“Everything But The Kitchen Sink” Cookies – the only cookie recipe you’ll ever need.
Disclosure: This post is written in partnership with Fresh From Florida and Florida Fruit & Vegetable Association. As always, all opinions are my own. I only share with you products and experiences I love to inspire you to get together with family and friends, celebrate life and go #MakeSomedayHappen one delicious bite, sip, and trip at a time! To learn more about my guidelines, check out my disclosure policy. Cheers!
Cookies and Wine – ‘Tis The Season!
Check out expert pairing tips learned from Riana Mondavi from CK Mondavi and Family and a versatile “Everything But The Kitchen Sink” cookie recipe that will help you create a million different types of cookies for an epic cookies and wine party and tasty holiday gifts.
The holiday season is the time for cookies galore and plenty of parties. However, any time of year is actually good for an epic cookies and wine party. You could be watching the big game with the whole gang or having a spa day with girlfriends. You can even make an extra batch for the perfect gift with a bottle of wine. Who doesn’t love cookies and wine?
Cookies + Wine + Friends = Fun!
Everything But The Kitchen Sink…One Cookie Recipe = A Million Different Cookies
I’m a fan of the “everything but the kitchen sink” cooking philosophy. Basically, you throw whatever you find in the fridge and pantry into your dish. This recipe works great when you have a hodgepodge of ingredients in your pantry or you can’t decide on one kind of cookie. Why choose chocolate chips, nuts, caramel, when you can have them all!?
If Halloween candy is still hanging out in your cupboards, this is the recipe for you.
The combinations are endless with this “Everything But The Kitchen Sink” Cookies recipe! Well, maybe not quite a million different cookies but truly the only limit is your imagination. Prepare this cookie dough base and add a mix of sweet and savory, crunchy and chewy ingredients. Add everything you like and nothing you don’t. Guaranteed, every bite is a surprise!
Use lots of chocolate: white, milk and dark chocolate. All sorts of nuts: pistachios, pecans, almonds, walnuts, cashews. Dried cranberries, golden raisins, dried currants or sweet tart cherries. Toffee chips, butterscotch chips, peppermint candy, Andes chocolate mints, Rolos, Oreos, you name it.
For the holidays, I used a festive combo of dried cranberries, pistachios, candy cane bits, white and dark chocolate chips.
Epic Christmas Kitchen Sink Cookie!
Whatever combination of mix-in ingredients you use, don’t forget the potato chips and pretzels. Yes! Potato chips and pretzels are so good in this cookie. It results in a mix of salty, sweet, crunchy and chewy perfection! You’ll love that signature surprising crunch. Trust me.
Travel Inspiration: NYC Milk Bar
New York City is one of my favorite cities in the world, especially during the holidays. The energy and excitement is like no other. I have wonderful memories of a special holiday visit with my sisters and nieces. Window shopping along Fifth Avenue, the spectacular Christmas Tree at Rockefeller Center, sipping frozen hot chocolate and discovering all sorts of foodie finds – from a raw food restaurant to the most iconic foods of NYC.
When I heard of Milk Bar and James Beard award-winning pastry chef Christina Tosi’s famous Compost Cookie, I knew I had try it someday. (I’m crossing it off my “someday list” in January!) Until then, it was fun to recreate this recipe and add my own little twist. I love that they freely share the recipes for their famous treats to inspire us to put our own spin! It’s easy for anyone to do because you can add just about any mix-in ingredient you can think of!
Milk Bar was called “one of the most exciting bakeries in the country” by Bon Appétit magazine. It opened its doors in NYC’s East Village in 2008 and has expanded to across the country. It became a hit with such recognizable desserts as Crack Pie®, the Compost Cookie®, “naked” layer cakes with unfrosted sides, and Cereal Milk Soft Serve, among other playful treats.
Cookies and Wine Pairing Tips
Milk and Hot Chocolate are perfect daytime pairing for cookies but when the sun goes down it’s time to party. Cookies and wine will add the fun to casual evenings gathered with friends and family, holiday parties or any kind of party.
Regardless which kind of cookie you have, or what variation of ingredients you come up with for your Kitchen Sink Cookies, you’ll have the perfect wine to pair with it by following these simple wine pairing tips.
