Gluten-Free Kitchen Sink Cookies

These Gluten-Free Kitchen Sink Cookies are PACKED with goodies. They basically have, well, everything but the kitchen sink! Mix & match from all our mix-in ideas below to create your dream cookie.

Okay, I know that naming a cookie after the place you wash your dishes seems like a weird move, but here me out.

These Gluten-Free Kitchen Sink Cookies are really named after the phrase “everything but the kitchen sink.” They’re made with a classic cookie base, but then JAM PACKED with delicious, delightful sweet & salty mix-ins. They’re more than your average cookie!

I love to use a mix of classic cookie mix-ins (chocolate chips!) and unexpected mix-ins (like pretzels!), but there are SO MANY ways you can mix and match your way to a delicious cookie. We’ve made probably 6 different combinations of these cookies over the last few months, and every one of them has been delicious.

It’s all about combining complementary tastes and textures, and I’ll show you exactly what you need to know to make your own.

Here’s what you need to make our gluten-free everything-but-the-kitchen-sink cookies…

Simple Ingredients For Our Cookie Base

• Butter. Softened butter is perfect for creaming. It should just take your fingerprint when pressed. You can use salted butter or unsalted butter here. Your choice!
• White Sugar & Brown Sugar. I love a mix of granulated sugar and light brown sugar for taste and texture. You get a soft, chewy center with a delicately crisp exterior. Lovely.
• Eggs. Room temperature eggs mix in best, since cold eggs can cause your butter to seize. Bring your eggs to room temp quickly with this trick!
• Vanilla. Plenty of vanilla extract is a must for this kitchen sink cookie base.
• Gluten-Free Flour. We’re keeping things simple with a 1:1 gluten-free flour. I HIGHLY recommend this measure-for-measure gluten-free flour from King Arthur. If you use another brand, make sure it contains xanthan gum so you get the right texture & measure carefully!
• Baking Soda & Baking Powder. For the perfect puff and spread.
• Kosher Salt. To balance the flavors. If you are using fine table salt, you’ll want to reduce the amount!
• PLENTY of Mix-Ins! Now, for the best part: Let’s add everything but the kitchen sink! You’ll need about 3 CUPS of mix-ins for these cookies. We’ve got LOTS of ideas to choose from below!

How To Make These Gluten-Free Cookies, Step By Step:

1. Combine Dry Ingredients. In a medium bowl, combine gluten-free flour, salt, baking soda, and baking powder. Whisk to combine well. Set the bowl aside.
2. Cream Butter & Sugars. In the bowl of a stand mixer or large bowl, combine softened butter, sugar, and brown sugar. Beat with paddle attachment (or a hand mixer) 2-3 minutes on medium speed to cream the butter and sugar together until smooth, light, and fluffy.
3. Finish Wet Ingredients. Scrape down the sides of the bowl and mix in the eggs one at a time, fully incoporating each egg before adding the next egg. Then mix in the vanilla.
4. Add Dry Ingredients. Scrape down the sides of the bowl again, and add the prepared dry ingredients. Mix until almost fully combined, with just a few powdery patches remaining.
5. Add Mix-Ins. Then, add 3 cups of mix-ins, and the sprinkles. Mix gently to evenly distribute the mix-ins throughout the dough.
6. Chill 30 Minutes & Preheat The Oven. Add the dough to the refrigerator for 30 minutes, while you preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Line two cookie sheets with parchment paper. (This will help control the spread of the cookies.)
7. Scoop & Roll. Use a large cookie scoop to form 3 Tablespoon balls of cookie dough. Roll each cookie dough ball smooth between your palms, and place 6 cookies on a prepared cookie sheet. (Return the rest of the dough to the fridge in between batches)
8. Bake The Cookies. Place the pan in the oven and bake cookies 9-11 minutes, or until the edges are set and the cookies are just starting to turn golden brown. (Try not to over-bake. They’ll continue to set as they cool.)
9. Immediately Finish The Cookies While Warm. Right after removing the cookies from the oven, top each cookie with a pretzel and a few extra mix-ins. If desired, use a large round cookie cutter or a spatula to gently shape the cookies into perfect circles. (Some mix-ins can cause slightly wonky spread.)
10. Cool Completely & Repeat. Allow the cookies to cool 1-2 minutes on the baking sheet before transferring to a wire cooling rack to finish cooling completely. Repeat this process until all the cookies are baked, alternating baking sheets with each batch so you don’t put cool dough on a hot baking sheet.
11. Serve & Store. Enjoy the cookies right away or store for later. Store cookies in an airtight container 1-2 days at room temperature, or freeze up to 2 months.

