The cookie bars have “everything but the kitchen sink” mixed in them! Chocolate chips, m&m’s, white chocolate chips, caramel bits and pretzels give this both a sweet and salty kick. The perfect bar for your next party or just an after-dinner snack. These kitchen sink cookie bars can be whipped up and ready to go in under 45 minutes!
Ingredients in Kitchen Sink Cookie Bars
- Flour – I use generic all-purpose flour
- Cornstarch
- Baking Soda
- Salt
- Sugar: brown and white
- Butter
- eggs
- Vanilla extract
- Mix-ins: chocolate chips, white chocolate chips, pretzels, m&m’s and caramel bits is what I used.
Why are these called “Everything but the kitchen sink” bars?
These cookie bars are called kitchen sink bars because they have an assortment of different sweets added into them, and every recipe has a bit different mix-ins. Mine are noted above- I especially love the pretzels added in. For example, check out this other kitchen sink bar recipe — they add potato chips!
Adding so many mix-ins makes it seem like you’re adding everything in the kitchen, but the sink!
How to make these cookie bars
- Mix the dry ingredients together in a large bowl. This is similar to most cookie and bar recipes. The flour, cornstarch, soda and salt need to be mixed together prior to being added with the remaining ingredients. This helps everything mix well and evenly.
- Beat the sugars and melted butter together.
- Add the eggs and vanilla to the wet mixture- continue mixing.
- Add the dry ingredient bowl in with the wet ingredients. Stir on a low setting until well combined.
- Fold your mix-ins into the batter- leaving a bit back for topping the bars. Pour into baking dish and top with remaining ingredients you left.
- Bake at 350 degrees for 30-35 minutes until center is set. Line your baking dish with parchment paper for easy clean up.
- IMPORTANT: let these bars cool completely before cutting into them, or you’ll have a gooey mess.
Substitutions and Variations
- add different mix-ins. Use dark chocolate instead of milk (or a mix of both), omit white chocolate, add potato chips, etc etc.
- Sprinkle the top of the bars with sea salt for more of a sweet/salty effect.
Cookie Bar Storage
- set on counter in airtight container for up to 5 days
- Freezer: cool completely and cut into squares. Add to freezer safe container and freeze up to 3 months. Thaw on counter when ready to eat.
Use parchment for easy clean-up
This recipe gives the option to line you pan with parchment. Be sure to spray the parchment still so that the bars do not stick. I do like this for an easier clean up, however it always bothers me that it crinkles up in the pan- it never makes a difference on the finished product, though!
Wait to cut the bars until cooled completely
Learn from my mistake. I was hungry and tried to cut into these a little too early- they were very gooey inside and cut very messy. It helps to give them a few hours to fully cool. I also enjoyed the flavor of them and texture more when cooled- at first, right out of the oven, the pretzel seemed too chewy and almost soggy–but if you let it completely cool it was perfect! My kids thought the same thing, too!
More Recipes like Cookie Bars
- traditional chocolate chip cookie bar recipe
- sweetened condensed milk bars
- mint chocolate brownies
- cowboy cookie
- chocolate caramel rice krispie bars
- Chocolate mug cake
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I hope you enjoy this kitchen sink cookie bar recipe- Bobbi Jo
Kitchen Sink Cookie Bars
Equipment
- 8×8 baking dish
- parchment paper optional
- common measuring utensils
- bowl or mixing bowl
Ingredients
- 1-1/2 cups flour
- 1 tbsp cornstarch
- 1 tsp baking soda
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1/2 cup butter melted
- 1/2 cup brown sugar
- 1/4 cup white sugar
- 2 large eggs
- 1 tsp vanilla
- 1/2 cup milk chocolate chips
- 1/4 cup white chocolate chips or dark chocolate
- 1/2 cup pretzels chopped
- 1/4 cup caramel bits
- 1/4 cup mini m&ms
Instructions
- preheat oven to 350 F.
- In a large bowl, combine flour, salt, soda, cornstarch and whisk.
- In a separate mixing bowl, add melted butter and sugar. Beat together. Then, add the eggs, vanilla. Combine well
- Next add the dry flour mixture to the wet mixture. Combine.
- Then fold in the chocolate chips, pretzels, m&ms. You can reserve a small amount of each to sprinkle on the top.
- Line your 8×8 baking pan with parchment and spray. Then pour batter into the pan. (do not have to use parchment)
- Sprinkle any of the remaining toppings.
- Bake for 30-35 minutes until center is set.
- let them fully cool before cutting into them or you will have a bit of a mess! I like to make these at night for the next day.
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