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Everything but the kitchen sink cookies are soft, chewy, and loaded with your favorite sweet and salty mix-ins (like pretzels, vegan chocolate, & potato chips) for an indulgent treat – now egg & dairy-free!
What Are Kitchen Sink Cookies?
With nicknames including compost cookies, garbage cookies, and dump cookies, kitchen sink cookies may not, at first, sound appealing. BUT the name is simply a shortened version of ‘everything but the kitchen sink cookies’ and refers to vanilla cookies jam-packed with your favorite sweet and savory add-ins … basically ‘everything but the kitchen sink.’
You’ll LOVE making this ‘garbage cookies’ recipe because you really can include whatever you want – vegan chocolate chips, nuts, pretzels, candy, potato chips, etc. (more suggestions below). There are practically no rules to these crowd-pleasing cookies for family and guests.
Plus, while you can technically buy Panera Kitchen Sink Cookies, this is an easy-to-follow, low-budget homemade cookie recipe that’s so simple to make at home. This version is also 100% dairy and egg-free (not that you can tell!), for more of the family to enjoy.
Looking for more crowd-pleasing vegan cookie recipes? Try lemon blueberry cookies, raspberry jam thumbprint cookies, or chocolate crinkle cookies.
The Ingredients and Substitutes
- Vegan butter: Use high-quality vegan butter (room temp), like Flora Plant Butter, Miyoko’s, Earth Balance, or Melt. Different brands may affect the cookie spread differently.
- Sugar: Use a mix of white and brown sugar for the perfect blend of toffee/caramel-like flavor, chewy texture, and sweetness.
- ‘Egg’: Easily make this kitchen sink cookie recipe eggless by replacing chicken egg with Neat egg. Alternatively, try a chia/flax egg made with seeds and water.
- Vanilla extract: Use natural vanilla for lovely warmth.
- Baking soda: To provide lift and spread. Make sure it’s in date.
- Flour: You need only all-purpose flour, though you could use spelt flour or up to 50% whole wheat flour.
For gluten-free vegan kitchen sink cookies, use a GF all-purpose flour alternative, like Bob’s Red Mill/King Arthur’s.
- Salt: To balance and enhance the sweet and salty cookies.
The Best Kitchen Sink Cookie Mix-Ins
Use any two cups of your favorite mix-ins in this recipe for kitchen sink cookies. There really are no rules, BUT I highly recommend a mix of sweet and salty elements.
Sweet
- Vegan chocolate chips or chunks (white, milk, or dark vegan chocolate)
- Dried fruit (raisins, cranberries, dates, apricots, etc.)
- Coconut (shredded, unsweetened – add just a few tablespoons)
- Cereal (like vegan cornflakes, puffed rice cereal, flakes, etc.)
- Vegan marshmallows (Mini vegan mallows add soft, gooey texture)
- Vegan toffee bits (or dairy-free mini fudge chunks)
- Candy (like vegan chopped peanut butter cups or candy bars, etc.)
Make a vegan chocolate kitchen sink cookies recipe by replacing ⅓ cup of flour with cocoa powder.
Salty/Savory
- Chopped nuts/seeds (walnuts, pecans, almonds, sunflower seeds, etc.)
- Rolled oats (just a few tablespoons for chewy texture)
- Crushed pretzels (broken down to size)
- Lightly salted potato chips (crushed – use sturdy chips)
- Graham crackers (crushed)
- Flaky sea salt (to sprinkle over the top)
How To Make Everything But The Kitchen Sink Cookies
Step 1: Prepare the Neat Egg according to its package instructions – set aside. Then, add your vegan butter and sugars to a stand mixer or large bowl.
Step 2: Then, whisk to cream the vegan butter and sugars until light and fluffy (about 2 minutes).
Step 3: Mix in the egg alternative, flour, baking soda, and salt until just combined, being careful not to overwork the dough. Then, stir in your preferred mix-ins.
Step 4: Use a cookie dough scoop to scoop the dough onto the prepared baking sheet with an inch between them. Then, flatten each cookie slightly.
Bake the ‘garbage cookies’ for 10-12 minutes, until golden brown on the edges and set on top but still soft in the middle), then remove them from the oven and leave to cool on a wire cooling rack. Enjoy!
FAQs
Traditionally, this recipe uses a regular chicken egg. If you want it to be plant-based, you could use a chia egg/flax egg instead. ¼ cup of applesauce or mashed banana may work, too, though I’ve not tried it in this recipe. Check out our vegan egg replacers guide for more info.
Store the prepared cookie dough in a plastic-wrapped bowl in the fridge for up to 3 days or rolled into balls and frozen for up to 3 months (flash freeze on a tray until solid then store in Ziplock/Stasher)- increase baking time by several minutes.
No, but you can add some if you want to!
Pro Recipe Tips
- Measure the flour properly: Too much leads to dense/ cakey cookies. For the best results, fluff it in its bag with a fork, use a spoon to scoop it into a measuring cup, then level that with the back of a knife.
- Don’t over-mix the dough: Otherwise, you risk overworking the gluten, which will affect the cookies’ texture and spread.
- For better-looking cookies: Press/roll the dough in extra toppings pre-baking.
- Adjust the texture: Reduce the baking time by a minute or two for a softer, chewy cookie. Increase it for a crunchier cookie.
Storage Instructions
Store everything but kitchen sink cookies in an airtight container at room temperature for 3-4 days or in the refrigerator for up to a week. Warm them for a few seconds in the microwave for a softer texture.
Alternatively, freeze the cookies by flash-freezing them on a tray and storing them in a Ziplock/Stasher bag for up to 3 months. Allow them to thaw on the counter when needed.
More Vegan Cookie Recipes
- Oatmeal zucchini cookies
- Lemon shortbread cookies
- Chocolate chip cookies
- Chickpea chocolate chip cookies
- Chocolate chip peppermint cookies
- Oatmeal chocolate chip cookies
- Peanut butter cookie sandwich
Photos by Alfonso Revilla
Kitchen Sink Cookies
Ingredients
- 1 cup of vegan butter
- 1 cup brown sugar
- ½ cup granulated sugar
- 1 Neat Egg
- 1 ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 2 ¼ cup all-purpose flour
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 2 cups of your favorite mix-ins (chopped walnuts, vegan chocolate chips, raisins, seeds, coconut shreds, etc.)
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C) and line a baking sheet with a silicone mat or parchment paper.
- In a large bowl, beat together both sugars and the vegan butter.
- Prepare the Neat Egg according to package instructions. Set aside.
- Mix in the vanilla, Neat Egg, baking soda, flour, and salt. Stir in your preferred mix-ins.
- Scoop dough onto a lightly oiled baking sheet by the tablespoon. Flatten each ball very slightly with the top of your spatula.
- Bake for 10 minutes and allow to cool before eating.
Notes
- Measure the flour properly: Too much leads to dense/ cakey cookies. For the best results, fluff it in its bag with a fork, use a spoon to scoop it into a measuring cup, then level that with the back of a knife.
- Don’t over-mix the dough: Otherwise, you risk overworking the gluten, which will affect the cookies’ texture and spread.
- For better-looking cookies: Press/roll the dough in extra toppings pre-baking.
- Adjust the texture: Reduce the baking time by a minute or two for a softer, chewy cookie. Increase it for a crunchier cookie.
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The best cookies! So good!
Could i use flax egg instead of Neat Egg? Thanks
The texture may come out a bit differently! Let us know how it turns out 🙂