loaded with chocolate chips, pretzels, and caramel! Inspired by Panera, these are the sweet & salty cookies of your dreams!
These cookies went Tiktok viral with almost 4 million views - watch the video here!
Why are they called kitchen sink cookies?
Kitchen sink cookies are made with a chewy, chocolate chip cookie base & lots of delicious mix-ins! The name is based on the phrase "everything but the kitchen sink" where you can add anything you have in the pantry!
This recipe is inspired by Panera bread and is a slight alteration to my popular Panera chocolate chip cookie recipe...but is loaded with semi-sweet and milk chocolate chips, chopped caramel chunks, and pieces of pretzels! Some other kitchen sink cookie recipes add things like nuts, potato chips, or whatever sweet & salty things you have on hand!
Panera Kitchen Sink Cookie Ingredients & Notes
This is just an overview showing step-by-step photos, click here to jump down to full recipe card with exact instructions.
- Chocolate Chips: Panera uses a mix of both semi-sweet and milk chocolate chips but you can add whatever you like. Just be sure to chop at least half of the chocolate chips so that you have those small chocolate pieces in every bite (this also helps give the cookie that darker signature color!).
- Caramel: I used Kraft caramel and tore them into small pieces. You can also use the Kraft bits but I find they don't melt as well in cookies.
- Pretzels: Any salty pretzels will work!
- Butter: Use real butter here, not margarine. To get that signature flat vs. puffy cookie, we're melting the butter until it's pretty hot & then slightly flattening the top of the scooped cookies.
- Sea salt: Panera tops theirs with flaky salt, which is totally optional! My pretzels were already salty, so I left it off.
Make it gluten-free! You can substitute the all-purpose flour for half-almond flour and half of your favorite gluten-free flour! My favorite brand is Bob's Red Mill Gluten Free 1-to-1 Baking Flour.
How to Make Kitchen Sink Cookies
This is just an overview showing step-by-step photos, click here to jump down to full recipe card with exact instructions.
Step 1: Chop & Prep Mix-Ins
Measure out ½ cup semi-sweet chocolate chips, ½ cup milk chocolate chips, 10 caramels, and ½ cup chopped pretzels. Use a sharp knife to chop half of the chocolate chips into smaller shards and slivers. Next, chop the caramel into smaller pieces (I cut each into 6 pieces).
Tip: I recommend 1.5-2 cups of total mix-ins, so feel free to add more or less of each item as you wish!
Step 2: Make Cookie Dough
In a large microwave-safe bowl, add ½ cup (1 stick) butter and cover with a paper towel (will help for splattering). Melt the butter for 30-60 seconds until all is melted (no chunks left). You want it hot; if you hear it "pop" then it's most likely done.
To the hot butter, add in ½ cup brown sugar and ¼ cup granulated sugar, then use a spatula to stir until combined (* do not use a mixer for this recipe). The sugars should cool off the butter but if it's still piping hot, let cool for a minute or two.
Stir in 1 large egg and 2 teaspoons vanilla. Next, mix in ½ teaspoon baking soda and ¼ teaspoon salt. Add in 1 ¼ cup flour and mix until all the flour disappears into the dough.
Note: The dough will be wet and sticky, this is normal and it will firm up as it sits.
Step 3: Add Mix-Ins
Add the chopped chocolate chips, whole chocolate chips, chopped pretzels, and chopped caramel into the dough and mix. Allow dough to sit for 1-2 minutes to slightly firm up, then stir (it will still be a soft & slightly sticky dough).
Tip: If your dough is really runny after it sits, you can add 1-2 tablespoons of flour to help it firm up.
Step 4: Scoop & Roll
Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Scoop dough into ¼ cup-sized scoops (i.e. 4 tablespoons) then gently roll into your hands to create a ball. Flatten the tops so that they're a thick disc vs. a round ball. Without flattening, your cookies will be thicker and more cakey. If desired, press extra pretzel pieces on top.
Step 5: Bake & Cool
Bake at 350°F for 12-14 minutes. You want them to be slightly brown on the edges & top and look slightly underbaked in the center (my oven was perfect at 13 minutes).