Kitchen Sink Cookie Mix-Ins And Toppings To Try

These cookies are MADE to be a little extra, and the most fun part about making kitchen sink cookies is mixing and matching the mix-ins. Here’s a giant list of options to choose from:

• Chocolate Chips – Semi-sweet or dark chocolate
• Gluten-Free Pretzels (roughly break them up–don’t crush them!)
• Toffee Bits (like Heath Bits ‘O’ Brickle)
• Wavy Potato Chips (like Wavy Lays)
• Chopped Toasted Pecans (or peanuts or hazelnuts)
• Mini M&Ms (I like minis better than full-size for these cookies!)
• White Chocolate Chips (It’s fun to use a mix of dark chocolate + white chocolate)
• Chocolate Chunks
• Butterscotch Chips
• Peanut Butter Chips
• Caramel Chips (I don’t love actual caramels since they spread too much in the oven)
• Chopped Mini Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups
• Reese’s Pieces candies
• Raisins
• Shredded Coconut
• Dried Cranberries
• Gluten-Free Rolled Oats (Old-Fashioned oats, NOT steel-cut oats or quick oats)
• Jimmies Sprinkles (just 2-3 Tablespoons!)
• Roughly Chopped Gluten-Free Oreo Cookies

For the cookies in the photos, I used semisweet chocolate chips, gluten-free pretzels, potato chips, and toffee bits, but feel free to use your favorite mix-ins to craft your perfect cookie! 

FAQ + Tips And Tricks For The BEst Gluten-Free Kitchen Sink Cookies:

Focus On Mixing Textures AND Flavors. What really sets these gluten-free kitchen sink cookies apart from, say, chocolate chip cookies or oatmeal cookies is the dramatic combination of flavors and textures. Try to combine different textures (chewy, gooey, creamy, crunchy, crispy, etc.) and flavors (sweet, salty, caramel, chocolate, savory, etc.). When you’re combining the mix-ins, try to choose from several different categories (i.e. crunchy, salty pretzels + gooey semisweet chocolate chips + crunchy toffee bits or colorful m&ms).

A Trick For Pretty Cookies. Make sure you add a few extra mix-ins to the top of each cookie right when they come out of the oven. This looks gorgeous and also immediately clues you in to what you’re about to enjoy when you eat one. You can also use a large round cookie cutter to shape the cookies into perfect circles when they’re fresh from the oven.

Something To Keep In Mind! Different mix-ins can cause the cookies to spread differently, so keep that in mind when you’re baking. Toffee and caramel spread more than nuts (which don’t spread!), so don’t panic if some of your cookies come out a little funny shaped. You can easily coax them into perfect circles with a large cookie cutter or the back of your spatula. (Bloggers & bakeries use this trick all the time!)

What’s in the Panera Kitchen Sink Cookies? If you’d like to mimic Panera’s kitchen sink cookies, you can use a combination of semi-sweet chocolate chips, milk chocolate, caramel pieces, pretzels, and a little flaky sea salt. Kraft caramel baking bits are a gluten-free option!

🌟 Leave a star rating below when you try our Gluten-Free Kitchen Sink Cookie recipe! We can’t wait to hear what you think!

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