The BEST Christmas Kitchen Sink Cookies

The Christmas dessert platter is often filled with beautiful classics—delicate sugar cookies, rich chocolate crinkles, and classic peanut butter blossoms. While these traditional treats are necessary, every holiday cookie swap needs one cookie that is a little wilder, a little more unexpected, and absolutely irresistible. It needs a cookie that offers a burst of every favorite flavor and texture.

I used to spend hours baking multiple batches of different cookies just to satisfy every craving, but inevitably, someone always asked for something salty to cut the sweetness. I wanted a single cookie that delivered it all: the chewy, tender base, the melt of chocolate, and the necessary salty sweet crunch.

That is how I perfected the ULTIMATE Christmas Kitchen Sink Cookies.

This recipe is nothing short of pure genius. It’s called “kitchen sink” because it’s loaded with everything but the kitchen sink—chocolate chips, festive red and green M&Ms, pretzels, and the secret weapon: crushed potato chips. The combination of textures—the soft, chewy center contrasted with the crisp, salty crunch—makes this the BEST holiday cookie recipe on your platter.

This recipe is a must-pin for anyone searching Christmas Cookies Recipes because it combines the fun factor with guaranteed delicious results. If you are looking for the ULTIMATE salty sweet treat that requires no chilling and is ready in under 30 minutes, this fun Christmas dessert is your guaranteed winner.

Why You’ll Love This Recipe

This recipe is a massive Pinterest success because it taps into the viral popularity of “kitchen sink” desserts while adding a festive, fun holiday twist.

The ULTIMATE Salty Sweet Crunch

The flavor contrast is the core appeal of this cookie. The buttery, brown sugar base provides the chewiness and sweetness, while the unexpected addition of crushed pretzels and potato chips provides a crucial layer of salt and a wonderful crisp texture. This salty sweet profile makes these cookies incredibly addictive and ensures they stand out among other Christmas Cookies Recipes.

Ready in Under 30 Minutes (No Chill Time!)

Unlike many elaborate holiday cookie recipes that require hours of refrigeration, this dough uses melted and cooled butter, which eliminates the need for chilling. You can literally mix the dough, fold in the add-ins, scoop, and bake in less than 30 minutes. This speed makes it the BEST solution for last-minute baking or adding to your fun Christmas dessert spread.

Fun and Festive Appearance

By using red and green M&Ms and matching festive sprinkles, the cookies look bright and cheerful, making them perfect for gifting and cookie swaps. The colorful chaos of the mix-ins guarantees a high-impact, fun aesthetic that makes this Christmas dessert stand out visually.

Highly Customizable Holiday Cookie Recipe Base

The core cookie dough is so forgiving and delicious that it can handle virtually any mix-in you have on hand. Feel free to swap in chopped nuts, toffee bits, butterscotch chips, or even chopped Rolo candies. This makes it an incredibly versatile, ULTIMATE recipe for clearing out your baking pantry.

Ingredients and Instructions: The Ultimate Mix-In Formula

The key to the BEST Christmas Kitchen Sink Cookies is ensuring the butter is fully cooled before mixing and getting the right balance of crunchy, salty mix-ins.

Component	Quantity	Notes
Unsalted Butter	1/2 cup (1 stick)	Melted and cooled (crucial step).
Brown Sugar	1/2 cup	Packed; provides chewiness.
White Sugar	1/4 cup	Provides sweetness and helps spread.
Vanilla Extract	1 teaspoon
Egg	1 large	Room temperature.
All-Purpose Flour	1 1/2 cups
Baking Soda	1/2 teaspoon
Salt	1/4 teaspoon
Red & Green M&Ms	1/2 cup	Plus extra for topping.
White Chocolate Chips	1/3 cup	Or semi-sweet chips.
Pretzels	1/3 cup	Coarsely chopped.
Potato Chips	1/2 cup	Crushed lightly (provides the salty sweet kick).
Festive Sprinkles	2 tablespoons

The Basic Instructions:

1. Prep Oven & Mix Wet: Preheat oven to 350°F. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper. In a large bowl, whisk together the melted, cooled butter, brown sugar, white sugar, vanilla, and egg until just combined.
2. Mix Dry & Combine: In a separate bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda, and salt. Gradually add the dry ingredients to the wet, folding gently until the dough is just combined. Do not overmix.
3. Fold in Fillings: Gently fold in the M&Ms, white chocolate chips, chopped pretzels, crushed potato chips, and sprinkles.
4. Scoop & Bake: Use a medium cookie scoop (about 1.5 inches) to drop the dough onto the prepared baking sheets, leaving 2–3 inches between each cookie. Press a few extra M&Ms and pretzel pieces into the top of each dough ball for a fun look.
5. Bake: Bake for 11–12 minutes, or until the edges are lightly golden brown and the centers still look slightly soft.
6. Cool: Let the cookies cool on the baking sheet for 5 minutes before transferring them to a wire rack to cool completely.

