Description
These Best Kitchen Sink Christmas Cookies are a delightful holiday treat packed with a variety of mix-ins like chocolate chips, white chocolate chips, crushed pretzels, nuts, dried cranberries, coconut, and festive sprinkles. Soft, chewy, and bursting with flavor, they bring a festive twist to classic cookies perfect for sharing throughout the holiday season.
Ingredients
Scale
Dough Ingredients
- 1 cup (226g) unsalted butter, softened
- 1 cup (200g) granulated sugar
- 1 cup (220g) brown sugar, packed
- 2 large eggs
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 2 1/2 cups (315g) all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
Mix-ins
- 1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
- 1 cup white chocolate chips
- 1 cup crushed pretzels
- 1/2 cup chopped pecans or walnuts (optional)
- 1/2 cup dried cranberries or raisins
- 1/2 cup shredded coconut
- 1/2 cup festive sprinkles (optional)
Instructions
- Preheat and Prepare: Preheat your oven to 350°F (175°C). Line baking sheets with parchment paper or silicone mats to prevent sticking and make cleanup easier.
- Cream Butter and Sugars: In a large mixing bowl, cream together the softened unsalted butter, granulated sugar, and brown sugar until the mixture is light and fluffy, ensuring proper incorporation for a tender cookie texture.
- Add Eggs and Vanilla: Beat in the eggs one at a time until fully combined, then stir in the vanilla extract to infuse the dough with warm, aromatic flavor.
- Combine Dry Ingredients: In a separate bowl, whisk together the all-purpose flour, baking soda, baking powder, and salt to evenly distribute the leavening agents and salt.
- Mix Dry and Wet Ingredients: Gradually add the dry ingredients to the wet mixture, stirring until just combined to avoid overmixing which can result in tough cookies.
- Fold in Mix-ins: Gently fold in the semi-sweet chocolate chips, white chocolate chips, crushed pretzels, chopped nuts (if using), dried cranberries or raisins, shredded coconut, and festive sprinkles (if using) until evenly distributed throughout the dough.
- Portion Dough: Using a cookie scoop or tablespoon, drop rounded spoonfuls of dough onto the prepared baking sheets, spacing them about 2 inches apart to allow for spreading during baking.
- Bake: Bake in the preheated oven for 10-12 minutes or until the edges are lightly golden but the centers remain soft for optimal chewiness.
- Cool: Remove the cookies from the oven and let them cool on the baking sheets for 5 minutes before transferring them to wire racks to cool completely, allowing them to set properly.
Notes
- You can customize the mix-ins based on what you have on hand; swapping nuts or dried fruit is perfectly fine.
- If you prefer crunchier cookies, bake an extra 1-2 minutes, but be careful not to overbake.
- Chilling the dough for 30 minutes before baking can help control spreading and intensify flavors.
- Store cookies in an airtight container at room temperature for up to one week.
- For a gluten-free version, substitute the all-purpose flour with a gluten-free flour blend and ensure all mix-ins are gluten-free.
