Aug 15

Aug 15 panera-style kitchen sink cookies

I know what you’re probably thinking…kitchen sink, that sounds a little gross. Couldn’t they think of a name that sounds more appealing? Yes, they probably could have. But my theory is that it’s a play on Christina Tosi’s “compost cookie” recipe. And compost cookies don’t sound too appealing either, do they? But they’re so delicious!! Both of these cookies are pretty similar because they have ingredients that you wouldn’t expect to be in a cookie. In this recipe, there are pretzels which add a nice crunch to the cookie and I also like to add potato chips to add another texture component (inspired by the “compost cookie”). The recipe also calls for a sprinkle of sea salt on each cookie, which really enhances the flavor of the rich chocolate. Big thanks to my friend Micaela for sharing this recipe with me—it’s one of my new favorite cookie recipes. Try it out, and let me know what you think!

Also, as a side note, was Panera a part of any of your childhoods? It was definitely a big part of mine. When we lived in Wilmette, my family used to go to Panera all the time. I remember sitting at the booth tables and ordering bread bowls with broccoli cheddar soup. Even though I was super small, I always managed to consume the entire bread bowl. And I also remember my favorite bagels were their asiago bagel with cream cheese and their cinnamon raisin bagel with cream cheese. And I know this is a bit gross, but my sister and I used to sneak the mini plastic cups of cream they had for coffee and drink them straight when our parents weren’t looking. We had a big thing for cream (and I still do).

Panera-Style Kitchen Sink Cookies

Recipe adapted from tbsp.

Serves 8

Directions

Heat oven to 350°F. In large bowl, beat softened butter, sugars, vanilla and egg with electric mixer on medium speed or with spoon until light and fluffy. Stir in flour, baking soda and salt (dough will be stiff). Stir in semisweet chocolate chips, pretzels, potato chips, and toffee bits.

On ungreased large cookie sheets, place scoopfuls of dough ~3 inches apart. Flatten slightly. Sprinkle a few salt flakes on top of each cookie.

Bake 13 to 16 minutes, or until light brown around edges (centers will be soft). Cool 5 minutes on a cooling rack.

Notes:

The original recipe doesn’t call for potato chips, but they add a nice flavor and crunch component. This is inspired by Christina Tosi’s “compost cookie.”

The original recipe calls for 3/4 cups of semisweet chocolate and 3/4 cups of milk chocolate. When I make this recipe, I usually just use semisweet chocolate and omit the milk chocolate because I like semisweet chocolate more. So I add 1.5 cups of semisweet chocolate chips total.