Alright, pull up a chair, because I have to tell you about these ridiculous (but magical) Christmas Kitchen Sink Cookies. You know when you’re just flat tired of the fussy cutouts and—don’t get me wrong, I love a cute snowman cookie as much as anyone else—but you just want to throw stuff in a bowl and have it taste amazing? That’s this recipe in a nutshell. My auntie first made a version at, like, three Christmases ago, when the oven was already full of ham and someone had left the mixer unplugged. I kind of thought she’d lost the plot, honestly, but those cookies vanished before the tree was even lit up. Now my family starts asking by October—no joke.

Why You’ll Be a Fan (or, How I’ve Been Swayed)

I make this when I’m running low on energy, or patience, or both. You open the pantry, and if it’s edible and vaguely cookieish, in it goes. My kids honestly go a bit wild for these (like, sneaky hands everywhere). I used to stress about measuring every chocolate chip, but let’s be real, life’s too short and so are December afternoons. These also double as a good way to use up the bottom-of-the-bag bits (sprinkles, nuts, pretzels…one time I tossed in some holiday marshmallows and it was chaos, but fun chaos). If dough sticks to your fingers, that’s normal. Actually, that’s required.

All the Bits: The Ingredients (Substitutions Welcome)

1 cup (225g) unsalted butter, softened. My grandma swore by the salted stuff, but honestly, use whichever’s handy.
1 cup brown sugar, packed. Light or dark—I lean dark if I’ve got it for the flavor, but nobody noticed the swap last year.
1/2 cup granulated sugar (but if you’re short, brown sugar all the way is fine, and maybe even better?)
2 large eggs, at room temp if you remember, but I rarely do.
2 teaspoons vanilla extract (but almond extract is good in a pinch, though it does shift the taste a bit)
2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 cups chocolate chips. Honestly, any variety. Sometimes I do half white, half semisweet.
1 cup red and green M&M’s (optional, but this is Christmas after all!)
3/4 cup crushed pretzels. Or potato chips—kind of depends what’s open.
1/2 cup chopped pecans or walnuts (or leave out if nuts are a no-go for you)
1/2 cup toffee bits (completely optional, but wow, does it make a difference)
1/2 cup holiday sprinkles—on top, in the dough, go wild

Here’s How I Get It Done (The Not-So-Very-Exact Method)

Crank the oven up to 350F (180C). Line a couple baking sheets with parchment, or tinfoil if you’re out of parchment—don’t tell the baking police.
Cream the butter and both sugars together until fluffy. I use a hand mixer, but a wooden spoon and some elbow grease totally works, if you’re feeling strong.
Crack in the eggs, one at a time. Splash in the vanilla (I tend to overpour, but no one minds).
Toss flour, baking soda, and salt in a separate bowl, just to say you did. Gradually add to the wet stuff. It might look like a bit of a mess; don’t stress.
Now for my favorite part: dump in the chocolate, M&M’s, pretzels, nuts, toffee, and most of the sprinkles. Stir it but don’t totally obliterate the chunks—you want discovery in every bite.
Scoop out big spoonfuls (think golf-ball size if you’re feeling competitive) onto your trays. I sometimes shape the dough with my hands, but do what feels right. This is where I usually sneak a taste (try not to eat it all raw—egg warnings and all that jazz).
Top with extra sprinkles if you want good photo ops. Pop in the oven for about 10 minutes, give or take. You want the edges golden but middles a bit soft. Don’t worry if they look puffy—they settle as they cool.
Let ‘em sit on the trays for five minutes (I know, waiting is the worst), then shift them over to a cooling rack or plate…or just straight into your mouth, I won’t judge.

Random Notes (Surprises and Discoveries)

Oddly enough, chilling the dough makes them thicker, but I rarely plan ahead that far. If you can, great. If not? Still delicious.
I once forgot the toffee and used butterscotch chips—still good, possibly better?
Careful with the pretzels: too many and the cookies get oddly chewy. But maybe that’s your thing. (It’s not mine.)
My friend swears by a sprinkle of flaky salt after baking, but I always forget until it’s too late.

Things I’ve Tried (Some Winners, Some Not So Much)

Switching out M&M’s for chopped up holiday candy canes. Tastes good, but a bit stickier than I expected.
Stuffing the dough with caramel squares? Tempting, but it kind of escapes while baking. Tastes fab, but you’ll want to use parchment.
I thought dried cranberries would make them healthy (ha). Didn’t love the texture, to be honest, but my mum did!

If You Don’t Have Fancy Tools (No Stress!)

Look, a mixer makes life easier, but I’ve made these just stirring like mad with a wooden spoon. I’ve even scooped with a regular old spoon instead of a cookie scoop (just wipe the dough off your fingers, or don’t). If you need to cool without a rack, open your oven door and set the tray on top—totally jerry-rigged, but it works in a pinch. Check out this guide from The Kitchn if you want more ideas on working low-tech.

Where to Store These (If They Even Last)

Airtight container is ideal. But in my house? Usually gone within 24 hours—sometimes less (especially if the teens get home first). They stay soft for a couple days, or maybe a bit longer if you throw a slice of bread in the container. Actually, come to think of it, these are pretty good straight from the freezer, in case you want to hide a few for yourself.

The Way We Serve ‘Em (Or, Festive Traditions)

I usually pile these up on a goofy Christmas plate right next to the cocoa. Now and then, someone dunks them in their coffee (braver souls than me), but they do pair wonderfully with a giant mug of milk. And on Christmas Eve, my youngest insists we leave a couple for Santa. Funny thing, they’re always gone by morning…

Lessons Learned the (Slightly) Hard Way

Don’t rush creaming the butter and sugar. It seems like it won’t matter, but cutting corners here = flatter, greasier cookies. Ask me how I know.
I once baked the whole batch straight away rather than rotating trays—ended up with uneven browning. Just swap the sheets halfway through if you can. Or don’t. They’ll still eat them.
Cleaning up after these is a whole thing. Sugar basically cements to counters. Attack with hot water and determination.

So, Does This Come Up Often? The FAQs

Do I really have to chill the dough?: Honestly, nah. It helps, but I usually forget or give up after ten minutes. If you like super thick cookies, maybe pop ‘em in the fridge while you preheat the oven.
Can I make these gluten-free?: I haven’t tried, but my cousin swears by Bob’s Red Mill gluten-free flour, just a 1:1 swap. Double-check your mix-ins too.
How do I freeze the dough?: I just scoop balls onto a tray, freeze, then toss into a zip-top bag—bake straight from frozen, maybe add a minute or two. Sally’s Baking Addiction has a good guide on freezing cookie dough if you want more details.
These spread too much! What gives?: Butter too soft, probably. Or maybe you went a little wild with the mix-ins (been there, done that). Try a bit more flour or a quick chill on the second batch.
Are these really Christmas-only?: No way. I make them at Easter with pastel M&M’s or use Halloween candy, and nothing bad has happened (yet).

One last bit—if you’ve got other “use what you have” baking recipes, or want to trade epic kitchen fails (I once used salt instead of sugar and, yikes), you’ll find lots of friendly disaster stories in the Baking subreddit—definitely not just me!

Christmas Kitchen Sink Cookies