The key to cookies and wine pairings is to think of the flavor profiles. What aromas and flavors do you get from the wine? Try to find ingredients in the cookies that will complement those.
Riana Mondavi, granddaughter of legendary Napa Valley wine icon Peter Mondavi Sr. shared some easy wine pairing tips and her family traditions of holiday baking for a little inspiration.
“Grandma always baked biscotti”, the twice baked crisp Italian cookie, which her grandfather loved to dip in his coffee. She personally loves Madeleines which have a lovely neutral vanilla flavor perfect for dipping in white or dark chocolate, adding coconut or lemon to pair with Chardonnay. Her mom, Janice, always bakes thumbprint cookies filled with raspberry or apricot jam, which pair with the Red Blend or Chardonnay respectively. Older sister Alycia is particularly fond of Angel Food Cake which became part of the family’s holiday celebrations.
Provided by CK Mondavi and Family.
CK Mondavi Chardonnay and Cookies:
The CK Mondavi Chardonnay is delightfully crisp with aromas of lemon and citrus. The wine has flavors of apples, pears and tropical fruits with hints of oak. Think of pairing with lemon bars or butter and vanilla cookies. Light neutral flavored cookies like biscotti, shortbread, English tea cookies, thumbprint cookies with apricot jam work really well. I think of shredded coconut, white chocolate and macadamia nuts.
For a kitchen sink cookie to pair with Chardonnay, add a combination of these ingredients: white chocolate chips, shredded coconut, dried pineapple, candied ginger, golden raisins, toffee or butterscotch chips, walnuts, cashews, pistachio or macadamia nuts.
for an epic White Kitchen Sink Cookie pairing!
CK Mondavi Red Blend and Cookies:
The CK Mondavi Red Blend is made with Merlot, Zinfandel, Petite Sirah, Cabernet Sauvignon and Malbec offering a rich complexity with juicy flavors of black and red berries, boysenberry and plum. What goes better with berries than dark chocolate?
For a Kitchen Sink cookie to pair with the Red Blend, add a combination of these ingredients: dried cherries, currants or cranberries, pistachios or pecans. Extra double or triple chocolate is always a winner with this red! Caramel works great too so you could add Rolos or any other candy bar with caramel.
for an epic Dark Kitchen Sink Cookie pairing!
My Christmas Kitchen Sink Cookie paired beautifully with the Red Blend. It brought out the jammy fruit notes in the wine. Next time, I will add more dark chocolate chips to the recipe to tone down the sweetness and because you can never have too much chocolate.
As CK Mondavi and Family winemaker Charlie Gilmore says “Being a winemaker is like being a designer or chef and CK Mondavi wine is my art.” You too can do the same by designing your own Kitchen Sink cookie! Go have fun with your cookies and pairings!
Pairing wine and cookies is a great way to bring out the unique flavors in each, so shake up your holiday snacking with these fun combinations.
Click here for a special digital rebate on CK Mondavi wines.
For more information, wine pairings and recipes, visit www.ckmondavi.com and follow on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, Pinterest, and YouTube and hashtags: #CKMondaviWines #CKMondaviAmbassador and #CKMondaviHolidayBaking
Everything But The Kitchen Sink Cookies Recipe
They are called many different names – Compost Cookies, Garbage Cookies, Kitchen Sink Cookies and Cowboy Cookies – however they all follow the same recipe idea. Basically, take a buttery cookie dough and add a whole bunch of different mix-ins giving the cookies your own special twist. My favorite part of these cookies is the surprising flavors and textures with each bite.
A few things to keep in mind when making this recipe:
- Follow the instructions and the times given for mixing the dough. You will need to keep scraping the sides of your bowl with a spatula but don’t overmix.
- Add more mix-ins to the top of your cookie dough balls to make the ingredients stand out. They look so much prettier and you want that classic look with the chip or pretzel sticking out.
- Set the cookie dough balls at least 4 inches apart because the dough spreads.
You’ll end up with one giant cookie!
- It is imperative that you chill the dough balls before baking. Please don’t skip this step.
- Most important of all, have fun! IT’S ONLY A COOKIE. If you screw it up, you’ll have a story to tell and you can try again until you get it right. My first batch turned out a bit too sweet so I added a sprinkle of Maldon Sea Salt on top of the cookies. I also suspect the corn syrup may have contributed to the shape. All this means is I have more baking to do!
