John's Kitchen Sink Cookies

Rating: 3 stars
45 Ratings
  • 5 star values: 7
  • 4 star values: 8
  • 3 star values: 12
  • 2 star values: 14
  • 1 star values: 4

These home-run treats cover all the bases: They're chewy and rich, sweet and nutty.

Everyday Food, March 2008

Gallery

Read the full recipe after the video.

Recipe Summary

prep:
20 mins
total:
35 mins
Yield:
Makes 24
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Ingredients

Directions

  • Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Line 2 large baking sheets with parchment paper; set aside.

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  • In a large bowl, whisk together flour, salt, baking powder, and baking soda; set aside.

  • Using an electric mixer, beat together butter, sugar, corn syrup, and vanilla until light and fluffy. Beat in eggs, one at a time, until well incorporated. Gradually beat flour mixture into butter mixture just until combined.

  • With a rubber spatula, fold in chocolate chunks, raisins, pecans, and oats.

  • Drop 2-inch balls of dough, spaced 2 inches apart, onto prepared baking sheets. Flatten dough balls slightly. Bake 12 to 16 minutes, or until cookies are lightly browned, rotating sheets halfway through.

  • Cool 5 minutes on sheets; transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.

Cook's Notes

Dried apricots or dates would also work well here. For tropical taste, skip the oats, and add in an equal amount of sweetened shredded coconut.

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Reviews (47)

