Paula Deen Meemaw’s Christmas Kitchen Sink Cookie throws everything into the bowl. Butter, oil, brown sugar, toffee bits, coconut, oats, and puffed rice cereal all go into one dough. Each cookie gets dipped in white chocolate and topped with crushed peppermint. Makes 15 big cookies in under two hours. A Southern holiday cookie swap staple.
The dough has to chill for a full hour before you scoop it. Skip that and the cookies spread flat, crisp too fast on the edges, and stay raw in the middle. Cold dough holds its shape and gives you a thick, chewy cookie that can stand up to the white chocolate dip.
Crush the peppermint right before dipping so it stays crunchy. Use a double boiler for the white chocolate because it scorches on direct heat. These keep about five days sealed at room temperature, but the peppermint topping softens after day two.
Paula Deen Meemaw’s Christmas Kitchen Sink Cookie
Course: DessertCuisine: American, SouthernDifficulty: Medium15
servings30
minutes15
minutes635
kcalA thick, chewy drop cookie loaded with toffee bits, coconut, oats, and puffed rice cereal. The dough rests in the fridge before baking, then each cookie is dipped in melted white chocolate and finished with crushed peppermint candy.
Ingredients
3 1/2 cups all purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon cream of tartar
3/4 teaspoon salt
2 sticks softened Butter
1 cup granulated sugar
1 cup lightly packed light brown sugar
1 cup Vegetable oil
1 egg
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 cup puffed rice cereal
1 cup sweetened flaked coconut
1 cup rolled old-fashioned oats
1 (8 oz) package toffee bits
15 crushed peppermint hard candies, for garnish
White chocolate, for dipping
Directions
- Preheat: Preheat the oven to 350 °F.
- Dry ingredients: In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda, cream of tartar and salt.
- Make the dough: Using an electric mixer, cream the butter and sugars. Scrape the sides of the mixer bowl and beat in the oil, egg and vanilla until smooth. Beat in the flour mixture in 3 small additions, scraping the sides of the bowl after each one. Slowly beat in the rice cereal, coconut and oats. Fold in the toffee bits and refrigerate the dough, covered, for 1 hour.
- Scoop and bake: Drop rounded tablespoons of dough on 2 cookie sheets, leaving at least 1-inch of space around each drop. Bake until the cookies are golden around the edges, 12 to 14 minutes. Transfer the cookies to wire racks to cool.
- Dip and decorate: Using a double boiler, melt the white chocolate. Dip the cookies into the white chocolate and sprinkle crushed peppermint to decorate. Allow to cool or serve warm. Store in an airtight container at room temperature.
FAQs
Can you use dark chocolate instead of white chocolate for dipping?
Dark chocolate works, but it changes the flavor balance. White chocolate is sweeter and milder, which lets the peppermint and toffee stand out. Dark chocolate will compete with those flavors. If you go dark, skip the peppermint topping and use sea salt flakes instead.
Can you freeze these cookies?
Freeze them before the white chocolate dip. Baked, undipped cookies keep in the freezer for up to three months in a single layer between parchment. When you are ready, thaw at room temperature for about 30 minutes, then dip and decorate. The peppermint should go on right before serving.
Can you make the dough ahead of time?
The dough holds well in the fridge for up to two days. It already needs a one-hour chill, so a longer rest just makes it easier to scoop. You can also portion the dough onto a sheet pan, freeze the scoops until solid, then store them in a bag. Bake from frozen, adding two to three minutes to the bake time.
Why did my cookies come out flat and thin?
The most common reason is skipping the one-hour chill. Warm dough spreads fast in a 350 degree oven. Another cause is measuring the flour by scooping directly from the bag, which packs it down and gives you less than you need. Spoon flour into the measuring cup and level it off with a knife.
Do you need a double boiler for the white chocolate?
You do. White chocolate burns at a lower temperature than dark chocolate, and direct heat will seize it into a grainy clump. If you don’t have a double boiler, set a heatproof bowl over a pot of barely simmering water. Keep the heat low and stir constantly until it is smooth.
