Kitchen sink cookies have a little bit of everything in them—everything but the kitchen sink! With two varieties of chocolate chips, pretzel pieces, and caramel, these easy vegan cookies are a guaranteed winner.
Hardly anyone would turn down a chewy chocolate chip cookie, but sometimes you want something a little more over-the-top. That’s when you whip up a batch of these kitchen sink cookies! Instead of settling on the standard semisweet chocolate chips, these cookies are made with semisweet chocolate, milk chocolate, pretzels, and caramels for the ultimate sweet-and-salty treat.
Oh, and did I mention that they’re vegan? Yep! No dairy and no eggs, but all the deliciousness you expect in a kitchen sink cookie.
Why You’ll Love This Kitchen Sink Cookie Recipe
Here’s what makes these kitchen sink cookies so irresistible:
- Soft and chewy. While some people like their cookies crispy, if you’re like most, you live for those thick, chewy, bakery-style soft cookies. That’s exactly what you get with this recipe!
- Easy. There’s no rolling out dough, using cookie cutters, or adding frosting—this is a simple recipe to make even if you’re not a skilled baker. From start to finish, they’re done in under 30 minutes.
- Delicious. With that balance of sweet and salty flavors, you’re going to flip for these kitchen sink cookies. They are delightfully decadent—and it’s impossible to eat just one!
Notes on Ingredients
Scroll down to the recipe card to find the ingredient quantities and recipe instructions.
- All-purpose flour – You can substitute a measure-for-measure gluten-free all-purpose flour formulated for baking to make gluten-free kitchen sink cookies.
- Cornstarch – This helps give your cookies a nice thickness.
- Baking powder
- Baking soda
- Kosher salt
- Vegan butter – Use store-bought or homemade vegan butter.
- Light brown sugar – Brown sugar is key for chewy cookies.
- Sugar
- Flax egg – Here’s a guide to using flax eggs in baking.
- Vanilla extract – Vanilla doesn’t just add vanilla flavour to baked goods; it enhances their overall flavour.
- Semisweet chocolate chips – I used Nestle Allergen-Free semisweet chocolate chips.
- Vegan milk chocolate chips – Endangered Species oat milk chocolate chips are vegan.
- Pretzels – Snyders gluten-free pretzels are also vegan.
- Vegan caramel pieces – I used Cocomel caramels.
- Sea salt – This is optional, but it adds more salty flavour and a bit of crunch.
How to Make Kitchen Sink Cookies
The hardest thing about making these kitchen sink cookies is waiting for them to cool enough so you can eat them!
Prepare. Preheat your oven to 350ºF and line two baking sheets with parchment paper.
Mix the dry ingredients. Whisk the flour, cornstarch, baking powder, baking soda, and salt in a small bowl.
Cream the butter and sugars. Add the vegan butter, brown sugar, and white sugar to the bowl of a stand mixer (or a mixing bowl if you don’t have a stand mixer). Beat on medium speed for 3 minutes until the mixture is light and fluffy, scraping down the sides of the bowl as needed.
Add the liquid ingredients. Beat the flax egg and vanilla extract into the dough.
Add the dry ingredients. Reduce the mixer to the lowest speed and slowly mix in the dry ingredients.
Fold in the mix-ins. Use a spatula to fold in the chocolate chips and pretzels.
Form the dough balls. Scoop the dough into 1/4-cup portions. Make an indentation in the center of each and press a piece of caramel inside. Use your fingers to push dough over the top of the caramels.
Form the cookies. Set the cookie dough balls 3-inches apart on the prepared baking sheet. Flatten the dough balls slightly, then place 1 or 2 caramel pieces on top of each cookie.
Bake. Place the baking sheet in the oven and bake for 12 minutes, or until the edges are just set and the centers are still soft.
Cool. After removing the cookies from the oven, sprinkle them immediately with sea salt. Cool on the baking sheet for 5 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to finish cooling.
Tips for Success
These simple tips and tricks will help you make sure your kitchen sink cookies turn out perfect!
- Use room temperature butter. This allows your dough ingredients to mix more evenly, and it also helps incorporate more air into the mixture when you beat it, improving the texture of your cookies.
- Don’t reuse a hot baking sheet. If you have to bake your cookies in multiple batches and you have to reuse your baking sheet, it needs to cool completely before you add the next batch. Otherwise, your cookies will spread and end up with over-cooked bottoms.
- Wait for them to cool. Yes, it’s hard to resist fresh-from-the-oven cookies, but they will hold together better once they’ve cooled completely!
Variations
This is a great recipe for using whatever you have on hand in your pantry. Nuts and potato chips add saltiness, while dried fruit, vegan marshmallows, peanut butter cups, and chopped Oreo pieces bring sweetness to the table.
How to Store
Kitchen sink cookies will keep in an airtight container at room temperature for 4 to 5 days. Just be sure to let them cool completely before storing them!
Can This Recipe Be Frozen?
You can freeze the cookie dough before baking, and the baked cookies once they’re cooled.
To freeze the dough, place the flattened balls of dough on a parchment-lined baking sheet and freeze until they’re solid. Transfer them to an airtight container or zip-top bag and bake them as desired, adding a few extra minutes to the oven time to account for them starting frozen. The dough will last in the freezer for up to 3 months.
Baked kitchen sink cookies will also last in the freezer for up to 3 months. Freeze them in an airtight container and let them thaw at room temperature or pop them in the microwave for a few seconds at a time until they’re warmed through.
More Sweet Treat Recipes
Kitchen Sink Cookies
Ingredients
- 1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour 218 grams
- 1 tablespoon cornstarch 8 grams
- 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1/2 cup vegan butter room temperature 113 grams
- 3/4 cup light brown sugar 160 grams
- 1/2 cup sugar 100 grams
- 1 flax egg 1 tablespoon ground flax + 3 tablespoons water
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 3/4 cup vegan semi-sweet chocolate chips 168 grams
- 1/2 cup vegan milk chocolate chips 80 grams
- 1/2 cup vegan pretzels chopped 20 grams
- 1/2 cup vegan caramel pieces cut into 1⁄4” pieces
- Sea salt for sprinkling on top, optional 80 grams
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper.
- Combine the flour, cornstarch, baking powder, baking soda and salt in a small bowl.
- Whisk until well mixed. Set aside.
- Add the vegan butter, brown sugar and white sugar to the bowl of an electric mixer. Beat on medium speed for 3 minutes until the mixture is light and fluffy. Scrape down the bowl.
- Add the flax egg and vanilla extract and beat 60 seconds more.
- Turn the mixer to the lowest speed and slowly add the flour mixture. Stir until just combined.
- Remove the bowl from the mixer stand. Add the semi-sweet chocolate chips, milk chocolate chips and pretzels. Fold them in with a spatula taking care not to overmix and break the pretzel pieces.
- Scoop the dough into 1⁄4 cupfuls. Make an indentation in the center of each and place a caramel piece inside. Close the dough over the caramel.
- Place the cookie dough ball onto your prepared baking sheet spaced 3 inches apart.
- Flatten the dough balls slightly, so they resemble hockey pucks. They should still be quite thick. Place 1-2 caramel pieces on top of each cookie.
- Bake in a preheated oven for 12 minutes until edges are just set and the centers are still very soft. Remove from the oven and sprinkle immediately with sea salt. Cool on the baking sheet for 5 minutes before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely.
- Store cooled cookies in an airtight container at room temperature.