If you love cookies loaded with delicious mix-ins, these Christmas Kitchen Sink Cookies are about to become your new favorite holiday treat! They’re soft and chewy in the middle, slightly crispy around the edges, and packed with festive Christmas candies, chocolate chips, crunchy pretzels, and a sprinkle of holiday magic.
These easy Christmas kitchen sink cookies are the perfect combination of sweet and salty, making them a standout addition to your Christmas cookie trays, holiday parties, cookie exchanges, and family baking days. Every bite is a little different, and that’s exactly what makes them so fun!
The best part? You can customize these festive kitchen sink cookies with your favorite Christmas candy and whatever tasty extras you have in your pantry. They’re colorful, delicious, and guaranteed to bring a little extra cheer to your holiday dessert table.
Why You’ll Love These Christmas Kitchen Sink Cookies
- Sweet and salty perfection: Chocolate, candy, and salty pretzels create an irresistible flavor combination.
- Festive Christmas colors: Red, green, and white mix-ins make these cookies look beautiful on any holiday cookie platter.
- Easy to customize: Use your favorite chocolate chips, candy-coated chocolates, pretzels, or toffee bits.
- Perfect for holiday baking: They’re great for Christmas parties, cookie swaps, homemade gifts, and cozy nights at home.
- Soft and chewy texture: A simple trick—chilling the dough—helps create thick, flavorful cookies.
Ingredients You’ll Need
The beauty of kitchen sink cookies is that you can throw in a little bit of everything! Here’s what you’ll need to make this festive Christmas version.
- 1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, softened
- 3/4 cup packed brown sugar
- 1/2 cup granulated sugar
- 2 large eggs, room temperature
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1 cup red and green candy-coated chocolates
- 3/4 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
- 3/4 cup broken pretzel pieces
- 1/2 cup white chocolate chips
- 1/3 cup toffee bits (optional)
- Extra Christmas candies and chocolate chips for topping
How to Make Christmas Kitchen Sink Cookies
Step 1: Prepare Your Baking Sheets
Preheat your oven to 350°F (175°C). Line two baking sheets with parchment paper and set them aside.
Step 2: Cream the Butter and Sugars
In a large mixing bowl, beat the softened butter, brown sugar, and granulated sugar until light and fluffy, about 2–3 minutes. This helps create a soft, chewy cookie texture.
Step 3: Add the Eggs and Vanilla
Beat in the eggs one at a time, followed by the vanilla extract. Mix until everything is smooth and well combined.
Step 4: Combine the Dry Ingredients
In a separate bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda, baking powder, and salt. Gradually add the dry ingredients to the wet mixture, mixing just until a dough forms. Avoid overmixing to keep your cookies tender.
Step 5: Add All the Christmas Goodies
Fold in the red and green candy-coated chocolates, semi-sweet chocolate chips, white chocolate chips, pretzel pieces, and toffee bits, if using.
Save a small handful of the colorful mix-ins to press into the tops of the cookies before baking. This little step gives them that bakery-style, Pinterest-worthy appearance!
Step 6: Chill the Dough
Cover the dough and refrigerate for 30 minutes. Chilling helps prevent excessive spreading and gives the flavors time to develop.
Step 7: Scoop and Bake
Scoop approximately 2 tablespoons of dough per cookie and place them about 2 inches apart on the prepared baking sheets. Gently press a few extra candies and chocolate chips onto each dough ball.
Bake for 10–13 minutes, or until the edges are lightly golden and the centers still look slightly soft.
Step 8: Cool and Enjoy
Allow the cookies to cool on the baking sheet for 5 minutes before transferring them to a wire rack. They’ll continue to set as they cool, leaving you with soft, chewy centers and deliciously crisp edges.
Enjoy them warm with a glass of milk, a cup of hot cocoa, or your favorite holiday coffee!
Tips for the Best Christmas Kitchen Sink Cookies
Don’t skip chilling the dough. This helps the cookies hold their shape and creates a thicker, chewier texture.
Save some toppings for the end. Pressing extra candy and chocolate chips onto the dough balls before baking makes the finished cookies look extra festive.
Don’t overbake. Remove the cookies when the edges are set but the centers still look a little underdone. They’ll finish baking on the hot pan.
