Kitchen Sink Cookies

If you’ve been looking for a catch-all recipe to toss all your leftover chocolate chips, candies, junk food, and cookie add-ins into, look no further! These kitchen sink cookies, so named because they readily take on everything but the kitchen sink, are a delightful treat that will house any number of flavor options! They’re the perfect thing to casually make over this long weekend, so let me tell you how to make them!

Confession time: there’s a really weird element within my personality that finds it hugely satisfying to finish bottles, boxes, and bags of items. For example, I will squeeze every last drop of lotion out of the tube before I throw it away; I love to use a blush palette right down to the last use; nothing makes me happier than filling the last page of a notebook, day planner, or calendar. Do I have a problem? Maybe. But does is make these kitchen sink cookies even that much more desirable? You betcha.

These kitchen sink cookies are perfect for those last remnants of mix-ins in your pantry: a handful of peanut butter chips, a few chopped nuts, some crush pretzels, potato chips, or chopped bittersweet chocolate. Mix and match flavors with whatever you have on hand and throw it all into this single chewy cookie dough, because this dessert thrives on versatile ingredients! Here’s the run down on how to make them.

This dough is adapted from Tara O’Brady’s near-perfect chocolate chip cookie dough. Butter is melted gently on the stove before brown sugar, sugar, eggs, and vanilla are mixed in. Next comes the leavening, flour, salt, and oats, and finally, it’s your time to shine. What sounds good today? Bittersweet chocolate and almonds and caramel chips? Peanut butter cups and dried cherries? Chopped Andes mints with crushed Oreo and a sprinkle of espresso powder? I know I say it all the time, but, truly, the world is your oyster here. You decide when it comes to these kitchen sink cookies!

Enjoy the long weekend, and give these cookies a make if you have the chance! I have a few in my freezer I may thaw out later, so WATCH OUT WORLD. I’m coming for you. Happy Friday to you all and Happy Baking!

If you like these kitchen sink cookies you should try:

White Chocolate Caramel Pretzel Cookies
Vegan Fluffernutter Cookies
Peanut Butter Pretzel Caramel Chocolate Chip Cookies
Pretzel Millionaire Bars

Kitchen Sink Cookies

Print Recipe

★★★★★

4.7 from 3 reviews

These kitchen sink cookies are a great catch-all for leftover candies, chocolates, and cookie add-ins! These feature chocolate, oats, pretzels, and toffee!

Author: Kate Wood
Prep Time: 15
Cook Time: 15
Total Time: 30 minutes
Yield: 24
Category: Dessert

Ingredients

1 cup (230 gm) unsalted butter
½ cup (100 gm) sugar
¾ cup (150 gm) brown sugar packed
2 large eggs
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
2–3/4 cups all-purpose flour
½ teaspoon baking soda
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
2 cups semi-sweet chocolate chips or chunks
1 cup old-fashioned oats
1 cup crushed pretzel bits, plus more for garnishing, if desired
½ cup toffee bits

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Instructions

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees and line two baking sheets with parchment paper.
Melt the butter over low heat on the stove, being sure to not let it boil. Pour the melted butter into a large bowl and stir in the sugar and brown sugar. Stir in the eggs and extract. Add the flour, soda, powder, and salt and fold the mixture together just until combined. Add in the chocolate, oats, pretzel bits, and toffee. Fold to combine. Use a medium cookie scoop to portion out 1-1/2 tablespoon sized rounds of dough. Roll them gently and space them out 2” apart on the baking sheets. Sprinkle with a bit of flaky sea salt if desired. Bake in the preheated oven for about 11 minutes or until the edges are set and the cookies are baked through. Allow to cool prior to enjoying!

Notes

Feel free to add any combination of add-ins to this recipe in place of the chocolate, pretzels, and toffee! Just stick with the same amounts.

Almond Toffee Cake

13 Comments / Cakes

It’s been a long time since I’ve posted a layer cake which is weird kind of since we’re all about celebrations here. As the ever-wise Julia Child once said, “A party without a cake is just a meeting,” so let’s celebrate, shall we? I have a seriously yummy (and celebratory!) almond toffee cake to share with you today, and I can’t wait to dive in!

To be clear, we’re not celebrating anything super specific. Earlier this week I received some good(ish?) news about a project I’ve been working on. It wasn’t anything big, just encouragement that I really needed. A friend and her family came over for dinner later that evening, and we decided the news was worth celebrating, not because I had reached any specific end goal but because I had endured long enough to see signs of breakthrough. Initially I thought it may be premature to ring the bells for just a glimpse of light at the end of the tunnel but I also know that sometimes we need to celebrate that fact that we’re still standing. So celebrate I did.

