My obsession with Panera’s Kitchen Sink Cookies began innocently enough. After a particularly grueling work presentation, I decided to treat myself to lunch at Panera. I spotted these massive cookies in the display case—laden with chocolate, caramel, and what looked like pretzel pieces. The cashier noticed my lingering gaze and said, “Those are our Kitchen Sink Cookies, they’ve got everything but the kitchen sink in them.” Sold.
That first bite was a revelation: chewy edges, soft center, rich chocolate, buttery caramel, and the surprising crunch and saltiness from pretzel pieces. I immediately understood why these cookies had developed such a cult following. When I returned the following week, they were completely sold out, with a small sign indicating they wouldn’t be available again until the next day.
Rather than rearrange my schedule for a cookie (though I briefly considered it), I decided to try recreating them at home. t. Friends who’ve tried both versions insist my homemade version is even better than Panera’s, with a perfect balance of sweet and salty flavors and that ideal texture that’s simultaneously chewy, soft, and substantial. Now, I can enjoy these incredible cookies anytime the craving strikes, without having to worry about them selling out.
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Table of Contents
What makes Panera Kitchen Sink Cookies so special?
The magic of these Kitchen Sink Cookies lies in two key factors: the special flour blend and the lengthy rest time. By combining cake flour (low protein) with bread flour (high protein), you achieve the perfect cookie texture—crisp edges with a soft, chewy center that mimics Panera’s version precisely. The cake flour contributes tenderness, while the bread flour provides structure and chewiness.
Equally important is the extended refrigeration period. Allowing the dough to rest for 24-36 hours accomplishes several crucial things: it fully hydrates the flour, which develops more complex flavors; it solidifies the fats, preventing excessive spreading during baking; and it allows the flavors of all those mix-ins to meld together beautifully. The result is a bakery-quality cookie with perfect consistency and flavor balance that stays fresh longer than cookies made with traditional methods.
Why you’ll love this recipe
These Panera Kitchen Sink Cookies deliver the perfect balance of flavors and textures in every bite—crisp edges giving way to soft, chewy centers, with pockets of melted chocolate and gooey caramel punctuated by salty pretzel pieces. The meticulous approach to ingredients and technique results in bakery-quality cookies that improve flavor and texture over the first day or two after baking. While they require some planning due to the resting time, the hands-on work is straightforward, and the results are worth it. Once you master these cookies, you’ll find they become your signature dessert, requested at gatherings and talked about long after they’re gone.
Kitchen Sink Cookie Ingredients
For the Cookie Base:
- Cake flour – Creates tender, soft texture in the cookies
- Bread flour – Provides structure and chewiness
- Baking soda – Helps cookies rise and spread appropriately
- Baking powder – Creates lift and tenderness
- Coarse salt – Enhances all flavors in the dough
- Unsalted butter – Contributes rich flavor and proper texture
- Light brown sugar – Adds moisture and caramel notes
- White granulated sugar – Creates crisp edges and sweetness
- Eggs – Bind ingredients and add structure
- Vanilla extract – Provides depth of flavor
For the Mix-ins:
- Dark chocolate chips – Deliver rich chocolate flavor throughout
- Kraft caramel bits – Create pockets of sweet, chewy caramel
- Pretzels – Add crunch and saltiness to balance the sweetness
- Sea salt – Enhances the sweet-salty contrast as a finishing touch
How to make Kitchen Sink Cookies like Panera’s
To mix the dough:
- Sift together the cake flour, bread flour, baking soda, baking powder, and coarse salt into a large mixing bowl—reserve for later.
- Add the unsalted butter, light brown sugar, and white granulated sugar to the bowl of a stand mixer or a large mixing bowl.
- Use a stand or electric hand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment to cream the ingredients at medium-high speed until the butter lightens in color, about five minutes.
- While mixing, add the eggs one at a time. Continue mixing the wet ingredients until you fully incorporate the eggs.
- Lower the speed of the mixer and add the dry ingredients a third at a time.
- Scrape all the cookie dough from the paddle attachment into the bowl.
- Use a wooden spoon to stir in the chocolate chips, caramel bits, and pretzel pieces.
