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Thick, soft, and chewy, this is truly the best kitchen sink cookie recipe (aka “park ranger cookies”)! With an oatmeal cookie base, the treats get their salty and sweet flavor from chocolate chips, raisins, pecans, Corn Flakes, coconut, and a sprinkling of flaky sea salt.
Table of Contents
If you love cookies, be sure to try a batch of magic cookie bars (Hello Dolly bars), fruitcake cookies, oatmeal raisin cookies, salted chocolate chip cookies, 3-ingredient Scottish shortbread cookies, and these soft ginger molasses cookies, too!
These Cookies Include “Everything But the Kitchen Sink”
I originally discovered these “everything but the kitchen sink cookies” when I purchased a package of homemade “park ranger cookies” from the local Corner Store in Sperryville, Virginia. I’m assuming that they’re called “park ranger cookies” because of our close proximity to Shenandoah National Park. In fact, a lot of hikers come down from the Appalachian Trail to buy provisions in that little shop.
After one bite, I knew that I’d need to recreate the decadent treats in my own kitchen — and it wasn’t too hard. This kitchen sink cookie recipe is really just a “glammed up” version of our popular oatmeal chocolate chip cookies. As the name suggests, they basically include “everything but the kitchen sink” — oats, chocolate chips, raisins, pecans, Corn Flakes, coconut, and a hint of cinnamon. They’re salty, sweet, thick, soft, chewy, and unbelievably good!
Ingredients
This is an overview of the ingredients that you’ll need for a batch of kitchen sink cookies. As always, specific measurements and step-by-step instructions are included in the printable recipe box at the bottom of the post.
- Butter: I use salted butter for added flavor. Make sure that it’s softened so that you can easily cream it together with the sugars. If you prefer to start with unsalted butter, you’ll need to add about ½ teaspoon of additional salt to the dough.
- Brown sugar and granulated sugar: to sweeten the dough. Using more brown sugar than granulated sugar adds moisture and keeps the cookies soft and chewy.
- Eggs: for structure.
- Vanilla extract and salt: to enhance the flavors in the cookies.
- Milk: for a little bit of moisture to bring the dough together.
- All-purpose flour: the base of the dough.
- Baking soda: the leavening agent that helps the cookies rise.
- Salt: balances the sweetness and enhances the flavors of the other ingredients.
- Ground cinnamon: for added warmth and cozy flavor.
- Old-fashioned oats: also called “rolled oats,” these give the cookies a classic chewy texture. Quick oats will also work, but they will yield a slightly less chewy cookie. I do not recommend using steel cut oats.
- Corn Flakes cereal: coarsely crushed just until they’re about the same size as the oats — not completely ground into fine crumbs. These add great crunchy texture, flavor, and a hint of sweetness.
- Semi-sweet chocolate chips, chopped pecans, raisins, and shredded coconut: really, you can pick your favorite mix-ins since these are “kitchen sink cookies” and just about anything in the pantry goes! Other good options included different chopped nuts like peanuts or walnuts, dried cranberries (Craisins), butterscotch chips, crushed pretzels, crushed potato chips, crumbled graham crackers, toffee bits, milk chocolate chips, white chocolate chips, or peanut butter chips.
- Flaky sea salt: I use these Maldon sea salt flakes, but any similar variety will work well. Just make sure that you’re only using the flaky sea salt as a garnish on top — not to mix into the dough. It’s the perfect salty balance to the sweet, decadent, buttery cookies, and you’ll just sprinkle it onto the warm cookies after baking.
Directions
This kitchen sink cookie recipe satisfies every craving — from salty to sweet, crunchy to soft, chewy to buttery. They’re thick, totally irresistible, and sure to disappear fast. You’ll find detailed directions in the recipe card below, but here’s my overview:
- Cream together the butter and sugars until light and fluffy using the large bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment or an electric hand mixer.
- Mix in the eggs, vanilla, milk, oats, and Corn Flakes.
- Whisk together the flour, baking soda, cinnamon, and salt.
- Gradually add the flour mixture to the butter mixture, and then stir in the remaining ingredients. It’s important that you don’t over-mix the dough once you add the dry ingredients (which can result in tough, dry cookies).
- Cover the bowl and chill the dough for at least 2 hours, or up to 2 days. I think that overnight is best, since it allows the dough to fully hydrate. Properly chilled dough yields thicker, chewier cookies.