Step by Step: Mastering the Fun and Chewy Texture

The challenge with these Christmas Kitchen Sink Cookies is ensuring the cookie dough is perfectly soft and chewy despite the heavy mix-ins, and preventing the crushed chips from getting soggy. My early batches sometimes had crumbly edges; I learned the butter temperature is key.

Here is the detailed, human-written guide to mastering this spectacular salty sweet Christmas dessert:

Step 1: Melting and Cooling the Butter

This is the most critical step for the “no-chill” method and the chewy texture. Using melted butter (instead of softened) helps the dough spread slightly and gives the cookies a dense, chewy crumb. However, the butter must be cooled completely before adding the sugar and egg. Hot butter will cook the egg and make the texture cakey or tough.

Step 2: Gentle Folding is Essential

The secret to a soft cookie, especially when adding crunchy mix-ins, is to stop mixing the dough immediately when the flour streaks disappear. Overmixing develops gluten, resulting in tough cookies. Once the base dough is just combined, gently fold in the heavy, bulky mix-ins (pretzels, chips, etc.) with a spatula to ensure they are evenly distributed without overworking the dough.

Step 3: The Crunch Secret—Adding the Chips Last

To maximize the crunch factor of the potato chips and pretzels, crush them lightly—you want small pieces, not dust. Do not crush them until you are ready to fold them into the dough, and don’t make the dough ahead of time once the chips are in, as they will slowly lose their crunch. Freshly crushed chips make the salty sweet contrast truly delicious.

Step 4: Don’t Over-Bake (The Key to Chewy)

For the softest, chewiest cookie, you must remove the cookies from the oven when they look slightly underdone in the center. The edges should be lightly golden brown, but the center will look puffy and soft. They will continue to set up on the hot baking sheet for the crucial 5-minute cooling period, guaranteeing a tender interior.

Step 5: The “Show-Off” Garnish

Before baking, take a few extra M&Ms and sprinkles and press them lightly into the top of each dough ball. Many of the mix-ins get hidden inside the dough during scooping. Adding a few to the surface before baking ensures a burst of fun color and texture right on top, making them look professionally baked and ready for your Christmas dessert platter.

Variations, Serving, and Storage FAQs

This core Christmas Kitchen Sink Cookies recipe is an excellent, versatile template for countless holiday cookie recipes.

Delicious Variations to Try:

• Nutty Crunch: Substitute the potato chips with 1/2 cup of chopped pecans or walnuts for a more traditional holiday crunch.
• Caramel Swirl: Add $1/3$ cup of toffee bits (Heath bits) and swap the white chocolate chips for butterscotch chips.
• S’mores Edition: Substitute the potato chips and pretzels with crushed graham crackers and mini marshmallows (added during the last 2 minutes of baking).
• Peanut Butter Heaven: Use Reese’s Pieces instead of M&Ms and swap the white chocolate chips for peanut butter chips.

Serving Suggestions:

These ULTIMATE cookies are perfect for every festive setting:

1. Cookie Exchange Winner: Stack them in cellophane bags or small tins for a highly original and fun gifting option.
2. Dessert Platter: Pair them with simple, classic cookies like chocolate crinkles (to highlight the contrast) on your Christmas dessert tray.
3. Santa’s Plate: Serve with a glass of milk for a truly satisfying, delicious treat for the Big Guy.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

Question	Answer
How long do the cookies last?	These Christmas Kitchen Sink Cookies are great for easy holiday baking and last up to 5 days stored at room temperature in an airtight container.
Can I freeze the dough?	Yes, you can freeze the dough before adding the pretzels and chips (the salt/moisture can ruin the crunch). Mix the dough and freeze it for up to 2 weeks. Thaw slightly, then fold in the crunchy additions and bake.
My cookies are too flat, what happened?	The butter was likely too warm when added, or you used salted butter. Next time, ensure the butter is completely cooled, and whisk in an extra tablespoon of flour to help the dough hold its shape.
Can I skip the potato chips?	Yes, you can, but you lose the signature salty sweet appeal! Substitute them with $1/2$ cup of crushed Ritz Crackers for a similar buttery, salty flavor.

Conclusion: Your Most ULTIMATE Christmas Cookie Recipe

The Christmas Kitchen Sink Cookies recipe is the perfect blend of playful chaos and delicious flavor. It’s the ULTIMATE salty sweet holiday cookie recipe that delivers a fun, unforgettable Christmas dessert without any chilling or complicated techniques.

By embracing this simple recipe, you guarantee a satisfying, chewy, and completely irresistible cookie that will be the talk of your holiday platter.

Pin this fun Christmas dessert today and enjoy the ULTIMATE, BEST salty sweet cookies!