Name: Christmas Kitchen Sink Cookies Recipe
Prep time: 15 min
Cook time: 12 min
Total time: 27 min
Cuisine: American
Ingredients: 3/4 cup salted butter, softened; 3/4 cup light brown sugar, packed; 1/4 cup granulated white sugar; 2 egg yolks, at room temperature; 2 tsp vanilla bean paste or extract; 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour, spooned and leveled; 1/2 tsp baking powder; 1/2 tsp baking soda; 1/2 tsp salt; 1/2 cup red and green M&M's; 1/3 cup white chocolate chips; 1/3 cup pretzel pieces; 1/3 cup potato chip pieces; 2 tbsp red and green jimmies

There’s something magically festive about a cookie packed with surprises in every bite. This Christmas Kitchen Sink Cookies Recipe is exactly that—a deliciously chewy cookie loaded with all your favorite sweet and salty mix-ins. It’s the perfect treat to bring a little extra joy to your holiday baking.

A white plate piled with round cookies that have a light brown base, each cookie topped with colorful red and green candy pieces, small white chips, broken pretzel pieces, and red and green sprinkles scattered all over. Surrounding the plate are small white bowls filled with red and green candies, white chips, and whole pretzels. The surface beneath everything is a white marbled texture, with a red ribbon partially visible near the plate. Photo taken with an iphone --ar 2:3 --v 7

Jump to:

Why You'll Love This Recipe
Ingredients & Why They Work
Make It Your Way
Step-by-Step: How I Make Christmas Kitchen Sink Cookies Recipe
Top Tip
How to Serve Christmas Kitchen Sink Cookies Recipe
Make Ahead and Storage
Frequently Asked Questions:
Final Thoughts
Christmas Kitchen Sink Cookies Recipe

Why You'll Love This Recipe

I can't tell you how many times this Christmas Kitchen Sink Cookies Recipe has saved the day during the busy holiday season. It’s fun, it’s super flexible, and every cookie you bite into feels like a little celebration of textures and flavors. Honestly, it’s just a joy to make and share.

Loaded with festive mix-ins: Red and green M&M’s, white chocolate, pretzels, and even potato chips give these cookies a crunchy, sweet-salty twist.
Easy to customize: You’re not stuck with just these ingredients—switch up your mix-ins based on what you love or have on hand.
Chewy and soft with a bit of crunch: This recipe nails that perfect texture balance, which is sometimes so hard to get right in holiday cookies.
Looks great, easy to make: Optional topping and cutter tricks help your cookies look as good as they taste, making them ideal for gifting or parties.

A single soft cookie with a bite taken from the edge is shown on a white marbled surface. The cookie has a light golden brown base with colorful red and green sprinkles mixed throughout. There are visible pieces of green and red candy-coated chocolates, as well as bits of pretzel stick embedded in the top layer. The texture of the cookie is slightly crumbled near the bite, showing a chewy interior with white chunks possibly of white chocolate. The background includes a blurred second cookie and a silver measuring cup filled with green and red candy-coated chocolates. Photo taken with an iphone --ar 2:3 --v 7

Ingredients & Why They Work

Every ingredient plays a special part in making these Christmas Kitchen Sink Cookies come together just right. The mix of sweet, salty, soft, and crunchy elements creates that “sink everything in” vibe you’re aiming for. Here’s a quick rundown and a few tips for shopping like a pro.

Flat lay of a small mound of soft, pale yellow salted butter, a small heap of packed light brown sugar with a rich caramel color, a small pile of fine granulated white sugar, two whole uncracked brown eggs, a small white ceramic bowl filled with glossy red and green candy-coated M&M's, a small white bowl containing creamy white chocolate chips, a small white bowl with crunchy broken pretzel pieces, a small white bowl of golden, irregular potato chip pieces, a tiny white bowl of red and green jimmies sprinkles, a small white bowl holding fine all-purpose flour, and three small white bowls with fine pale baking powder, light beige baking soda, and white salt crystals respectively, all arranged in perfect symmetry on a clean white marble surface, soft natural light, photo taken with an iPhone, professional food photography style, fresh ingredients, white ceramic bowls, no bottles, no duplicates, no utensils, no packaging --ar 2:3 --v 7 --p m7354615311229779997

Salted butter: Adds rich moisture and flavor—don’t skip the “salted” here, as it helps balance the sweetness.
Light brown sugar: Brings a deeper molasses note and keeps the cookies nice and chewy.
Granulated sugar: Gives just the right bit of crispness on the edges.
Egg yolks: They make the cookie tender and rich—two egg yolks (not whole eggs) really up that soft texture.
Vanilla bean paste or extract: Natural vanilla is magic in cookies; it makes all the flavors pop.
All-purpose flour: The base flour, but don’t rush measuring—spoon and level or weigh for the best texture.
Baking powder and baking soda: Both leaveners work together to create the perfect lift and spread.
Salt: Enhances all the other flavors and ensures the sweetness isn't one-dimensional.
Red and green M&M's: Classic festive candy bursts that add color and crunch.
White chocolate chips: A creamy, sweet surprise nestled inside.
Pretzel pieces: Salty crunch that keeps every bite interesting.
Potato chip pieces: Sounds crazy but trust me—this salty addition is next-level delicious.
Red and green jimmies: Sprinkles only add visual fun and a hint of sweetness.

📝

Note: You'll find the complete list of ingredients, along with their exact measurements, in the printable recipe card at the bottom of this post.

Make It Your Way

One of the best things about this Christmas Kitchen Sink Cookies Recipe is how much room there is to customize. I love switching up the mix-ins depending on what I’ve got on hand or who I’m sharing with. You can tailor it to be sweeter, saltier, or even throw in some nuts if you like an added crunch.