If your cookies are wonky-shaped, immediately after taking out of the oven, use a bowl that is slightly larger than the cookie to "wiggle" it back into a circle shape.
Tip: The key to soft & chewy cookies is to take them out while the center still looks a tiny bit wet, as they will finish baking on the hot pan and firm up as they cool.
Storage & Freezing
Storing: For best texture, these are best enjoyed within 2 days but will last in an airtight container for 3-5 days.
Freezing: Freeze baked cookies in an airtight container for up to 1 month, then allow to thaw before eating (as the caramel will be too hard to eat when frozen).
Frequently Asked Questions:
I think they're better! I've found that most Panera locations overbake their cookies, which results in dry, hard cookies. These homemade kitchen sink cookies are perfectly soft & chewy!
If you follow the instructions and use a ¼-cup sized scoop, your cookies should end up being around 4 inches. This can vary depending on your altitude and climate, but that's how big mine spread in Tennessee. The "real" Panera kitchen sink cookies are even bigger than this, so if you want to make them true-to-size, I'd suggest using a ⅓ cup scoop of dough.
They do not contain nuts but you can certainly add some if you'd like! Other fun mix-ins are marshmallows, butterscotch chips, peanut butter chips, chopped Reeses candy, and more!
Kitchen Sink Cookies (Panera Copycat!)
Ingredients
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Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350°F.
- Chop half of the chocolate chips (½ cup) into small shards and slivers. Cut ½ cup caramels, chopped into small chunks (about the size of the chocolate chips) and break up the ½ cup pretzels, chopped. Set aside.
- In a large microwave-safe bowl, add ½ cup unsalted butter, i.e. 1 stick and cover with a paper towel (will help for splattering). Melt the butter in the microwave for 30-60 seconds until all is melted (no chunks left). You want it hot; if you hear it "pop" then it's most likely done.
- To the hot butter, add in the ½ cup light brown sugar, packed and ¼ cup granulated sugar and use a spatula to stir until combined (* do not use a mixer for this recipe). The sugars should cool off the butter but if it's still piping hot, let cool for a minute or two.
- Stir in 1 large egg and 2 teaspoons vanilla extract. Next, mix in ½ teaspoon baking soda and ¼ teaspoon salt.
- Add 1 ¼ cups all-purpose flour and mix until all the flour disappears into the dough. Note: the dough will be wet and sticky, this is normal and it will firm up as it sits.
- Mix the chopped chocolate chips (½ cup), whole chocolate chips (½ cup), ½ cup pretzels, chopped, and ½ cup caramels, chopped into the dough. Allow dough to sit for 1-2 minutes to slightly set so it's not as sticky, then stir (if needed, you can add 1-2 tablespoons flour to help it firm up).
- Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Scoop dough into ¼ cup sized scoops (i.e. 4 tablespoons) then gently roll into your hands to create a ball. Flatten the tops so that they're a thick disc vs. a round ball. See image in post above for reference. Without flattening, your cookies will be thicker and more cakey.If desired, press extra pretzel pieces into the top.
- Bake at 350°F for 12-14 minutes. You want them to be slightly brown on the edges & top and look slightly underbaked in the center (my oven was perfect at 13 minutes). Tip: If your cookies are wonky-shaped, immediately after taking out of the oven, use a bowl that is slightly larger than the cookie to "wiggle" it back into a circle shape.
- Remove from oven and place entire pan on a cooling rack. Allow the cookies to cool on the hot pan for 10-15 minutes before removing them. This will allow them to finish baking on the hot pan. Once cooled, use a spatula to transfer them to a wire cooling rack.
- Enjoy slightly warm for gooey caramel or allow to fully cool...both ways are amazing!
Video
Did you make this?
I'd LOVE to hear your thoughts! Leave a review & photo of your creation and be sure to mention @DesignEatRepeat or tag #DesignEatRepeat on Instagram!Save this recipe!
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Saved this to my faves. It’s literally the easiest cookie recipe I’ve ever made and they turned out beautifully and taste amazing. Thank you!
I'm so glad to hear you enjoyed this recipe, Shelley! Thank you so much for leaving a review!
