Trader Joe's Everything but the Kitchen Sink Cookie Mix Is ... Everything

Kitchen Sink Cookies usually include a range of mix-ins you’d find around your kitchen. You probably could have figured that out based on the name, I suppose. Each recipe varies a little, but Trader Joe’s took out the guess work and created an Everything but the Kitchen Sink Cookie Mix that includes chocolate chunks, oats, walnuts, coconut flakes, caramel bits, and mini pretzels. That’s a lot of ingredients for a mere $4.49 a box!

Putting this mix together started like it would for any other true home baker: by softening the butter in the microwave because I forgot to leave it out for a bit. Whoops! But just think of it as me stress testing the recipe. How will it go when you start off step one with a flub?! Pretty well, actually! My only gripe with this stage of the process is that Trader Joe’s recommends folding everything together with a spatula or your hands. There was no option here. I tried with a spatula and quickly gave up and went in with my hands. Not a negative—just don’t lie to me like that, TJ’s! While it’s being mixed, the cookie dough smells like Quaker Chewy granola bars, and I loved everything about that, even if my hands were a mess.

As always, I was impatient as hell to taste these as they cooled, but I was pleased that the cookies still slid right off the baking sheet in one piece. You simply love to see it. How many cookies did I have in total? That’s not important. What is important is whether or not you should buy this stuff—and the answer is a very enthusiastic “yes.”

New Product!

Trader Joe’s Everything but the Kitchen Sink Cookie Mix

Trader Joe’s

Pros: Really, everything about TJ’s Everything but the Kitchen Sink Cookie Mix is a pro. Right off the bat, I love that just the right amount of each ingredient is in the box. It sounds obvious, but as someone who only buys food for himself, I really wouldn’t know what I’d do with all the leftover pretzels, chocolate chunks, etc. if I’d bought all of the ingredients individually. It is such a lifesaver! The cookies are a very pleasant mix of salty and sweet, with different textures popping in with every bite. They cookies crisp up on the bottom and edges, but they are are moist enough that they stay chewy for a day or two after being baked. They’re sturdy enough that you could easily put these in a Ziploc bag and take them out and about—if you feel like sharing and don’t finish the batch by yourself.

Cons: The pretzels lose their crunch after the cookies are baked. It was the only thing that didn’t live up to my expectations, but it’s not a deal-breaker. Pretzels are bound to get some sog when you mix them up with a whole stick of butter and then bake them. Trader Joe’s food scientists are good, but they’re not that good. I’m willing to let it slide because these just taste so damn good!

Rating:

10/10

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