Ever wonder why Panera Bread's most popular dessert are these kitchen sink cookies? Make this simple recipe, and you'll be wondering no more. The delectable combination of sweet and salty flavors with contrasting textures makes these cookies absolutely irresistible.
Love Panera's cookies? You'll enjoy our copycat recipes for Panera lemon drop cookies and Panera chocolate chipper cookies. Don't miss our collection of 8 Panera copycat dessert recipes, too!
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Ingredients
Kitchen sink cookies are actually a variation of chocolate chip cookies. Start with the base ingredients for the cookie dough, but all the mix-ins can be swapped out for something you like better. Here's what's in Panera's kitchen sink cookie.
- Flour: All-purpose is the best choice here.
- Rising Agents: I use a 50-50 blend of baking soda and baking powder.
- Salt: It will combat some of the sweetness and balance the flavors.
- Butter: Unsalted butter that's been browned will give a rich flavor and chewy texture.
- Sugar: Light brown sugar increases the chewiness.
- Eggs: They add richness and stability.
- Vanilla: This extract adds extra flavor to your baked goods.
- Mix-Ins: Panera adds milk and semi-sweet chocolate chips, crushed pretzels, and toffee bits to their cookies, and sprinkles each one with flaked salt. Feel free to substitute the mix-ins, but don't skip the salt garnish; it really makes these treats better!
See recipe card for full information on ingredients and quantities.
Variations
- Dark Chocolate: swap the milk and semi-sweet chips for dark chocolate ones.
- White Chocolate: replace both kinds of chocolate chips with white chocolate ones.
- Sweet and Salty: add 1 ½ cups of crushed plain potato chips. (Be sure not to use flavored chips here!)
- Fruity: swap the caramel for an equal volume of your favorite dried fruit, such as raisins, craisins, dried apricots, or chopped dates.
- Nutty: swap the pretzel bits for an equal volume of your favorite chopped nuts. Salted peanuts or walnuts would be especially delicious.
How to Make
- Whisk the flour and the other dry ingredients together until blended.
- Start by melting the butter in a saucepan, then letting it boil until it's golden brown. Cool the butter in the fridge for a few minutes before continuing with the recipe.
3. Beat the browned butter and brown sugar together, then add the eggs and vanilla with a couple spoonfuls of the flour mixture.
4. Add the remaining flour mixture and mix to form a smooth dough.
5. Add the pretzels, caramel bits, and the two kinds of chocolate chips and stir until they're evenly distributed.
6. Scoop ¼-cup balls of cookie dough and space them apart on parchment-lined cookie sheets. Sprinkle generously with flaked salt.
7. Bake the cookies at 350°F for 10-13 minutes per tray. Let them cool on the tray for 5 minutes before allowing them to finish cooling on wire racks.
8. Enjoy these freshly baked kitchen sink cookies while they're still warm!
Recipe FAQs
Have you heard the expression "everything but the kitchen sink?" That's exactly what these cookies are like; they contain something of almost everything. The flavors include sweet, salty, chewy, crunchy, and gooey, so there's something for everyone is these delicious cookies.
No, these cookies don't contain nuts. However, you can easily add some chopped nuts if you would like!
These cookies contain two kinds of chocolate (milk and semi-sweet) along with crushed pretzels, caramels, and a sprinkle of flaky salt to balance out the sweetness.
One super-sized kitchen sink cookie which is 5 ½ inches will set you back $3.99 at Panera. Fortunately, you can make an entire batch of them at home for way less!
Serve
Looking for other delicious cookies? You'll definitely want to try these recipes for Panera chocolate chipper cookies, Panera lemon drop cookies, honey cookies, and vegan snickerdoodles.
Store
Freezing: Like most cookies, these ones freeze really well. Seal the baked cookies in a zip-top freezer bag or in an airtight container and freeze for up to 3 months. Defrost in the microwave or at room temperature before enjoying.
Expert Tips
- Watch the butter carefully while it browns; you don't want to overcook it.