“What a good day to be proud of all the progress I’ve made.”

Life isn’t all just peak and valley moments. There’s plenty of opportunities for little victories in between, and I think if we don’t stop to acknowledge where we are we rob ourselves the opportunity to experience joy. To be proud of ourselves. To be grateful for how far we’ve come. A friend of mine recently shared a quote that I thought was fitting: “What a good day to be proud of all the progress I’ve made.” Isn’t that the truth? We’re always in progress, and that process is definitely worth celebrating.

So here’s a raised glass to you, your progress, and the shoulders you stood on to get where you are today. My hope is that you’re inching closer to victory every day, even if it feels like you’re moving at a snail’s pace. Don’t miss your opportunity to be proud of your successes, you perseverance, and everything in between. Now let’s pick up our forks and chew on this almond toffee cake. I promise you’re going to love it.

Almond Toffee Cake

I love toffee- crunchy yet intensely buttery and smooth all at the same time. Here, in this decadent star of a dessert, fluffy layers of vanilla cake sandwich a sweet chocolate frosting and bits of caramelized almond crunch. This cake has a really well-rounded flavor and texture to boot, so if you like a dessert that has it all you’ve come to the right place.

If’ you’ve never made toffee before, trust me when I say YOU CAN DO THIS. The process can be a little intimidating, but if you read through the instructions and prepare for the candy-ing process well you’ll be just fine. This almond toffee is ridiculously worth the effort, and with any luck you’ll have a little extra leftover to munch on while you frost your cake. I call that a win.

I’m sharing today’s recipe with my friends at Kerrygold. The butter flavor in the dessert is so prominent that using a premium butter was a must. With butter in both the cake layers, toffee, and frosting, this almond toffee cake is seriously buttery and the perfect treat to transition into this fall season with. After all, it’s always butter season, right? Many thanks to Kerrygold for sponsoring this post and celebrating with me. I hope you’ll count up your little victories in the coming weeks and take an opportunity to celebrate with this almond toffee cake. If you get a chance to try it, let me know what you think! Happy baking and tune in next week for another double header of recipes!!

If you like this almond toffee cake you should try:

Pecan Toffee Blondies

Espresso Toffee Chocolate Chips

Chocolate Caramel Crumble Cake

Milk Chocolate Chip Cake

Almond Toffee Cake

Print Recipe

★★★★★

5 from 2 reviews

This almond toffee cake features fluffy vanilla layers, a toffee crunch filling and a fudgy chocolate frosting!

Author: Kate Wood
Prep Time: 40
Cook Time: 30
Total Time: 1 hour 10 minutes
Yield: 10
Category: Dessert

Ingredients

For the cake:

1 cup (230 gm) unsalted butter
1–3/4 cup (350 gm) sugar
1 large egg plus 4 large egg yolks, at room temperature
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
3 cups (410 gm) cake flour
1 tablespoons plus 1 teaspoon baking powder
¾ teaspoon salt
1–1/4 (300 gm) cups whole milk, at room temperature

For the almond toffee:

1 cup (230 gm) salted butter
½ cup (100 gm) sugar
½ cup (100 gm) brown sugar, packed
1 cup roasted almonds, chopped

For the frosting:

1 pound semisweet chocolate, chopped or in chips
1/3 cup (70 gm) brown sugar
2 cups (480 gm) heavy whipping cream
¼ cup (55 gm) salted butter, at room temperature

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Instructions

To make the cake:

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Lightly grease 2 8” or 9” round cake pans and line the bottoms with a round of parchment paper.
In a large bowl or the bowl of a stand mixer, cream the butter and sugar on medium speed for 5 minutes. Scrape the sides of the bowl and add the egg and egg yolks one at a time, mixing until combined after each addition. Add the vanilla. Scrape the sides of the bowl and stir in half of the dry ingredients on low speed. Add half of the milk and scrape the bowl again. Repeat this process with the remaining dry ingredients and milk. Fold in any unincorporated bits and divide the batter between the two pans. Bake in the preheated oven for about 35-37 minutes or until a cake tester inserted into the center comes out clean. Allow to cool completely.

To prepare the almond toffee:

Prepare a large rimmed sheet pan with a sheet of aluminum foil that is greased with butter. Set aside. In a medium-sized heavy bottomed saucepan melt the butter over medium-high heat. Add the sugars and stir until dissolved. Reduce the heat to medium low and cook, stirring constantly, until a candy thermometer reads a temperature of 300 degrees. Immediately remove the pan from the heat and stir in the almonds. Spread the mixture into a layer on the buttered foil and allow to cool completely.

