Everything Cookies Recipe

Mixture of assorted cookies ingredients: nuts, chocolate chips, coconut, etc.

Large balls of cookie dough studded with sprinkles, nuts, and chocolate chips

If you scroll back through the Recipes section of this website, you’ll mostly find dishes inspired by my travels. Bagels from New York, chocolate cake from Sweden, pancakes from Denmark, waffles from Belgium, pistachio ice cream from Italy… Are you sensing a theme here? I love bread and I have a major sweet tooth.

But instead of sharing dishes served in other homes, today I’m sharing something that reminds me of my home: cookies. Specifically, Everything Cookies.

This post contains affiliate links; I may receive a small commission if you make a purchase using one of those links - at no cost to you! And on another note, like all of my home content, this post was shot in between meals in my very lived-in home. Let's normalize having real-life blog photos!

So what are Everything Cookies?

They’re cookies that contain, well, just about everything. They’re also sometimes known as World Peace Cookies, or Kitchen Sink Cookies – and in my household, they’re the perfect way to use up any odds and ends from other baking recipes. Think of a chocolate chip cookie, and then add a bunch of other stuff to it: typical cookie ingredients like nuts, seeds, dried fruit, spices, coconut, sprinkles, cacao nibs, or oats are right at home here. But so are out-of-the-box cookie ingredients like salty potato chips or popcorn. I’ve even been known to slip some store-bought cookies in the mix, too.

An assortment of cookie ingredients: flour, sugar, eggs, butter, nuts, seeds, dried fruit, etc.

Because they contain everyone’s favorite cookie ingredients, Everything Cookies are almost always a crowd-pleaser, yet they’re a cinch to make. They can technically be made without an electric mixer, but I do love how well my Kitchenaid handles creaming butter and sugar together (and how I can see everything thanks to the glass bowl – no dry spots here!).

One thing you will need for this recipe is time, as once the dough is mixed, it needs to be chilled before baking. I know, time is the most expensive ingredient – but you can use this to your advantage and complete another household task while the dough hangs out in the fridge. This step is essential – if you skip it, you risk cookies that spread too fast and melt into one another. We want big, chewy cookies studded with goodies, and we’re not going to accept anything less.

Collage of mixing ingredients for Everything Cookies

Before I get to the formula, you should know that I am a baking rebel and use salted butter in almost everything, but you can use either salted or unsalted in this recipe (just add a pinch more salt if you go the unsalted route. Scooping before placing in the fridge is much easier than scooping from a large bowl of chilled dough, and it reduces the chilling time. Want to make these heavenly cookies even better? Add a pinch of crunchy sea salt right after removing it from the oven (I’m partial to Maldon). You’re welcome.

Okay! Let’s get to it!

Collage of Alyssa reaching for ingredients and mixing flour with leavener

Everything Cookies

Adapted from Sally’s Baking Addiction
Makes 20-26 cookies

Ingredients

2¼ cups all-purpose flour
1½ tsp cornstarch (optional, but makes for a more tender cookie)
1 tsp baking soda
½ teaspoon fine sea salt
¾ cup butter, softened OR melted and cooled
¾ cup brown sugar*
½ cup granulated sugar (pure cane sugar preferred)
1 large egg + 1 egg yolk, at room temperature
1 tsp extract of choice (I prefer vanilla or almond, but maple or rum could be fun depending on your mix-ins)
2 cups of mix-ins (chocolate chips, nuts, dried fruit, coconut, popcorn, potato chips…)**
Pinch of sea salt to finish (optional)

Directions

In a large bowl, stir together the flour, cornstarch, baking soda, and sea salt; set aside.

In the bowl of a stand mixer, or in a separate large bowl using a handheld mixer or rubber spatula, cream together the butter and both sugars until light and fluffy (about 3 minutes). Scrape down the sides, and beat in the extract and both the egg and egg yolk. Scrape down the sides of the bowl once more, and stir in the dry ingredients until just blended. Stir in the mix-ins, being careful not to overmix.

With a large cookie scoop, quarter-cup measurer, or large spoon, form the dough into balls and chill in the refrigerator for at least forty minutes or up to a day (cover if chilling for more than a few hours).

Ten minutes before taking the cookies out of the fridge, preheat the oven to 325ºF. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper or silicone mats (I like these), and set aside.

Once the oven is preheated, place the pieces of dough at least three inches apart (I usually manage 8-9 cookies per sheet), and bake for 12-15 minutes, rotating halfway through if your oven heats unevenly. Remove from oven once edges are golden brown and the cookies are nearly set in the center (see image below); the cookies will continue to cook on the sheet even after removing from the oven. If desired, sprinkle each cookie with a small pinch of sea salt.

Allow to cool on the baking tray for at least five minutes before transferring to a wire rack to cool to room temperature. Serve with milk of choice. Cookies will keep at room temperature for 3-4 days (if they aren’t eaten first!) in an airtight container.

*don't have brown sugar on hand? You can hack it by mixing molasses with cane sugar (add a little at a time to your desired darkness)!
**if desired, you can add up to a teaspoon of cinnamon or cardamom, or a ½ teaspoon of nutmeg - just consider the flavor profile of your other mix-ins before adding!

Tray of cookies coming out of the oven