These brown butter kitchen sink cookies are soft, chewy, and loaded with a little bit of everything! Made with nutty brown butter and packed with M&Ms, pretzels, potato chips, and mini chocolate chips, every bite has the perfect combination of sweet, salty, crunchy, and chocolatey.

I especially love making these kitchen sink cookies around the holidays. The red and green M&Ms make them instantly festive, and they’re such a fun addition to Christmas cookie trays, parties, and cookie swaps along with buckeye balls and almond flour shortbread cookies. Plus, the mix-ins are easy to customize, so you can use whatever sweet and salty treats you already have on hand!

Why You’ll Love These Kitchen Sink Cookies

Easy to customize. Swap the candies, chocolate, and salty snacks to use whatever you have on hand.
Sweet and salty. Chocolate and M&Ms balance perfectly with salty pretzels and crunchy potato chips.
Rich brown butter flavor. Browning the butter adds a deep, nutty flavor that makes these cookies taste bakery-worthy.
Soft and chewy. The cookies have soft centers with lightly crisp edges and plenty of texture from the mix-ins.

Why Are They Called Kitchen Sink Cookies?

Kitchen sink cookies get their name from the phrase “everything but the kitchen sink” because they’re loaded with all kinds of different mix-ins.

Instead of sticking with just chocolate chips, as I do in my chocolate chip cookies, or even using just candy, these cookies combine several flavors and textures in one dough. My version has chocolate, M&Ms, salty pretzels, and crunchy potato chips, giving you a little bit of everything in every bite.

There really aren’t any strict rules when it comes to the mix-ins, either. That’s part of what makes kitchen sink cookies so fun! You can use this recipe as your base and swap in different candies, chocolate, nuts, salty snacks, or other ingredients you have on hand. Feel free to get creative!

Ingredients And More

Here are the main ingredients you’ll need to make these brown butter kitchen sink cookies:

Mini Chocolate Chips: These distribute throughout the dough so you get plenty of melty chocolate in every bite. I prefer semi-sweet chocolate chips, but milk chocolate and dark chocolate also taste great.
Unsalted Butter: Browning the butter gives these cookies a rich, nutty, almost caramel-like flavor that gives them a bakery-style taste.
Coconut Sugar: This adds sweetness along with a subtle caramel flavor that pairs perfectly with the brown butter.
Monk Fruit Sweetener: I use a granulated 1:1 monk fruit sweetener along with the coconut sugar for the right balance of sweetness and texture.
Egg: One large egg binds the ingredients and helps give the cookies structure.
Vanilla Extract: A generous splash of vanilla complements the brown butter and chocolate, adding warmth and enhancing the other flavors.
All-Purpose Flour: Be careful not to overmeasure your flour, or the cookies can turn out dry and cakey.
Baking Powder: Gives the cookies a little lift while helping them stay thick and soft. Make sure it’s fresh for the best results!
M&Ms: I use red and green M&Ms to turn these into festive kitchen sink Christmas cookies, but any color will work.
Pretzels: Crushed pretzels add plenty of crunch and a salty contrast to all the sweet ingredients.
Potato Chips: It might sound unusual, but crushed potato chips are SO good in cookies! They add a light, crispy texture and another layer of salty flavor.

Even More Mix-In Ideas

The best part about kitchen sink cookies is that you can have fun with the mix-ins! Just keep the overall quantity relatively similar so you don’t overload the dough.

Try swapping or adding:

Chopped mini Reese’s peanut butter cups
Maltesers
White chocolate chips
Dark chocolate chips
Butterscotch chips
Peanut butter chips
Toffee bits
Chopped nuts, such as pecans or walnuts
Crushed crackers
Holiday sprinkles
Chopped leftover chocolate or candy

You can also adjust the balance depending on what you like. For a less sweet cookie, use fewer candy pieces and more salty pretzels or potato chips. For an extra-indulgent version, add chopped peanut butter cups or toffee bits.

How to Make Brown Butter Kitchen Sink Cookies

These cookies have a lot going on in the best way, but they’re still super easy to make!

Step 1: Brown the butter. Melt the butter in a saucepan over medium-low heat, and continue to cook until it is golden brown and has a nutty aroma. Be careful not to burn! Then, transfer it to a mixing bowl to cool slightly.

Step 2: Combine ingredients. Add the sweeteners, egg, and vanilla to the butter, and beat until the mixture is light and fluffy. Then, stir in the dry ingredients just until no streaks remain, and gently fold in the mix-ins.

Step 3: Portion. Use a cookie dough scoop to portion the dough, arranging the cookie dough balls on parchment paper-lined baking sheets. Make sure to leave space between each cookie! The dough doesn’t spread much, so I gently press it down into a disc.

Step 4: Bake. Sprinkle extra chocolate chips on top, and bake just until the edges are set and the tops are lightly golden brown. The centers should still be soft!

Step 5: Cool. Let the cookies cool completely on the baking sheets, and enjoy with a warm mug of hot chocolate from my homemade hot chocolate mix!

Helpful Tips Before You Bake

Make them perfectly round. Immediately after baking, place a large glass over each cookie and gently swirl it in a circular motion to smooth out the edges.
Don’t skip the brown butter. It’s one of the main flavors in these cookies and adds so much more depth than regular melted butter.
Watch the butter closely. Once the milk solids begin to brown, butter can go from perfectly toasted to burnt quickly. Remove it from the heat once it’s golden brown and smells nutty.
Let the brown butter cool. Give it a few minutes to cool before adding the egg so the hot butter doesn’t begin to cook it.
Don’t crush the mix-ins too finely. You want noticeable pieces of pretzel and potato chip throughout the cookies for plenty of crunch and texture.
Chill the dough for thicker cookies. If you prefer thicker cookies with less spread, refrigerate the dough for about 30 minutes before baking.
Avoid overbaking. Take the cookies out when the edges look set, but the centers are still soft. They’ll firm up as they cool.

Make-Ahead & Storage Tips

Make Ahead: You can prepare and scoop the cookie dough in advance and keep it covered in the refrigerator for up to 24 hours. When you’re ready to bake, arrange the dough on your baking sheets and bake as directed. You may need to add a minute or two to the baking time if the dough is very cold.

Store: Once completely cool, store leftover kitchen sink cookies in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 4 days.

Freeze Baked Cookies: Let the cookies cool completely, then transfer them to a freezer-safe container or bag. Freeze for up to 2 months and thaw at room temperature before serving.

Freeze Cookie Dough: Scoop the dough into individual cookie dough balls and freeze on a baking sheet until solid. Transfer the frozen dough to a freezer-safe bag or container and freeze for up to 2 months. Bake the cookies from frozen, adding a few extra minutes to the baking time as needed.

Kitchen Sink Cookies