Variation: One year, I swapped the pretzels and potato chips for crushed candy canes and added chopped pecans to give the cookies a minty crunch that was an absolute hit at a cookie exchange.

Step-by-Step: How I Make Christmas Kitchen Sink Cookies Recipe

Step 1: Cream Together the Butter and Sugars

Start by softening your salted butter and combining it with the light brown sugar and granulated sugar in a large bowl. Use an electric mixer to cream them together for about 2 minutes until the mixture is light and fluffy. This step is key because it introduces air into the batter for that perfect cookie texture—don’t rush it!

Step 2: Add the Egg Yolks and Vanilla

Next, add two room-temperature egg yolks and your vanilla bean paste or extract. Mix on medium speed for another 2 minutes until the batter looks pale and fluffy. This bit makes the cookies rich and chewy, so resist the urge to skip using egg yolks instead of whole eggs here.

Step 3: Incorporate the Dry Ingredients

Add your all-purpose flour (spooned and leveled), baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Mix until just combined; don’t overmix or your cookies might get tough. I usually switch to a spatula here to gently fold everything together to preserve that tender crumb.

Step 4: Fold in All Those Fun Mix-Ins

This is my favorite part! Carefully fold in the red and green M&M’s, white chocolate chips, pretzel pieces, potato chip pieces, and jimmies. The key here is gentle folding—you don’t want to break the candy or crush the pretzels too much. When I make these for guests, I sometimes press a few extra mix-ins on top of the dough balls so everyone can see those festive colors right away.

Step 5: Scoop and Bake

Scoop the dough into 20 equal balls, spacing them about two inches apart on parchment-lined baking sheets. Bake at 350°F (175°C) for 10 to 12 minutes—10 if you want chewy centers, 12 for crispier edges. Fresh from the oven, I like to swirl a large circular cookie cutter around each cookie to nudge them into perfect circles. It’s a little trick that makes a big difference if you want your cookies to look bakery-worthy.

Step 6: Cool and Store

Let your cookies cool on the baking sheets for 5 minutes before transferring them to a wire rack to cool fully, about another 10 minutes. Store leftovers in an airtight container for up to three days—if they last that long!

Top Tip

Through baking this Christmas Kitchen Sink Cookies Recipe countless times, I’ve picked up a few tips that can really make your results shine and make your baking easier and mess-free.

Measuring Flour Properly: I can’t stress this enough—never scoop your flour directly with the measuring cup. Instead, spoon it in and level it off or better yet, weigh it. Too much flour leads to dense, dry cookies, and trust me, I’ve learned this the hard way.
Use Room Temperature Ingredients: Butter and egg yolks should be softened to room temp to cream easily and blend uniformly, which helps your cookies bake evenly.
Press Extra Toppings for Presentation: Adding a few mix-ins like M&M’s or white chocolate chips on top of dough balls before baking makes the cookies look irresistible and festive.
Shape Cookies While Warm: Use a circular cutter right out of the oven to perfect their shape—this little trick gives you a lovely, uniform batch every time.

How to Serve Christmas Kitchen Sink Cookies Recipe

Kitchen Sink Cookies - Serving Suggestion

Garnishes

I usually keep garnishing simple to let the cookies stand out. However, a light dusting of powdered sugar or a few extra colorful jimmies sprinkled on the serving plate can add a festive touch. And if you’re gifting, wrap them in cellophane tied with a ribbon and add a little handmade tag for that warm holiday feeling.

Side Dishes

These cookies make a fantastic sweet finish alongside hot cocoa or mulled cider. For a holiday party, I love serving them next to a cheese platter or alongside spiced nuts to complement the cookie’s sweet and salty notes.

Creative Ways to Present

I’ve had fun arranging these cookies in a festive tin layered with parchment and sprinkled with fresh rosemary or ginger sprigs for a rustic holiday vibe. Another idea? Stack them in a mason jar layered with holiday-themed ribbons as a thoughtful homemade gift.

Make Ahead and Storage

Storing Leftovers

My go-to is an airtight container at room temperature. If you’re planning to eat them within a few days, this keeps them chewy and fresh. I like to layer the cookies between sheets of parchment paper to prevent them from sticking together or breaking.

Freezing

I often freeze these dough balls ahead of time, especially around the holidays when things get busy. Just scoop and freeze on a tray, then transfer to a sealed bag. When I want fresh cookies, I bake them straight from frozen, adding a minute or two to the baking time.

Reheating

If you have leftover cookies stored, reheating them in a low oven (about 300°F) for 5-7 minutes brings back that fresh-baked warmth and texture much better than a microwave.

Frequently Asked Questions:

Can I use whole eggs instead of just egg yolks?

Using only egg yolks in this Christmas Kitchen Sink Cookies Recipe results in a richer, chewier cookie. Whole eggs will work but may make cookies slightly cakier and less tender.

Why is it important to measure flour correctly?

Flour measurement affects texture a lot. Too much flour makes cookies dry and crumbly. This recipe suggests spooning and leveling or weighing flour for the best results to keep cookies soft and tender.

Can I customize the mix-ins?

Absolutely! Part of the fun of the Christmas Kitchen Sink Cookies Recipe is how adaptable it is. Swap out candies, chips, or salty bits to make the cookies personal to your taste or dietary needs.

How long do these cookies keep fresh?

Stored properly in an airtight container, these cookies stay fresh for up to three days at room temperature. For longer storage, freezing dough or finished cookies works well too.

Final Thoughts

This Christmas Kitchen Sink Cookies Recipe has become my go-to crowd-pleaser during the holidays because it’s just so fun to make and share. Every bite tells a little story of festive colors, textures, and the joy of unexpected combinations. I hope when you try these cookies, you feel the same warmth and excitement I do—they’re truly a special kind of holiday magic!