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These Kitchen Sink Christmas Cookies are the perfect answer to holiday cravings soft chewy centers with crisp edges packed with chocolate pretzels potato chips M and Ms and sprinkles. They are a family favorite because everyone finds something they love in every bite. These cookies always end up on my Christmas tray and I have fond memories of baking them as a snow day project with my kids.
I first started making these cookies when I needed a fun activity with my kids during winter break. Now we bake them together every season and everyone enjoys choosing different mix ins.
Gather Your Ingredients
- All purpose flour: gives the cookies a tender structure look for unbleached flour for best flavor and texture
- Baking powder and baking soda: help the dough rise and stay light make sure yours are fresh for lift
- Salt: enhances sweetness and balances all the flavors choose fine sea salt for even distribution
- Unsalted butter: provides richness and moisture melt and cool fully for even mixing and soft centers
- Dark brown sugar: adds deep caramel notes always pack the sugar for accurate measurement
- White granulated sugar: ensures crisp edges and just enough sweetness
- Eggs: bind all the ingredients and add chew use large eggs at room temperature so the dough comes together easily
- Vanilla extract: rounds out the holiday flavors use pure vanilla for the richest taste
- M and Ms: bring color festive flair and chocolate pockets red and green are perfect for Christmas
- White chocolate chips: add creamy sweetness buy high quality brands to avoid waxy textures
- Pretzels: bring crunch and a touch of salt break into small pieces for even distribution
- Potato chips: give these cookies a salty savory surprise crush lightly so you still see flakes in the dough
- Holiday sprinkles: make the cookies feel extra special use classic jimmies for a fun look
How to Make It
- Melt and Cool the Butter:
- Melt the butter and let it sit for about twenty minutes uncovered until it reaches room temperature and is no longer warm to the touch. This ensures the dough mixes smoothly and the cookies stay chewy not greasy.
- Mix the Dry Ingredients:
- In a large mixing bowl whisk together the all purpose flour baking powder baking soda and salt until fully combined. Whisking well breaks up clumps for a consistent cookie dough.
- Whisk Wet Ingredients:
- In another bowl whisk together the cooled melted butter dark brown sugar and white granulated sugar until smooth and slightly fluffy. Whisk in the eggs one at a time followed by the vanilla extract until fully incorporated.
- Combine Wet and Dry Mixtures:
- Add the flour mixture to the wet mixture. Mix gently with a rubber spatula just until the dough comes together and no streaks of flour remain. Overmixing can make cookies tough.
- Fold in the Mix-Ins:
- Add the M and Ms white chocolate chips pretzel pieces crushed potato chips and holiday sprinkles. Fold in gently so each cookie gets plenty of every mix in. Reserve a few of each for topping later.
- Scoop the Cookie Dough:
- Use a one and one half ounce cookie scoop to portion dough onto a parchment lined baking sheet spacing scoops two inches apart for spreading. Each scoop should be mounded for thick cookies.
- Chill the Dough:
- Chill the tray of dough in the refrigerator for one hour to help prevent spreading and to develop flavor. If you are short on time freeze the dough for thirty minutes instead.
- Bake the Cookies:
- Preheat your oven to three hundred fifty degrees. Transfer six dough balls at a time to a clean parchment lined sheet pan. Bake for thirteen to fifteen minutes rotating the pan halfway through until edges are set and centers look slightly underdone. This keeps the centers chewy and thick.
- Shape and Top the Cookies:
- Immediately after baking use a large round cookie cutter to nudge cookies into perfect circles. While still warm press extra M and Ms pretzels potato chips and white chocolate chips onto the tops for a bakery style finish.
I absolutely love the salty flaky potato chips in these cookies. My family likes to turn cookie shaping into a fun competition to see who can make the roundest cookie and add the prettiest toppings. These memories make the cookies taste even sweeter during the holidays.
Flavor Boosters
Press extra mix ins on top right after baking for a bakery style look and added flavor. Chilling the dough is the secret to thick chewy cookies that do not spread too much. Let the cookies cool on the sheet for five minutes so they hold together before transferring.
Serving Suggestions
Arrange on a holiday platter with other cookies for a festive dessert display. Turn two cookies into ice cream sandwiches with vanilla or peppermint ice cream for a decadent treat. Serve warm with mugs of hot cocoa while you decorate the tree for a cozy December evening.
Creative Twists
Swap dark brown sugar for light brown or use leftover holiday candy as mix ins. Dried fruit chopped nuts or butterscotch chips are fun replacements for some of the chocolate or pretzels. Use pastel M and Ms for spring or cinnamon chips and autumn candies for Thanksgiving. Gluten free flour blends work well as a substitute.
These cookies are a tradition in my house and always the most popular on the holiday tray. Make them ahead and freeze the dough so you can bake a fresh batch whenever the craving strikes.
Common Questions About This Recipe
- → How do I get cookies perfectly round?
For uniformity, use a large round cookie cutter to gently scoot the cookies into shape right after baking while still hot.
- → Can I swap out the mix-ins?
Absolutely! Use your favorite chocolates, nuts, or festive candies to personalize the cookies to your liking.
- → Why chill the dough before baking?
Chilling helps prevent excess spreading, yielding thicker, chewier cookies with deeper flavors.
- → How do I store these cookies?
Store cooled cookies in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 5 days to maintain freshness.
- → Can I make the dough ahead?
The dough can be refrigerated up to 48 hours in advance or frozen as scooped balls for quick baking later.