Kitchen Sink Cookies (Panera Copycat!)

These soft & chewy kitchen sink cookies can be made in one bowl and are loaded with chocolate chips, pretzels, and caramel! Inspired by Panera, these are the sweet & salty cookie of your dreams!

Prep time: PT10M

Cook time: PT12M

Total time: PT25M

Rating

4.93 stars (499 reviews)

Keywords

kitchen sink cookies, panera copycat recipe

Ingredients

½ cup unsalted butter (i.e. 1 stick)
½ cup light brown sugar, packed
¼ cup granulated sugar
1 large egg
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
½ teaspoon baking soda
¼ teaspoon salt
1 ¼ cups all-purpose flour ((not packed, just scooped and leveled with a knife))
1 cup chocolate chips (I did half semi-sweet and half-milk chocolate)
½ cup pretzels, chopped
½ cup caramels, chopped

Cuisine

Steps

Preheat oven to 350°F.
Chop half of the chocolate chips (½ cup) into small shards and slivers. Cut ½ cup caramels, chopped into small chunks (about the size of the chocolate chips) and break up the ½ cup pretzels, chopped. Set aside.
In a large microwave-safe bowl, add ½ cup unsalted butter, i.e. 1 stick and cover with a paper towel (will help for splattering). Melt the butter in the microwave for 30-60 seconds until all is melted (no chunks left). You want it hot; if you hear it "pop" then it's most likely done.
To the hot butter, add in the ½ cup light brown sugar, packed and ¼ cup granulated sugar and use a spatula to stir until combined (* do not use a mixer for this recipe). The sugars should cool off the butter but if it's still piping hot, let cool for a minute or two.
Stir in 1 large egg and 2 teaspoons vanilla extract. Next, mix in ½ teaspoon baking soda and ¼ teaspoon salt.
Add 1 ¼ cups all-purpose flour and mix until all the flour disappears into the dough. Note: the dough will be wet and sticky, this is normal and it will firm up as it sits.
Mix the chopped chocolate chips (½ cup), whole chocolate chips (½ cup), ½ cup pretzels, chopped, and ½ cup caramels, chopped into the dough. Allow dough to sit for 1-2 minutes to slightly set so it's not as sticky, then stir (if needed, you can add 1-2 tablespoons flour to help it firm up).
Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Scoop dough into ¼ cup sized scoops (i.e. 4 tablespoons) then gently roll into your hands to create a ball. Flatten the tops so that they're a thick disc vs. a round ball. See image in post above for reference. Without flattening, your cookies will be thicker and more cakey.If desired, press extra pretzel pieces into the top.
Bake at 350°F for 12-14 minutes. You want them to be slightly brown on the edges & top and look slightly underbaked in the center (my oven was perfect at 13 minutes). Tip: If your cookies are wonky-shaped, immediately after taking out of the oven, use a bowl that is slightly larger than the cookie to “wiggle” it back into a circle shape.
Remove from oven and place entire pan on a cooling rack. Allow the cookies to cool on the hot pan for 10-15 minutes before removing them. This will allow them to finish baking on the hot pan. Once cooled, use a spatula to transfer them to a wire cooling rack.
Enjoy slightly warm for gooey caramel or allow to fully cool...both ways are amazing!

Nutitrion

Serving Size: 1 serving
Calories: 399 kcal
Carbohydrates: 58 g
Protein: 5 g
Fat: 17 g
Saturated Fat: 10 g
Trans Fat: 1 g
Cholesterol: 49 mg
Sodium: 239 mg
Sugar: 39 g
Unsaturated Fat: 4 g

Reviews

Laura C on 2026-09-02 (5 stars):
A delicious cookie! Super sweet though. I think I will add some potato chips to cut the sweetness a little bit. Also, chilling the dough for an hour makes the dough more workable. I used a smalll dough scoop to make a smaller cookie. They were so good! But it sure takes more than 25 minutes, start to finish. With the time it takes to cool on the cookie sheet and then move them to the cooling rack, plan on 45 minutes at the very least. But they are worth it. A really good cookie, my new favorite!
Gillian H on 2026-06-29 (5 stars):
Just finished making this recipe!! I am obsessed!! Chewy and crunchy!! Perfect cookie!
Michelle on 2026-05-27 (5 stars):
Delicious! Super easy to make and amazing
Marlyn Kurzhals on 2026-05-23 (5 stars):
!!Amazing !!
Kurt on 2026-04-20 (5 stars):
Followed your instructions to the letter. Came out perfect...my only dig was after they sat for several hours, the Carmels were a bit hard on my teeth.
Mary on 2026-04-05 (5 stars):
Loved the cookies. Will definitely make again
Nanette Harris on 2026-03-14 (5 stars):
Best cookies ever. I don’t leave recipe reviews EVER, but I’d be disgracing the masses if I didn’t hype these up. They are perfect. Everyone make them please. I put one whole pretzel on top of each one as a decoration and it’s so cute!!!
Lisa on 2026-03-04 (4 stars):
Cookie is very good !!! Tastes nothing like the Panera cookie but I would make again.
Day on 2026-02-26 (5 stars):
Great recipe that has become a household staple! I do agree with the comments that the pretzels could be a bit crisper if added in later, but I've also found that if I bake them as soon as the dough's done being mixed, that they come out great. May experiment further but overall love this recipe!