- Don't overmix the cookie dough, or it will be tough when it's baked.
- Chop the caramels into small pieces with a sharp knife before adding to the cookie dough.
- Use a meat mallet or rolling pin to crush the pretzels in a sandwich bag.
- When you're shaping the balls of cookie dough, try to keep the mix-ins (especially the caramels) away from the outside of the cookie, as it will reduce sticking later.
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Recipe
Panera Bread Kitchen Sink Cookies
Ingredients
- 1 cup unsalted butter
- 1 ½ cups light brown sugar
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 2 large eggs
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon baking powder
- 3 cups all-purpose flour
- ½ cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
- ½ cup milk chocolate chips
- ¾ cup crushed pretzels
- ½ cup soft caramels, finely diced
- 1 teaspoon flaked salt
Instructions
- Place the butter in a small saucepan and set over medium-high heat. Melt the butter and bring it to a boil, cooking it until it is golden brown, about 5-8 minutes. Pour the butter into the bowl of a stand mixer and let it cool in the fridge for 15-20 minutes.
- Pour the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt in a separate bowl and whisk until well combined. Set aside.
- Add the brown sugar to the bowl of cooled browned butter and mix with the paddle attachment on medium speed until well combined. Then, add the vanilla and eggs along with a couple spoonfuls of the flour mixture and mix on medium-low speed.
- Gradually stir in the remaining flour mixture on low speed until well combined.
- Add the two kinds of chocolate chips, crushed pretzels, and the caramel bits and stir on medium-low speed until they are evenly mixed throughout the dough.
- Line two 11x17-inch cookie sheets with parchment paper. Drop ¼-cup balls of cookie dough (each one should weigh 75-85g) onto the sheets, placing six balls on each tray. Lightly flatten the balls with your hand or the bottom of a glass and sprinkle generously with the flaked salt.
- Bake at 350 F for 10-13 minutes per tray, or until the edges of the cookies are lightly browned. Let the cookies sit on the tray for 5 minutes before transferring them to wire racks to finish cooling.
- Let the cookies cool on the wire racks for 10 minutes before enjoying.
Notes
- Don't turn your back on the butter while it browns; you don't want to overcook it.
- Handle the dough gently, or it will be tough when it's baked.
- Use a sharp knife to chop the caramels into small pieces. A meat mallet or rolling pin will help you crush the pretzels in a sandwich bag.
- When you're shaping the balls of cookie dough, try to keep the mix-ins (especially the caramels) away from the outside of the cookie, as it will reduce sticking later.
Nutrition
Serving sizes and nutritional information are only an estimate and may vary from your results.
Cookie Queen
I followed the recipe the dough was very dry. So I didn't bake them, did another batch twiked it a little and was perfect. I knew that 3 cups of flour was too much
Emma
Did you happen to weigh your flour on a kitchen scale? That's the most accurate way, as scooping the flour into measuring cups can pack too much flour into the cup, causing the dough to be dry.
chris
Most recipes for kitchen sink cookies calls for 2 or 2 and half cups of flour. Yours calls for 3 cups. I wanted to know if adding that much flour changes the texture of the cookie. Are they drier and more harder and crispier? I wanted to try your recipe, but was a little unsure. I prefer a softer cookie.
Emma
The amount of flour isn't the only thing that affects the texture of a cookie; it's the ratios of all the ingredients in proportion with each other. These cookies do have a chewy texture, but they're not meant to be extremely soft.
Beth
These cookies smell like caramelly goodness! The caramel and chocolate and salt are perfect together. I love the crunchy texture from the pretzels while the cookies are still soft and chewy. These homemade ones are quite similar to the ones from Panera Bread.
Emma
Thanks for your thoughts, Beth!
Alex
The salt adds a nice accent to the chewy caramel, and the pretzels add a needed crunch. The chips are sweet and the texture is amazing. The bite, the chew, the sweetness is balanced nicely with the salt on top.
Emma
We're so glad that you enjoyed these cookies, Alex!