To prepare the frosting:

Pour the chopped chocolate/chips into a large mixing bowl. In a saucepan over medium heat, warm the cream and brown sugar together until the milk is almost starting to bubble around the edges and the sugar is dissolved. Pour the cream over top of the chocolate and cover the bowl with a sheet of plastic wrap. Allow to rest 5 minutes and then whisk to combine into a smooth and thick chocolate mixture. Stir in the butter and allow the mixture to set. I like to put the whole bowl into the fridge and stir it every 10 minutes until the mixture is a thick, fudge-like consistency. Once it’s thick enough to spread, remove from the fridge and prepare to frost your cake! If you happen to over-chill your ganache, just heat it barely in the microwave until it’s loosened up. Re-whisk and allow it to thicken up again if needed.

To assemble the cake:

Level the tops of the cakes with a serrated knife. Line a cake stand or serving plate with a cardboard cake round and spread a little of the ganache frosting into the center of the board. Place your first cake layer in the center and spread about 1/3-1/2 cup ganache on top. Smooth and sprinkle the crumbled toffee on top. Dollop a few small dots of ganache on top of the toffee and press the next cake layer down on top. Smooth more ganache on top and spread it all over the cake. You can place your cake in the fridge to set up. Sprinkle the top of the cake with more toffee and serve with additional chopped toffee. Store the cake covered in plastic wrap and keep the toffee tightly sealed. Cake is best enjoyed within two to three days.

Toffee Espresso Chocolate Chip Cookies

35 Comments / Cookies and Bars

Give me coffee in any form. I’ll take it in my mug, in my cake, heck, even in a cheap candle from TJ Maxx. Today though, we’re soaking up all that deliciously cozy caffeine in some seriously decadent toffee espresso chocolate chip cookies.

Can you even stand these? No, they’re not some elegant, three-tiered cake or some fancy French pastry. These cookies don’t have intricately piped details or hand-painted frosting on them, but I’ll tell you what- they are good. A treat like these toffee espresso chocolate chip cookies is the type of old standby recipe that you can keep in your back pocket and revisit again and again and again, because honestly, stuff like this doesn’t go out of style. It’s always delicious.

The inspiration for these cookies came from a favorite Ben and Jerry’s ice cream that I used to buy. Although my diehard number one draft pick was always the oatmeal cookie chunk ice cream (that I make homemade now!), the coffee toffee ice cream always hit the spot too. One day on a whim, I decided to add toffee chips to a batch of cookies and suddenly the thought hit me- WHAT IF I ADDED COFFEE TOO!?! And so, toffee espresso chocolate chip cookies were born.

To make them at home for yourself, you’ll start as we would any other cookie. First, cream butter and sugar in a stand mixer. We add the espresso powder here too so that that coffee flavor gets a chance to infuse throughout. Next comes the eggs and vanilla followed by our dry ingredients. The mix-ins for these cookies are basic yet adaptable to what you have in your pantry. I prefer to chop dark (usually 70%) chocolate bars, but you could totally opt for chips if you’d prefer. I also usually go for plain toffee bits, but if you can only find the ones covered in chocolate that will work as well. Scoop the rounds of dough onto a prepared sheet pan and bake until the edges are set and beginning to brown.

I finish these toffee espresso chocolate chip cookies with a heavy-handed pinch of salt, but if that doesn’t float your boat feel free to skip that here. For me, the extra salt makes the rich brown sugar/ caramel flavors stand out more prominently, but I also understand that some people (ahem, my husband) just don’t get salty desserts. Do as you please here.

So happy Thursday to you! I hope your day and weekend is now filled with the promise of toffee espresso chocolate chip cookies and that you enjoy them as much as I do. Next week, I’m sharing a savory baked good (!!!), so stick around for that!

If you like these toffee espresso chocolate chip cookies you should try:

Vegan Chocolate Chip Cookies

Candied Walnut Chocolate Chip Cookies

Derby Pie Cookies

Brookies (Brownie Cookie Bars)

Peanut Butter Chocolate Chunk Cookies

Toffee Espresso Chocolate Chip Cookies

Print Recipe

★★★★★

4.8 from 8 reviews

These toffee espresso chocolate chip cookies are filled with coffee flavors and bits of toffee! Substitute your favorite chocolate chip for the chunks if preferred!