Break the pretzels into small pieces. Smaller pieces distribute the salty crunch throughout the cookies without making them difficult to scoop.
Make them your own. Swap in chopped pecans, holiday sprinkles, caramel bits, peanut butter chips, or crushed peppermint candies. Just keep the total amount of mix-ins roughly the same so the dough holds together.
Fun Christmas Kitchen Sink Cookie Variations
Want to put your own spin on these holiday cookies? Try one of these delicious combinations!
- Peppermint Christmas Cookies: Add crushed peppermint candies and white chocolate chips.
- Christmas Candy Cookies: Use red and green candy-coated chocolates with extra milk chocolate chips.
- Caramel Pretzel Cookies: Add caramel bits, pretzels, and semi-sweet chocolate.
- White Chocolate Cranberry Cookies: Swap the candy-coated chocolates for dried cranberries and add extra white chocolate chips.
- Extra Chocolate Christmas Cookies: Combine dark chocolate chunks, milk chocolate chips, and festive candies.
How to Store Christmas Kitchen Sink Cookies
At room temperature: Store completely cooled cookies in an airtight container for up to 5 days.
In the freezer: Freeze baked cookies in a freezer-safe container for up to 3 months. Let them thaw at room temperature before serving.
Make-ahead option: Scoop the cookie dough into balls and freeze them on a baking sheet. Once frozen, transfer them to a freezer-safe bag or container. Bake from frozen, adding a couple of extra minutes as needed.
These cookies are perfect for preparing ahead of time so you can enjoy more holiday fun and less last-minute baking!
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I make Christmas kitchen sink cookies ahead of time?
Absolutely! You can refrigerate the dough for up to 48 hours or freeze the scooped dough balls for later baking. If the refrigerated dough becomes very firm, let it sit at room temperature briefly before scooping.
Why are my kitchen sink cookies spreading too much?
Butter that is too warm, insufficient flour, or skipping the chilling step can cause cookies to spread. Measure your flour carefully and chill the dough for at least 30 minutes.
Can I use different Christmas candy?
Yes! Red and green candy-coated chocolates, chopped chocolate bars, holiday M&M-style candies, white chocolate chips, and festive sprinkles are all great choices. Avoid adding too many extra mix-ins, which can make the cookies difficult to hold together.
Are Christmas kitchen sink cookies good for cookie exchanges?
They’re perfect for cookie exchanges! Their colorful appearance, sweet-and-salty flavor, and fun combination of textures make them a memorable addition to any Christmas cookie platter.
Christmas Kitchen Sink Cookies Nutrition Facts
The following nutrition information is an estimate based on the ingredients listed and a batch of approximately 24 cookies.
Serving size: 1 cookie
- Calories: 260
- Total fat: 13 g
- Saturated fat: 8 g
- Cholesterol: 35 mg
- Sodium: 190 mg
- Total carbohydrates: 35 g
- Dietary fiber: 1 g
- Total sugars: 23 g
- Protein: 3 g
Nutrition values are estimates and may vary depending on the specific brands used, the size of each cookie, and the mix-ins selected.
Final Thoughts
These Christmas Kitchen Sink Cookies are everything a holiday cookie should be: soft, chewy, colorful, chocolatey, and filled with sweet-and-salty goodness! They’re easy enough for a casual afternoon of Christmas baking but special enough to share with friends, family, neighbors, and coworkers.
Whether you’re filling a Christmas cookie tin, preparing treats for a holiday party, or simply craving something delicious on a chilly winter evening, these cookies are a recipe you’ll want to make year after year.
So grab your favorite Christmas candies, preheat that oven, and get ready to bake a batch of festive cookies that everyone will love!
If you make these Christmas kitchen sink cookies, leave a comment and let me know your favorite mix-ins! And don’t forget to save this recipe for your Christmas baking list and share it with someone who loves a good homemade cookie.
Happy holiday baking from ReevesAtHome! ❤️🎄
I hope you enjoyed learning about how to make this delicious Christmas kitchen sink cookies! If you liked this one, you should check out my Christmas Crack with Pretzels recipe and the rest of my blog. If you have any questions, please contact me at: [email protected]