The Only Cookie Recipe You’ll Ever Need! One cookie dough, a million different combinations of ingredients to create your own epic spin on the famous Compost Cookie® at Momofuku Milk Bar by Christina Tosi. In this recipe you’ll find a Christmas Kitchen Sink Cookie with white and dark chocolate, peppermint candy, dried cranberries, pistachios and of course you can’t miss the potato chips and mini pretzels! You’ll also find ideas for mix-ins to create white and dark chocolate chip versions!
- 16 Tbsp unsalted butter (2 sticks of butter at room temperature)
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- 2/3 cup tightly packed light brown sugar
- 2 Tbsp glucose (OR 1 Tbsp light corn syrup)
- 1 egg (I use Eggland’s Best)
- 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
- 1 1/3 cup flour
- 1/2 tsp baking powder
- 1/4 tsp baking soda
- 1 tsp kosher salt
- 2 1/2 tsp ground coffee
- 1/2 cup semi-sweet or dark mini chocolate chips
- 1/2 cup white chocolate chips
- 1/2 cup dried cranberries
- 1/4 cup pistachios
- 2 – 3 large candy canes / peppermint candies (cracked into small pieces)
- 2 cups potato chips (I used Cape Cod Kettle Chips)
- 1 cup mini pretzels
- 1/2 cup mini toffee chips (Heath bar toffee chips or butterscotch chips)
- 3/4 cup mini white chocolate chips
- 1/3 cup old-fashioned rolled oats
- 2 cups potato chips
- 1 cup mini pretzels
- 1/4 cup Nuts: Cashews, Walnuts, Almonds, or Macadamia
- 1/4 cup shredded sweet coconut
- 1/4 cup Dried apricot, pineapple or Golden Raisins
- 1 Tbsp Candied Ginger
- 3/4 cup mini dark chocolate chips
- 1/4 cup mini milk chocolate chips
- 1/2 cup mini toffee chips
- 2 cups potato chips
- 1 cup mini pretzels
- 1/ 4 cup pecans
- 1/4 cup Rolos or other candy bar / chocolate with caramel
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Combine the butter, sugars, and glucose or corn syrup in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment and cream together on medium-high for 2 to 3 minutes.
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Scrape down the sides of the bowl, add the egg and vanilla, and beat for 7 to 8 minutes.
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Reduce the speed to low and add the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Mix just until the dough comes together, no longer than 1 minute. (do not walk away from the machine during this step, or you will risk over mixing the dough.)
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Scrape down the sides of the bowl with a spatula. If you want to make different variations of the kitchen sink cookie, divide the cookie dough at this point and mix the ingredients for each kind of cookie separately.
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To add the mix ins: with mixer on low speed, add any of the mix ins except for the chips and pretzels. Mix just until incorporated, about 30 seconds.
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Add the potato chips and pretzels and paddle, still on low speed, until just incorporated. Be careful not to over mix or break too many of the pretzels or potato chips.
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Using a heaping teaspoon for medium sized cookies or 1/3 cup or scoop for larger cookies, portion out the dough onto a parchment-lined sheet pan.
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Pat the tops of the cookie dough domes flat. Wrap the sheet pan tightly in plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 1 hour, or up to 1 week. Do not bake your cookies from room temperature— they will not bake properly.
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Heat the oven to 375°f.
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Arrange the chilled dough a minimum of 4 inches apart on parchment- or silpat-lined sheet pans. (THIS IS VERY IMPORTANT AS THESE COOKIES SPREAD!)
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Bake for 11 minutes for medium cookies or 18 minutes for large cookies. The cookies will puff, crackle, and spread. They should be very faintly browned on the edges yet still bright yellow in the center. Give them an extra minute if that’s not the case but don’t over bake.
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Cool the cookies completely on the sheet pans before transferring to a plate or an airtight container for storage. At room temp, cookies will keep fresh for 5 days; in the freezer, they will keep for 1 month.
- For the “coffee grounds” in this cookie, don’t use wet coffee grounds, instant coffee or espresso powder; it will dissolve in the baking process and ruin the cookies.
- For potato chips, use the sturdy kettle chips, not ones that are paper-thin so they don’t break down too much in the mixing process.