Author: Kate Wood
Prep Time: 10
Cook Time: 20
Total Time: 30 minutes
Yield: 3 dozen
Category: Dessert
Cuisine: Dessert

Ingredients

1 cup (230 gm) unsalted butter, at cool room temperature
1–1/2 cups (300 gm) brown sugar packed
3/4 cup (150 gm) sugar
1–1/2 tablespoons espresso powder
2 large eggs
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
3 cups (400 gm) all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon baking powder
½ teaspoon salt
10 ounces dark chocolate, roughly chopped
1 cup toffee bits
Sea salt, for sprinkling

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Instructions

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. In a large bowl or the bowl of a stand mixer, cream together the butter, brown sugar, sugar, and espresso powder on medium speed until smooth about a minute. Add the eggs and vanilla extract and stir to combine. Scrape the sides of the bowl and add the flour, baking soda, baking powder, and salt. Stir until barely combined and then add the dark chocolate and toffee. Stir to combine. Refrigerate the dough for 30 minutes if it is really soft or shiny.
Scoop medium-sized rounds of dough (I use a medium cookie scoop) two inches apart on a large baking sheet rimmed with parchment paper. Bake in the preheated oven for 11-12 minutes or until the edges of the cookie are starting to golden. Allow to cool briefly before serving.

Pecan Toffee Blondies

12 Comments / Cookies and Bars

Happy November to you from Alabama where it’s still hot as fire and we’re all frying eggs on the pavement. The only time nowadays that I don’t sweat like a baby gorilla is if I’m sitting inside or standing in front of an open refrigerator. And don’t judge me, but I do that a lot.

Last week, we celebrated my birthday with friends over a meal of stone crabs and layer cakes. I’ve only cracked crabs one other time in my life, back when Brett and I were dating and I was still trying to prove I was adventurous and fun. I typically don’t like food that requires you to work for it, but the stone crabs turned out to be a blast. Were it not for the bloodied knuckles, broken nails, and overall brute strength that was required for breaking through the shells of those tough little buggers, I probably would have cracked all night long. Plus, there was an abundance of crabs jokes, and even though lice in the nether-regions is not something to laugh about, I found it hysterical. So basically the night was a success.

Birthdays are always a big deal in my book. Even though I relish any moment for a celebration, birthdays somehow take the proverbial (and literal) cake. Any chance to celebrate people that I love with music and laughter and dessert is a winning event, if you ask me.

These pecan toffee blondies are not a birthday cake. These weren’t even served at my birthday party. But they are good and fall-ish and ridiculous easy to make so let’s dive in, shall we?

The blondie dough is made just the same as your average drop cookie recipe. We start by creaming the butter and brown sugar for a while until it’s light and fluffy. Next comes a few eggs followed by a dusting of flour and salt. Things get real at the end when we bring in our guests of honor: pecans and toffee bits. The sweetness from the brown sugar and toffee is offset perfectly by the pecans and salt and if you really like to get down and dirty, I’d recommend adding an extra sprinkle of each once the dough has been pressed out in the pan.

Pecan toffee blondies are one of those foods that you need in your arsenal of recipes. You can file this recipe under “fall recipes to make for a crowd” or “pecan desserts to go nuts for” or “blondies that really do have more fun.” This is the bar I’d be making every week if it weren’t still Africa hot here in the South. I’d eat them for dessert, or afternoon snacks, or even for breakfast if you swore you wouldn’t judge me. But who am I kidding- they’re worth even that.

These pecan toffee blondies are a cinch to make and are a terrific dessert for any occasion. If you get a chance to try them out, let me know what you think in the comments section below!

Cheers to you!

Pecan Toffee Blondies

Print Recipe

These pecan toffee blondies are a brown sugar blondies speckled with toasty pecans and toffee bits. They make a terrific treat to share and store well in the freezer.

Author: Kate Wood
Prep Time: 10
Cook Time: 30
Total Time: 40 minutes

Ingredients

2 sticks unsalted butter, room temperature
1–1/2 cups packed brown sugar
2 1/3 cup all-purpose flour
1 1/4 teaspoon baking soda
2 teaspoons salt
2 large eggs
2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
1–3/4 cups pecans, chopped and divided
1–1/2 cup toffee bits
Kosher salt for sprinkling, if desired

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Instructions

Preheat the oven to 325 degrees. Spray a jelly roll pan with baking spray or line with a Silpat or parchment paper. Set aside.
Cream the butter and sugar on medium speed in the bowl of a stand mixer until light and fluffy, about 10 minutes. Scrape the bowl throughout this process as needed to ensure that all of the butter and sugar is evenly incorporated.
Add the eggs one at a time and beat until each are well incorporated. Add the vanilla and mix until combined.
In a separate bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda, and salt. Add these dry ingredients to the butter mixture and beat on low until just combined. Add 1-1/4 cups of pecans and the toffee and stir to combine.
Gently spread the mixture evenly into the bottom of your prepared jelly roll pan. If you don’t have a jelly roll pan, a foil lined 9″x13″ casserole dish can be used as well. Sprinkle the remaining pecans on top. If you like extra salty desserts, feel free to sprinkle another teaspoon or two of kosher salt over top of the bars. Bake in the oven at 325 degrees for about 25-30 minutes or until the blondies are golden brown on top and no longer jiggly in the center. Allow the blondies to cool completely prior to cutting.