Amazing!! We love the Panera kitchen sink cookie and these were almost spot on. Going forward, I will be making these instead of going to Panera ❤️
I'm so glad you enjoyed this recipe, Jennifer! Thank you so much for leaving a review, I really appreciate it!
We were a little thrown off by how much vanilla was in the recipe we cut it in half
Excellent! I doubled the batch and Holy...!!! These are huge cookies! After the first batch came out of the oven, I made the next set a little smaller, but they are still substantial. New favorites in our house! Chewy, buttery and very, very similar to Panera's. Yum!!
Lol so glad you loved the cookies, Carrie! Thank you so much for trying out the recipe and taking the time to leave a review, I really appreciate it!
While these are good cookies, they really didn't "rock my world". If I made them again I would use dark brown sugar instead of light brown sugar. I would also bake them at 375 for a shorter amount of time. That way they would brown faster, cook for a shorter amount of time, and hopefully be chewier for a longer period of time.
Thanks for giving them a try, Karen! Brown sugar would be yummy in these!
This is the third cookie recipe I’ve made from your page this month! These are probably my favorite so far! These cookie recipes are idiot proof. Came out soft and chewy. My kids are loving making these recipes with me ❤️
I'm so glad you are trying out my recipes and you loved these cookies! Thank you so much for taking the time to leave a review, Ashley! I really appreciate it!
Great recipe and easy to make changes. I took everything I had in my pantry for mix-ins (chocolate, toffee, and peanut butter chips) and measured them all up. It came to 3 cups. I added a cup of pretzels, so 4 cups total of mix-ins, and then doubled the recipe. I sprinkled some kosher salt on top when I took them out of the oven. Then I let them fully cool on wire racks. They were so good.
So glad to hear you loved the recipe!! Thank you so much for taking the time to leave a review, I really appreciate it!
Mine flattened out into one giant sheet pancake. I followed the instructions exactly, so I’m not sure where things went wrong- next time I’ll try lowering the oven temperature or chilling the dough balls.
Agh, bummer! Did you use margarine by chance? If not, and if your dough was really wet before scooping, letting it chill for a bit should help!
Just made these, and they're absolutely DELICIOUS!!! Just what I was looking for since I love Panera's! I made smaller cookies and baked them around 10 min. Cookies are soft and pretzels stayed crunchy. So yummy! Thank you for the recipe!!
So happy to hear you loved this recipe, Becky! Thank you so much for taking the time to leave a review!
My new favorite go to cookie for parties. The salt makes this cookie perfect!!!
So happy to hear you love this recipe, Julie! Thank you so much for taking the time to leave a review!
Would you adjust these at all for high altitude? I'm at around 8,000 feet.
I think they'll be fine as-is, you might just need to bake a tad less!
These were really good and easy to make but they were very hard. We cooked a batch right away they were hard so we tried a second batch that we chilled the dough overnight they were also hard. Any suggestions?
What kind of pan did you bake them on? A light-colored aluminum is best, covered with parchment. You may also need to bake them less, as some ovens run hot and they can get hard if overbaked.
Made them for our family Christmas get together and they were a big hit!!
So glad to hear everyone loved this recipe, Lisa! Thank you so much for leaving a review!
Just made these-and they are to die for! Wow!
So happy you loved this recipe, Karen! Thank you so much for leaving a review!
This was a great recipe! All my friends loved the cookies. This actually wasn't the first time I made this recipe. I personally prefer to substitute butterscotch chips for the caramel, because I find the caramel gets really hard after it cools. I would also recommend extra pretzels. This is also a great recipe for beginners!
So happy to hear you love this recipe, Ashley! Thank you so much for taking the time to leave a review, I really appreciate it!
Yum
I will preface this with the fact I did different mix ins. I did a 2 cup mixture of white chocolate chips, pecans, chocolate chunks, and toffee bits! Other than that I followed every other direction. These were some of thr best cookies I have ever made. My husband even said they were the best he's had!
Yay, I'm so glad y'all loved this recipe so much! Thank you so much for leaving a review, Kate!