As the saying goes, add everything but the kitchen sink!

Hello everyone, welcome to mid-week! Even though I'm on vacation with my family, I'm still being put to work! I was asked to make pancakes tomorrow morning and it got me thinking, what do you do when you want to bake on vacation? Better yet, what do you do when you've got tons of ingredients in the cabinet but nothing to make? This is the best time to mix it all together and see what it makes, thus the creation of kitchen sink cookies. Now let me just say, I can't take credit for this concept...it was created long before I came along! However it's a fabulous idea and I want to honor it by giving you three different versions to try. But remember, fear not if you don't have an ingredient - they're kitchen sink cookies for a reason. Just add whatever you've got (but not the sink).

Martha Stewart's Kitchen Sink Cookies
Makes approx. 4 dozen

Ingredients:

• 1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, softened
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 1/2 cup firmly packed light-brown sugar
• 2 large eggs
• 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 2 cups old-fashioned rolled oats
• 2 cups semisweet chocolate chips
• 1 cup sweetened flake coconut
• 1 cup raisins
• 1 cup coarsely chopped walnuts

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line baking sheets with Silpat baking mats or parchment paper.
2. In a large bowl with a wooden spoon, beat butter, sugar and brown sugar together until smooth and creamy, about 2 minutes. Beat in eggs, one at a time, until well blended. Stir in vanilla.
3. In a medium bowl, sift together flour, baking soda, baking powder and salt. Gradually stir into butter mixture until well blended. Add oats, chips, coconut, raisins, and walnuts, and stir until well blended.
4. Drop batter by heaping tablespoons or with a 1 ounce ice-cream scoop onto silpat about 2 inches apart. Press tops down with the bottom of a glass to flatten cookies evenly. Bake until golden, about 16 to 18 minutes. Cool on pan for 2 minutes. Remove from pan, and finish cooling completely on wire rack.

Ellie Krieger's Kitchen Sink Cookies

Makes 18-20 cookies

Ingredients:

• 2 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened
• 2 tablespoons canola oil
• 1/3 cup light brown sugar
• 1/4 cup applesauce
• 1 egg white
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• 2/3 cup whole-wheat pastry flour
• 1/2 cup oatmeal
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1/4 cup chopped dried cherries
• 1/4 cup chopped dried apricots
• 1/4 cup lightly toasted walnuts
• 2 ounces dark chocolate, cut into chunks
• Cooking spray

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.
2. Combine butter, oil and brown sugar in the bowl of a stand mixer and mix on high speed, stopping occasionally to scrape down bowl, until mixture is light and fluffy, about 2 minutes. Add applesauce, egg white and vanilla and mix to combine. Add flour, oatmeal, salt and cinnamon and mix just until just combined. Add cherries, apricots, walnuts and chocolate and mix to combine.
3. Spray 1 baking sheet with cooking spray. Using 1 tablespoon cookie dough at a time, roll into balls and place 2-inches apart on baking sheet. Press cookies down with the palm of your hand to flatten slightly, as cookies will not spread as much as cookies with more butter. Bake for 12 to 14 minutes, or until lightly browned but still soft. Remove from oven and cool on racks.

Paula Deen's Meemaw's Kitchen Sink Cookies

Makes 60 cookies

Ingredients:

• 3 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 teaspoon cream of tartar
• 3/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 pound (2 sticks) butter, softened
• 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-ounce) package toffee bits
• White chocolate, for dipping
• 15 peppermint hard candies, crushed, for garnish

Directions:

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
2. In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda, cream of tartar, and salt.
3. 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.
4. 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.
5. 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.

Happy baking!