Recipe Adapted From: Anne Thornton

Oatmeal Cookies

10 Comments / Cookies and Bars

There’s something about eating oatmeal cookies that makes me think of breakfast. Maybe it’s years of oatmeal with sliced banana and honey for breakfast or dried fruit and oat topped yogurt snacks, but I tell ya what- oatmeal cookies have got me thinking, “man, this dessert feels pretty healthy.”

Yeah, yeah. I know. Wishful thinking. You can’t blame me for trying.

I have yet to come to a firm stance on my oatmeal cookie preference. Thin and crisp? Puffy and cake-like? Buttery, crisp edges with a chewy center? The jury is still out on this one, but one thing I do know is that I like my oatmeal cookies fully loaded. If someone created the cookie equivalent to the everything bagel, I would buy and consume them er’ryday. Dried fruit, chocolate chips, a browned butter drizzle… really, just feel free to have your way with my oatmeal cookie. The more the merrier.

These cookies are a toned down version of my ultimate fantasy, maxed out, loaded oatmeal cookie, mainly because I know my husband would be ultra-grossed out by any cookie with a dried fruit to cookie dough ratio any greater than 1:1, but this oatmeal cookie also boasts a super chewy texture alllllll the way through, and enough of a variety of add-ins that nearly every bite is a bit different. They’re also super adaptable in that you can mix and match your add-ins according to your preferences. Don’t like dried cranberries? No problem- try apricots! Want to pack a nutty punch? Sub in chopped pecans or peanut butter chips! This oatmeal cookie is pretty much your oyster, so do as you please with it.

I hope you enjoy this recipe! If anyone has any extra luck with a certain flavor combo, give me the dirty deets below in the comments!

Oatmeal Cookies

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Chewy oatmeal cookies filled to brim with craisins, toffee bits, and chocolate chips.

Author: Kate Wood
Prep Time: 30
Cook Time: 30
Total Time: 1 hour
Yield: 24

Ingredients

1 cup (2 sticks) butter, softened
1 1/2 cups packed light brown sugar
2 eggs
1/2 cup buttermilk
2 teaspoons vanilla
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons cornstarch
1 teaspoon baking powder
2 3/4 cups quick-cook oatmeal
1 cup craisins
1 cup toffee bits
1–1/2 cup semisweet chocolate chips

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Instructions

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
Cream butter and sugar together until light and smooth, about 4-5 minutes.
Add eggs and beat again for another 4 minutes, scraping the bowl as needed.
Add buttermilk and vanilla, mixing until combined and scraping the bowl as needed.
Combine the flour, baking soda, salt, cornstarch, baking powder, and oatmeal in a separate bowl. Add to the butter mixture and stir on low until just barely combined. Do not over-mix.
Fold in the craisins, chocolate chips, and toffee bits until well combined.
Using an ice cream scoop, portion out 3 tablespoon mounds of dough on to a heavy-bottomed baking sheet. Keep dough balls at least 2 inches apart.
Place in the freezer to chill for 3-4 minutes. Alternatively, you can put the entirety of the dough in the refrigerator to chill for 2 hours.
Bake in the oven for 12-15 minutes, or until golden brown on the outside and barely set on the inside.
Allow to cool for 2-3 minutes on the cookie sheet and then transfer to a cooling rack.

Notes

This is a highly adaptable recipe. You can sub in your favorite chocolate, nuts, and dried fruit easily.
Be sure butter is room temp and not too soft or hard out of the refrigerator.

toffee

Kitchen Sink Cookies

If you like these kitchen sink cookies you should try:

Kitchen Sink Cookies

Ingredients

Instructions

Notes

Almond Toffee Cake

“What a good day to be proud of all the progress I’ve made.”

Almond Toffee Cake

If you like this almond toffee cake you should try:

Almond Toffee Cake

Ingredients

For the cake:

For the almond toffee:

For the frosting:

Instructions

To make the cake:

To prepare the almond toffee:

To prepare the frosting:

To assemble the cake:

Toffee Espresso Chocolate Chip Cookies

If you like these toffee espresso chocolate chip cookies you should try:

Toffee Espresso Chocolate Chip Cookies

Ingredients

Instructions

Pecan Toffee Blondies

Pecan Toffee Blondies

Ingredients

Instructions

Ingredients

Instructions

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