Why choose one flavor of dessert when you can have them all in one cookie bar? These kitchen sink bars use a variety of mix-ins you probably already have in your pantry to create a deliciously sweet treat.
The bars have a chewy texture with crunchy bits throughout, thanks to a mix of ingredients like pretzels, peanut butter morsels, M&M’s, chocolate chips, caramel pieces, and nuts. Every bite is a surprise!
This recipe is completely customizable. You can make it as is, with the ingredients listed below, or load up the bars with whatever else you have on hand.
If you’re tired of complicated baking, this recipe is for you. These easy kitchen sink bars are sure to please the whole family!
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Ingredients for this kitchen sink cookie bars recipe
To make this dessert bar recipe, you’ll need the following ingredients:
- 1 ½ cups of all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon of baking soda
- 1 tablespoon of cornstarch
- ½ teaspoon of sea salt
- ½ cup of light brown sugar
- ¼ cup of granulated sugar
- ½ cup (1 stick) of butter, melted
- 2 large eggs
- 1 teaspoon of pure vanilla extract
- ½ cup of semi-sweet chocolate chips, divided
- ½ cup of peanut butter chips, divided
- ½ cup of mini M&M’s, divided
- ¼ cup of chopped caramel pieces, divided
- ¼ cup of chopped dry-roasted nuts, divided
- ½ cup of chopped pretzels, divided
You will also need a 9 x 9-inch baking pan, a mixer, a bowl, and a piece of parchment paper.
Making the kitchen sink cookie bars
Start by preheating your oven to 350°F (180°C).
Line a 9 x 9-inch pan with parchment paper.
Place the flour, baking soda, cornstarch, and sea salt in a medium-sized bowl. Whisk the dry ingredients to combine them well. Set the bowl aside.
In the bowl of a stand mixer, beat the melted butter, brown sugar, and granulated sugar on medium speed until the mixture is light and fluffy – about 1 minute. Add the eggs and pure vanilla extract and beat to combine, about 30 seconds.
Gradually add in the flour mixture and beat for about 1 minute.
Remove the bowl from the stand mixer and fold in the chocolate chips, peanut butter chips, chopped caramels, chopped nuts, and chopped pretzels with a wooden spoon or spatula.
Reserve a small amount of each of these ingredients to sprinkle over the top of the cookie bars.
Put the batter for the kitchen sink cookie bars recipe into the prepared pan. Spread it evenly with a spatula.
Sprinkle the remaining chocolate chips, peanut butter chips, M&M’s, caramels, nuts, and pretzel pieces onto the top of the batter. Press these down slightly.
Bake the cookie bars in your preheated oven for 25 to 30 minutes, until a toothpick inserted into the center of the bars comes out clean.
Remove the pan from the oven, and let the bars cool completely.
When they are cooled, cut the kitchen sink dessert bars into 12 slices.
Tasting these kitchen sink cookie bars
Each bite of these kitchen sink bars is the perfect mix of sweet and salty. The sweetness from M&M’s, peanut butter pieces, caramel, and chocolate chips is balanced by a pop of salt from the pretzels and nuts.
The flavors layer together, giving you a slightly different bite every time. It’s the kind of bar that makes you go back for “just one more” taste!
This cookie bar recipe is completely customizable. There are a total of 2 ½ cups of mix-ins. If you wish, you can substitute 2 ½ cups of your favorite mix-ins for the ones listed in the recipe.
Share this kitchen sink cookie bars recipe on X
If you enjoyed making these kitchen sink bars, why not share the recipe with a friend? Here is a post to get you started:
Sweet, salty, chewy, and crunchy—these kitchen sink bars use whatever you’ve got in the pantry and turn it into a yummy dessert. Head to Recipes Just 4U for the easy recipe.🍫🥨🍪 #KitchenSinkBars #PantryBaking #DessertRecipe… Share on XMore bar recipes
If you’d like more easy bar recipes, check out the list below.
- Heavenly Heath Bar Brownies – These brownies are made from a boxed mix with toffee add-ins.
- Sunburst Lemon Bars – The topping and glaze on these bars give an extra boost of citrus flavor.
- White Chocolate Macadamia Nut Bars Recipe – These sweet and crunchy bars are a family favorite.
Pin this kitchen sink bar recipe
Would you like a reminder of this cookie bar recipe featuring everything but the kitchen sink? Just pin this image to one of your dessert boards on Pinterest so that you can easily find it later.
You can also watch this YouTube slideshow video about making kitchen sink cookie bars!
Kitchen Sink Bars Recipe - A Sweet and Salty Dessert Bar
These bars are loaded with chocolate chips, peanut butter morsels, M&M's, nuts, pretzels, and caramel pieces. They really do have everything but the kitchen sink.
This dessert bars recipe is sure to please your whole family.
Ingredients
- 1 ½ cups of all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon of baking soda
- 1 tablespoon of cornstarch
- ½ teaspoon of sea salt
- ½ cup of light brown sugar
- ¼ cup of granulated sugar
- ½ cup (1 stick) of butter, melted
- 2 large eggs
- 1 teaspoon of pure vanilla extract
- ½ cup of semi-sweet chocolate chips, divided
- ½ cup of peanut butter chips, divided
- ¼ cup of chopped caramel pieces, divided
- ¼ cup of chopped dry roasted nuts, divided
- ½ cup of mini M&M's, divided
- ½ cup of pretzels, chopped
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350°F (180°C).
- Line a 9 x 9-inch pan with parchment paper.
- Combine the flour, baking soda, cornstarch, and salt in a medium bowl. Whisk to combine well. Set aside.
- In the bowl of a stand mixer, beat the melted butter, brown sugar, and granulated sugar until light and fluffy on a medium speed - about 1 minute.
- Add the eggs and vanilla extract and beat to combine, about 30 seconds.
- Gradually add in the flour mixture and beat for about 1 minute.
- Remove the bowl from the stand mixer and fold in the chocolate chips, peanut butter chips, M&M's, chopped caramels, chopped nuts, and chopped pretzels. Be sure to keep a small amount of each of these ingredients to sprinkle over the top of the cookie bars.
- Put the kitchen sink cookie bar batter into the prepared pan, and spread it evenly with a spatula.
- Top the batter with the remaining chocolate chips, peanut butter chips, M&M's, caramels, nuts, and pretzel pieces.
- Bake in the preheated oven for 25 to 30 minutes, until the center of the cookie bars is set.
- Remove the pan from the oven, and let the bars cool completely.
- Cut into 12 slices.
Notes
This recipe uses 2 ½ cups of mix-ins. Feel free to substitute the same amount of any min-in ingredients in your pantry.
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Nutrition Information:
Yield:
12Serving Size:
1Amount Per Serving: Calories: 327Total Fat: 14gSaturated Fat: 5gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 8gCholesterol: 34mgSodium: 314mgCarbohydrates: 46gFiber: 2gSugar: 28gProtein: 7g
Nutritional information is approximate due to natural variation in ingredients and the cook-at-home nature of our meals.