45 Ratings
  • 5 star values: 7
  • 4 star values: 8
  • 3 star values: 12
  • 2 star values: 14
  • 1 star values: 4
Anonymous
Rating: Unrated
05/31/2012
ok which is it? Description says "Chewy and Rich John says "CRUNCHY' According to Martha's definition ie Cookie Book where do theses fall? I prefer crispy to gooeychewy soft?
Anonymous
Rating: Unrated
07/14/2011
I think BarefootMom is reviewing a different "kitchen sink" cookie recipe (several on Martha's site) than "John's" - no coconut listed in ingredients unless omitted from recipe. My gang didn't care for this recipe - not enough stuff in it! It baked and tasted fine but not what we have come to consider an Everything But.....Cookie.
Anonymous
Rating: Unrated
07/12/2011
I have been making this recipe for several years. Even if I don't include all the ingredients like coconut, they still turn out so delish! What I lov emost about thes cookies is the perfect consistency. I NEVEr have a problem with these cookings turning out flat. they are always nice and fluffy!
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Anonymous
Rating: Unrated
01/21/2011
I made those today and they turned out perfect, I decreased the oven to 325F, the first batch is a little caky but not the second. As they cool they become harder because of the butter. I love them ! I( added some white chocolate chips.
Anonymous
Rating: Unrated
01/21/2011
Ewwww, totally had a cake-like texture; not at all chewy like a cookie should be. A big waste of ingredients and my time
Anonymous
Rating: Unrated
01/18/2011
these were not what I'd call great . not even close. won't make again.
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Anonymous
Rating: Unrated
01/18/2011
I found this recipe to taste way to salty compared to alot of the other recipes that I have tried and loved. Can i decrease the amount of soda or salt?
Anonymous
Rating: Unrated
01/18/2011
I found this recipe to taste way to salty compared to alot of the other recipes that I have tried and loved. Can i decrease the amount of soda or salt?
Anonymous
Rating: Unrated
01/18/2011
You can sub quick oats. It makes no difference in taste, just texture. I notice that most of the MS recipes call for old fashioned but I've used both in lots of their recipes and I've never encountered a problem. I don't know why another contributor's cookies turned out runny but it wasn't the oats. If anthing, quick oats would've thickened up the dough a bit more than the whole oats. Also, whether or not there's salt in your butter has nothing to do with the cookies turning out flat.
Anonymous
Rating: Unrated
01/18/2011
Do you have to use Corn Syrup!!??
Anonymous
Rating: Unrated
01/18/2011
I've been making these recipes since the recipe first published...good staple cookie recipe! I replace raisins with dried cranberries or cherries, otherwise love them just as is. Make these, you won't be sorry!
Anonymous
Rating: Unrated
01/17/2011
I made these cookies
Anonymous
Rating: Unrated
01/17/2011
I made these cookies
Anonymous
Rating: Unrated
06/23/2010
I made these cookies last night to the exact specifications of the recipe...they are AWESOME!
Anonymous
Rating: Unrated
06/19/2010
forget the corn syrup, sub some whole wheat flour and use maple syrup....add cranberries or raisins.....yummy!
Anonymous
Rating: Unrated
06/19/2010
I've made these cookies and always rolled them in sugar before pressing and baking. One of my sons favorites.
Anonymous
Rating: Unrated
03/02/2010
don't use the quick oats (just like they say) because the cookies turn out flat and running. Still taste good, but nothing like the picture!
Anonymous
Rating: Unrated
01/14/2010
Has anyone tried with quick cook oats?I don't have traditional on hand right now.
Anonymous
Rating: Unrated
07/26/2009
I just ate one of these and it was awesome! I made these changes: 1)sub. honey for corn syrup, 2) sub. Eggbeaters for eggs (I didn't have eggs), 3) sub. choc. chips for chunks, 4) added almonds and walnuts for total of approx. 1 c of nuts instead of 1/2 c. I don't know why others thought these are cakey. Mine turned out just like a typical soft cookie and held together nicely. Perhaps they used salted butter or margarine instead of unsalted butter (almost a necessity in baking).
Anonymous
Rating: Unrated
07/12/2009
This is a similar recipe that I've used several times with great results. I've also heard them referred to as "cowboy" cookies. You can play around with the types of chocolate and nuts to use. http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/Million-Monster-Cookies/Detail.aspx
Anonymous
Rating: Unrated
07/12/2009
Not even the name is inviting!
Anonymous
Rating: Unrated
08/02/2008
I agree with doonphb. I normally bake very good cookies, but these cookies just didn't make the mark. My dog likes them, but because of the chocolate, I won't give him more than one. They are way to cakey to be called cookies, and they are a bit dry.
Anonymous
Rating: Unrated
08/01/2008
I apologize for not liking these cookies. I have made them three times and have tried to add or take something away to improve flavor but still don't like them. I love all the other recipes you share. I remain a huge fan otherwise!
Anonymous
Rating: Unrated
07/30/2008
Just looking at the recipe and "tasting" the combinations of ingredients' flavors, I would think that since only one and a half teaspoons of corn syrup are needed that you could substitute honey or molasses....good luck!
Anonymous
Rating: Unrated
07/30/2008
Can someone tell me what i can use instead of corn syrup? Thanx so much!!
Anonymous
Rating: Unrated
07/28/2008
To make the cookies even tastier, toast the oatmeal in the oven before adding it to the cookie dough (allow it to cool first). It adds a richer flavour to the cookie.
Anonymous
Rating: Unrated
07/28/2008
Fantastic recipe! I used whole wheat flour and dark brown sugar as that was all I had in the house, and they turned out great. Nice and chewy...I didn't find them dry as some other's did. I baked for about 11 minutes. Would definitely make them again.
Anonymous
Rating: Unrated
07/28/2008
yummie !
Anonymous
Rating: Unrated
07/28/2008
When you get any cookies that aren't as chewy as you like, add a slice of bread to a container with the cookies and they will get softer.
Anonymous
Rating: Unrated
07/28/2008
A trick my Grandmother, Mother and I use when baking cookies to make them moist and chewy is to bake the cookies for about 5 minutes or so and wait for them to get "puffy", remove them from the oven and tap the pan on my countertop to remove the air from the cookies. Sometimes you need to do it more than once per baking. It sounds funny, but the result is a moist, chewy cookie.
Anonymous
Rating: Unrated
07/28/2008
my son and i have been making these all his life (25) but we add any left over candies we have
Anonymous
Rating: Unrated
07/01/2008
The taste was good for a cookie but a bit too cakey. In addition, the cookies were surprisingly dry. I even cut the cooking time trying to make sure they were chewy in the center. No luck.
Anonymous
Rating: Unrated
05/06/2008
These cookies were good, although I omitted the raisins. They were soft, which my family prefers, and were a nice change from my typical chocolate chip and oatmeal cookie recipes.
Anonymous
Rating: Unrated
04/03/2008
A very cakey cookie with perfectly crispy edges. Excellent flavor (probably from so much vanilla!) I usually round drop cookie dough in my hand before baking to get a perfectly round appearance, but these look best with the little crags that form when you "drop" them the traditional way.
Anonymous
Rating: Unrated
04/02/2008
U. S. measurements can be tricky! Two sticks of butter would be 1/2 lb or 8 oz, which is 227 grams. Our brown sugar is granulated sugar with molasses - You can mix 1 1/2 Tbsp molasses with 1 c granulated sugar (8 oz.) to replicate light brown sugar. 1 cup of brown sugar weighs 6 oz (28.4 g per oz - weight). 1 cup of flour weighs approximately 4 1/2 oz, but can vary. For the eggs, our large eggs are about 50 grams, but I think you could substitute your larger egg without problems.
Anonymous
Rating: Unrated
04/02/2008
This winter when in Louisiana, we purchased Coconut-Pecan Cookies at a local grocery store. Would like to bake now but cannot locate a good recipe. Any suggestions?? Thanks in advance.
Anonymous
Rating: Unrated
04/02/2008
These were okay but on the dry side. Cookies were extra chunky too for my liking.
Anonymous
Rating: Unrated
04/02/2008
Help please. Can someone translate measurements for me in Australia? What is a cup measure - 250ml? or a stick of butter in weight - 2oz? Also what size are your cooking eggs? Here they are 59g. Also is light brown sugar soft sugar or brown caster sugar (raw sugar) Thank you!
Anonymous
Rating: Unrated
04/02/2008
I've soaked raisins and other dried fruit for years too, but it never occurred to me to use water... My mom always soaked in rum, brandy, amaretto, etc, so I did too! For rice and bread pudding, she would add some of the soaking liquor to the egg mixture, yum!
Anonymous
Rating: Unrated
04/01/2008
Comment must have made it wrong as this is a no-fail type recipe. I have soaked dried fruit additions for years....just made sense. This is a great cookie....since my husband doesn't like nuts in food (I do) I have to make two batches.....he gets the recipe with dates in place of the nuts. Mykel
Anonymous
Rating: Unrated
03/24/2008
Mine went paper thin the first time so I added 1/2 more flour and 1/2 more oats with the same results. Crumbled, made great topping for ice cream-disappointed though.
Anonymous
Rating: Unrated
03/12/2008
i love these cookies
Anonymous
Rating: Unrated
03/11/2008
These were delicious! I added 1/2 cup of dried cranberries to the recipe and they were yummy.
Anonymous
Rating: Unrated
03/07/2008
Mine turned out a little cakey - I love the idea to soak the dried fruit!
Anonymous
Rating: Unrated
03/03/2008
I just made them tonight. I haven't tried one yet but the batter sure was good! I thought the yield (24) was kind of small since my cookies are pretty thick - I though they might flatten out more in the oven. I probably could have squeezed 48 cookies out of all that dough.
Anonymous
Rating: Unrated
02/27/2008
That's the 2nd time i've heard someone say to soak the raisens... interesting!
Anonymous
Rating: Unrated
02/26/2008
We loved these. Next time I am going to add some coconut and I am going to soak the raisins in hot water first so that they don't dry out the cookies.
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