- Use a cookie scoop to drop the cookie dough onto parchment-lined or silpat lined baking sheets.
- Bake for 10-12 minutes, or until lightly golden brown.
- Sprinkle just a tiny bit of flaky sea salt on top of the warm cookies.
- Transfer to a cooling rack before packing and storing.
Preparation and Storage Tips
- How to Store: Keep the cookies in an airtight container at room temperature for about 3 days or in the freezer for up to 3 months.
- How to Keep them Chewy and Soft: Place a slice of sandwich bread inside the container. If you like soft and warm cookies with gooey, melty chocolate chips, just pop a couple of cookies in the microwave for a few seconds before enjoying with a cold glass of milk!
- How to Freeze the Dough Before Baking: This dough freezes best if you portion it into individual cookie dough balls before freezing. Arrange the dough balls on baking sheets, freeze just until firm (about 1 hour), and then wrap tightly in an airtight container or Ziploc bag. When ready to bake, pull a couple of frozen dough balls from the freezer and bake at 350°F. You’ll need to add about 1-2 minutes to the total baking time since you’re starting with frozen dough.
Tips for Success
- Chill the dough before baking to avoid spreading and to keep the cookies thick, soft, and chewy. Overnight is my preference.
- The key to maintaining those decadent, soft centers in your kitchen sink cookies is not overbaking. Remove the cookies from the oven just as the edges are starting to brown. The centers will still look soft and slightly under-baked, but the cookies will continue to firm up as they cool.
- If you prefer crispy kitchen sink cookies, replace some of the brown sugar with extra granulated sugar. Bake the cookies for a few extra minutes.
More Homemade Cookies to Try
Soft Cut Out Sugar Cookies
1 hour hr 25 minutes mins
Easy Chocolate Chip Cookies
40 minutes mins
Homemade Peanut Butter Cookies
2 hours hrs 30 minutes mins
Kitchen Sink Cookie Recipe (Park Ranger Cookies)
Ingredients
- 1 cup (2 sticks) salted butter, softened at room temperature
- 1 ¼ cups packed light brown sugar
- ½ cup granulated sugar
- 2 large eggs, at room temperature
- 1 ½ teaspoons vanilla extract
- 1 tablespoon milk
- 2 ½ cups old-fashioned oats ("rolled oats")
- ½ cup lightly crushed Corn Flakes cereal (about 1 cup of cereal measured before crushing)
- 1 ½ cups all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
- ½ cup chopped pecans
- ½ cup raisins
- ½ cup sweetened shredded coconut
- Optional, for sprinkling: flaky sea salt
Instructions
- In a large bowl, use an electric mixer to cream together the butter, brown sugar, and granulated sugar until light and fluffy.
- Add the eggs, one at a time, mixing until well combined. Mix in the vanilla extract and milk. Gradually add the oats and Corn Flakes; mix until well incorporated.
- In a separate bowl, whisk together flour, baking soda, cinnamon, and salt.
- Gradually add the flour mixture to the oat mixture. Stir in the chocolate chips, pecans, raisins, and coconut. Cover the bowl and refrigerate the dough for at least 2 hours or up to 2 days. If the dough is too firm to scoop when you take it out of the fridge, leave it on the counter to sit at room temperature until it softens slightly.
- Preheat the oven to 350°F. Line baking sheets with parchment paper or silicone baking mats. Using a 4-teaspoon spring-loaded scoop, drop the dough about 2-inches apart on the prepared pans. Bake until the cookies are lightly browned on the edges, but still soft in the center (about 10-12 minutes). If your cookies are a bit larger, they may need about 13 minutes. Sprinkle flaky sea salt on top of the warm cookies, if desired. Cool the cookies on the pans for 5 minutes. Remove them from the pans and cool completely on wire racks.
Notes
- Chill the dough before baking to avoid spreading and to keep the cookies thick, soft, and chewy. Overnight is my preference.
- The key to maintaining those decadent, soft centers in your kitchen sink cookies is not overbaking. Remove the cookies from the oven just as the edges are starting to brown. The centers will still look soft and slightly under-baked, but the cookies will continue to firm up as they cool.
- If you prefer crispy kitchen sink cookies, replace some of the brown sugar with extra granulated sugar. Bake the cookies for a few extra minutes.