- Press a sheet of plastic wrap onto the surface of the cookie dough to prevent it from drying out, and put the bowl in the fridge to rest. Letting the dough rest is crucial to allow time for the flour to hydrate fully and ensure the cookies have the proper texture. Ideally, you should rest the dough for 24 to 36 hours, but it will keep in the fridge for up to three days if needed.
To bake the cookies:
- Preheat the oven to 350°F.
- Place parchment paper or a non-stick silicone baking mat on a baking sheet.
- Scoop the cookie dough onto the prepared baking tray. For large cookies like the ones Panera sells, use a large cookie scoop (about 3.5 ounces). You can also use less dough for smaller cookies but will need to reduce the cooking time accordingly.
- Push down any add-ins that are poking out of the dough and sprinkle sea salt over the top of the dough balls.
- Bake in the oven until lightly browned, about 18 to 20 minutes for large cookies and 12 to 14 minutes for smaller ones.
- Remove the baking tray from the oven and let the cookies cool on the baking tray for about 10 minutes. Carefully transfer the cookies to a wire rack to finish cooling.
Ingredient substitutions
You can easily customize these cookies with other ingredients and mix-ins. Here are some ideas:
- Caramel – Use toffee bits
- Chips – Use semi-sweet chocolate chips, milk chocolate chips, white chocolate chips, peanut butter chips, or butterscotch chips.
- Nuts – Add chopped pecans or walnuts.
- Salty – Add crushed potato chips.
- Sweet – Add dried cranberries or raisins
How to store copycat Panera Kitchen Sink Cookies
Put Kitchen Sink Cookies in an airtight container and keep them on the counter or freeze them. Cookies will stay softer in a plastic container. To prevent the cookies from sticking to each other, try setting a piece of parchment paper between each layer.
How long do these cookies last?
Room-temperature cookies can stay fresh for up to a week, while frozen cookies will keep for months. You can eat frozen cookies or thaw them on a plate at room temperature before serving.Â
Panera Kitchen Sink Cookies: Sweet & Salty Perfection
Ingredients
- 2 cups minus 2 tablespoons cake flour (8 1/2 ounces)
- 1 2/3 cups bread flour (8 1/2 ounces)
- 1 1/4 teaspoons baking soda
- 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
- 1 1/2 teaspoons coarse salt
- 1 1/4 cups unsalted butter
- 1 1/4 cups light brown sugar (10 ounces)
- 1 cup plus 2 tablespoons white granulated sugar (8 ounces)
- 2 eggs
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 10 ounces dark chocolate chips
- 5 1/2 ounces Kraft caramel bits
- 1/2 cup crushed pretzels
- sea salt
Instructions
- Sift the cake flour, bread flour, baking soda, baking powder, and salt into a mixing bowl. Set aside.
- Using a mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream the butter and sugars together until very light, about 5 minutes. Add the eggs, one at a time, mixing well after each addition. Stir in the vanilla. Reduce the speed to low, add the dry ingredients, and mix until just combined, about 5 to 10 seconds. Fold in the chocolate chips, caramel bits, and crushed pretzels.
- Press plastic wrap against the surface of the dough and refrigerate for 24 to 36 hours. The dough may be used in batches and can be refrigerated for up to 72 hours before baking.
- When ready to bake, preheat the oven to 350°F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or a nonstick baking mat to prevent the caramel from sticking to the pan.
- Scoop 6 mounds of dough (about 3 1/2 ounces each, the size of generous golf balls) onto a baking sheet. Make sure to flatten any chocolate pieces that are poking up; it will make for a more attractive cookie. Sprinkle lightly with sea salt and bake until golden brown but still soft, 18 to 20 minutes.
- Repeat with the remaining dough.
Notes
Nutrition
More Panera Bread copycat recipes
Favorite cookie recipes
- Snickerdoodle Cookies
- No Bake Chocolate Oatmeal Cookies
- Old Fashioned Oatmeal Cookies
- Pecan Sandies
- Samoa Cookies
- Tagalong Cookies
- Thin Mints
- Walkers Shortbread Cookies
Check out my easy recipes for cookies and the best copycat Panera recipes on CopyKat!
My new favorite cookie. The only substitution I made was adding 2 oz skor toffee baking pieces and 8 oz of dark chocolate chips because I ran out of chocolate chips. Thank you for the awesome recipe!