- I omitted the ½ cup graham crust and the old fashioned oats from the original recipe as I was adding additional mix ins. Refer to the the original Milk Bar recipe if you want to add these ingredients. The beauty of this recipe is that anything goes!
- Don’t worry if you don’t have the exact amount of the different mix ins or if you don’t have all them. The beauty of this recipe is that you can add as much or as little of the different mix ins as you want to get your unique combination of sweet and salty.
Cookie & Sweets Board:
You’ve heard of cheese boards, right? Why not set up a cookies and sweets snack board with a variety of the mix-ins at your next party? Your guests will enjoy snacking on their own combinations of flavors and textures.
Mix-in Board Ingredients Ideas:
- Milk Chocolate Chips
- White Chocolate Chips
- Dark Chocolate Chunks
- Andes Chocolate Mints
- Peanut Butter Chips
- Butterscotch Chips
- Toffee Bits (Heath Bar)
- Assorted Nuts (walnuts, pecans, almonds, pistachios)
- Mini M&M’s
- Kettle Potato Chips
- Mini Pretzels
- Sweetened Shredded Coconut
- Mini Marshmallows
- Golden Raisins
- Dried Cranberries
- Dried Tart Cherries or Currants
- Candied Ginger
- Dried Apricots
- Dried Pineapples
- Candy Canes or Peppermint Candies
- Any candy bars leftovers, break up into small pieces / chunks
What will you put in your Kitchen Sink cookie? Will you set up a sweets board? Let me know in the comments.
An Epic Kitchen Sink Cookies & Wine Gift!
Can’t decide what to buy your cookies and wine loving friends? Problem solved right here.
I hope you’re inspired to celebrate at home and keep your travel dreams alive. #MakeSomedayHappen one delicious bite, sip and trip at a time. If you do make this recipe, please share on social media and tag @goepicurista #GoEpicRecipes. I would love to virtually clink glasses with you.
Cheers!
Go Epicurista
Big Thank You to the Florida Fruit & Vegetable Association, Fresh From Florida, Agriculture Communicators of Florida, UF/IFAS Hastings Agricultural Extension Center, local family farms L&M Farms, Tater Farms, Smith Farms, and Blue Sky Farms for the wonderful behind the scenes tour allowing us to see where our food comes from and to appreaciate the incredibly bounty the comes from around the state of Florida. Don't forget to look for the "Fresh From Florida" label when you shop for fresh fruits and vegetables to get the freshest and tastiest produce! I hope you'll enjoy my "Everything But The Bagel" Sweet Potato Toast recipe with family and friends and are inspired to celebrate life and do all the fun things you've been putting off to "someday." Go #MakeSomedayHappen one delicious bite, sip, and trip at a time.
Cheers!
Go Epicurista
Disclosure: This post is written in partnership with Fresh From Florida and Florida Fruit & Vegetable Association. As always, all opinions are my own. I only share with you products and experiences I love to inspire you to get together with family and friends, celebrate life and go #MakeSomedayHappen one delicious bite, sip, and trip at a time! To learn more about my guidelines, check out my disclosure policy. Cheers!
Oh and don’t forget to get your CK Mondavi wines rebate!
Cheers!
Go Epicurista
Disclosure: I have been hosted as a media guest for promotional purposes. I am under no obligation to share this post. As always, all opinions are my own. I only share with you products and experiences I love to inspire you to safely get together with family and friends, celebrate life, and go #MakeSomedayHappen one delicious bite, sip, and trip at a time! You can read more about my guidelines in my disclosure policy. Cheers!
I LOVE kitchen sink cookies and these pair soooooo beautifully with CK Mondavi Wines!
Thank you! Yes they really pair so nicely with the CK Mondavi wines and it’s so much fun to try different combinations. Happy Holidays!
How did you know we still have Halloween candy left over?! I think you must be like Santa… He sees you when you’re sleeping. Wine and cookies sounds like a great combination of food, festivity, friends, and fruit juice. And by fruit juice… I mean wine. (Alliteration: sometimes you just have to go with it. )
LOL! Definitely a bit of intuition regarding the leftover candy! (I always have a hodgepodge of stuff!) And yes, great food, friends and grape juice are always a must for holiday festivities! Have a wonderful holiday season!