Usually, the thought of kitchen sinks fills us with dread (we hate washing up). However, when we talk about Panera Bread Kitchen Sink Cookies, we are a lot more enthusiastic. These cookies are slightly soft and packed with sweet things, just how we like them! We will show you how to make Panera kitchen sink cookies and give you some helpful hints and tips to ensure that you get a perfect result.
How to Make Panera Bread Kitchen Sink Cookies
Ok, there are quite a few ingredients (there’s a reason for the name of these cookies… “kitchen sink”… everything but, do you get it?) But trust us, the effort to make these delicious cookies is well worth it.
What makes the Panera Bread Kitchen Sink Cookies is all of the flavors. You’ll find hints of coconut, bits of toffee, toasty brown sugar, not to mention luxurious chocolate chips.
You aren’t going to need any fancy equipment to make a batch. A mixer is a bit of a luxury, but if you don’t have it, a bowl and a bit of elbow grease will work just as well. Baking parchment is essential. The cookies are relatively high in sugar, which can stick if it is in direct contact with your baking sheet.
The recipe is surprisingly easy to make. We simply mix all of the ingredients in several stages and then place them in the oven to bake before leaving them to cool (if we can wait that long). It really is that simple!
For a touch of consistency and presentation, we use a cookie scoop to make sure that our Panera Bread Kitchen Sink Cookies come out completely perfect, but this isn’t a deal-breaker. A decent-sized spoon will work just as well. Feel free to weigh each dollop of dough if you want equal sized cookies.
For our hints and tips on making your cookies, check down below the recipe card.
Tips and Tricks
One of the key ingredients to this recipe is the addition of toffee. We like our toffee to be crispy and crackly, not soft and melted. To keep a nice toffee texture, add it to the top of the cookies after baking, while they are still hot. It will melt ever so slightly but will still keep that crunch.
If you want an authentic Panera Bread Kitchen Sink Cookie, you will want to make them fairly thick. We achieve this by leaving the cookie dough in nice tall piles when we come to bake them. But this comes with a warning. As they cook, they will melt and spread. Make sure you leave enough room between the balls of dough. Otherwise, you’ll end up with one giant cookie.
Once your cookies are done, allow them to cool slightly and transfer them to a wire rack to cool completely. If you leave them on the tray, they will steam themselves and go far too soft and crumbly. While we like a soft cookie, we still want to hold it without it falling apart.
You can freeze these cookies once they are baked. Simply wrap them individually in food wrap and transfer them to the freezer. They will keep for around a month. To thaw them, place them in a hot oven for 10 minutes or alternatively microwave them for a minute.
Soft cookies are heavenly, crispy, and crumbly cookies, not so much. The key to these cookies is not to overbake them. You’ll be able to tell when they are done as the edges will go ever so slightly toasty and golden brown. This is the sweet spot. Don’t wait for the entire thing to go the same color. Even overdone cookies come out of the oven soft, and then they really firm up once they cool.
Feel free to add other things to your kitchen sink cookies. A couple of really great ideas are a handful of chopped cranberries or raisins.
Conclusion
We are always amazed that Panera Bread Kitchen Sink cookies don’t actually make too much washing up. They are ideal with a coffee. We really hope that you have enjoyed our recipe. How did they turn out? Let us know in the comments below.