Christmas Kitchen Sink Cookies with Pretzels and M&Ms
When the baking sheets come out, the edges are golden while the centers still look a little soft. That’s exactly what you want with these Christmas kitchen sink cookies: they…
Tip: save now, cook later.When the baking sheets come out, the edges are golden while the centers still look a little soft. That’s exactly what you want with these Christmas kitchen sink cookies: they firm up as they cool, with pretzels for a salty crunch and candy-coated chocolate in every bite. I like this batch when I want a cookie that feels festive without needing frosting or extra decorating.
The balance comes from using both brown and granulated sugar, plus semisweet chocolate chips alongside the holiday M&M’s. The brown sugar keeps the centers tender, while the pretzels interrupt all that sweetness with a crisp, salty bite. Fold the mix-ins through gently so they stay in pieces, then let the dough chill before it goes into the oven. The finished cookies have crisp edges, chewy middles, and plenty of color.
Kitchen Note
Use a folding motion when you add the pretzels, M&M’s, and chocolate chips. A few broad turns are enough to distribute them without crushing the pretzels into crumbs.
Save these Christmas kitchen sink cookies for a bake full of salty pretzel crunch, chocolate, and colorful holiday M&M’s.
Why These Cookies Need Both Salty Pretzels and Semisweet Chocolate
Kitchen sink cookies can go from pleasantly packed to overwhelming if every mix-in brings the same kind of sweetness. Here, the pretzels do more than add crunch: their salt gives the candy and chocolate a savory counterpoint. Semisweet chips bring a deeper chocolate flavor than the candy coating, so each bite has a little contrast rather than tasting like one big sugar rush.
The cookie dough matters just as much as the mix-ins. It’s sturdy enough to hold pretzel pieces and candies, but the add-ins still need room to sit inside the dough instead of crowding it out. Keep the proportions balanced when you make a variation; swapping one mix-in for another is more reliable than piling on extra additions. That way, the cookies bake as cookies, not as loose clusters of candy and pretzels.
Broken pretzels also give you a mix of shapes and sizes, which makes the cookies look naturally varied. Avoid turning them into fine crumbs before they go into the bowl. Bigger bits give you a distinct salty crunch, while small fragments season the dough throughout.
What the Butter, Sugars, and Mix-Ins Each Bring to the Dough
- Unsalted butter and the two sugars — Softened butter creams smoothly with the sugars, and the combination gives the cookies their tender middle and lightly crisp edges. Light brown sugar adds a mild molasses note; dark brown sugar works if you want a deeper, more caramel-like taste. If salted butter is what you have, leave out the recipe’s added salt because the butter’s salt level varies by brand.
- Egg and vanilla — An egg at room temperature blends more evenly into the creamed butter than a cold one. Vanilla rounds out the sweetness without competing with the chocolate. Use the vanilla you already keep in the pantry; there’s no need for a specialty extract here.
- Flour and baking soda — All-purpose flour gives the dough enough structure to hold the mix-ins. Spoon flour lightly into the measuring cup and level it rather than packing it down; too much flour can make the cookies dry and dense. Baking soda provides the lift, so don’t swap in baking powder as a direct substitute.
- Pretzels, holiday M&M’s, and semisweet chips — Pretzels bring crunch and salt, the candies add color and a crisp shell, and semisweet chips balance their sweetness. Mini pretzels or twists are both fine as long as you break them into pieces. Choose intact holiday candies if appearance matters, but an ordinary bag of M&M’s works just as well for flavor.
From Creamed Butter to Cookies with Set Centers
Cream the Butter and Sugars Until Smooth
Beat the softened butter with the brown and granulated sugars on medium speed for about 2 minutes. The mixture should look creamy and evenly blended, not like separate chunks of butter and sugar. If the butter is cold, it won’t cream as smoothly; give it time to soften before you start. Scrape down the bowl as you work so no butter stays stuck along the sides.
Blend in the Egg, Then Add the Dry Mix
Beat in the room-temperature egg and vanilla until combined, scraping the bowl again if needed. Whisk the flour, baking soda, and salt together in a separate bowl before adding them to the butter mixture. Mix on low just until no dry flour remains. Stop there; extended mixing after the flour goes in can make the cookies tougher.
Fold in the Mix-Ins and Chill the Dough
Fold the broken pretzels, holiday M&M’s, and semisweet chocolate chips through the dough until they’re spread throughout. Cover the bowl and refrigerate the dough for 30 minutes. Chilling gives the dough time to firm up, which makes it easier to scoop into portions. Keep it covered while it chills so the surface doesn’t dry out.
Bake on Two Sheets and Let the Centers Set
Heat the oven to 350°F and line two 18×13-inch rimmed baking sheets with parchment paper. Scoop the dough into 2-tablespoon portions, spacing 15 portions about 2 inches apart on each sheet. Bake on the upper and lower oven racks for 10 to 12 minutes, switching and rotating the sheets halfway through; look for golden edges and centers that appear just set. Cool the cookies on the sheets for 5 minutes before moving them to a wire rack to cool completely.
Three Easy Twists on the Pretzel-and-Candy Cookie
Make a gluten-free batch
Use a cup-for-cup gluten-free baking flour blend that includes xanthan gum in place of the all-purpose flour, and choose pretzels labeled gluten-free. The cookies may have a slightly more delicate or sandy crumb, but the candies and chocolate keep the mix-in contrast intact.
Trade semisweet chips for white chocolate
Replace the semisweet chocolate chips with white chocolate chips for a sweeter, creamier-tasting cookie. The pretzels become even more important in this version because their salt cuts through the extra sweetness.
Give the cookies a peanut-butter note
Swap the semisweet chips for peanut butter chips. They make the cookies sweeter and richer, while the pretzels still supply the salty crunch. Keep the dough and baking method the same.
Storage and Reheating
- Refrigerator: Store the cooled cookies in an airtight container for up to 5 days. They’ll soften a little as they sit.
- Freezer: Freeze fully cooled cookies in an airtight container with parchment between layers for up to 2 months. Thaw at room temperature.
- Reheating: Warm a cookie in a 300°F oven for a few minutes, or microwave it briefly until the chocolate softens. Don’t heat it for too long; the candy shells can get hot before the center does.
Questions That Come Up When Baking These Cookies
Christmas Kitchen Sink Cookies with Pretzels and M&Ms
Ingredients
Equipment
Method
- Beat the butter, brown sugar, and granulated sugar in a large bowl with an electric mixer on medium speed until creamy, about 2 minutes.
- Beat in the egg and vanilla until combined, scraping down the bowl as needed.
- Whisk the flour, baking soda, and salt in a medium bowl.
- Add the flour mixture to the butter mixture and mix on low just until no dry flour remains.
- Fold in the pretzels, M&M's, and chocolate chips.
- Cover the dough and refrigerate for 30 minutes.
- Heat the oven to 350°F.
- Line two 18x13-inch rimmed baking sheets with parchment paper.
- Scoop the dough into 2-tablespoon portions and place 15 portions on each baking sheet about 2 inches apart.
- Bake on the upper and lower oven racks for 10 to 12 minutes, switching and rotating the sheets halfway through, until the edges are golden and the centers look just set.
- Cool the cookies on the baking sheets for 5 minutes.
- Transfer the cookies to a wire rack to cool completely.