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Did my title catch your attention?

I know what you’re thinking – potato chip cookies??  Absa-stinkin-lutely.

If you’ve perused this site at all, you have probably already realized that I have a serious dessert problem.  More specifically, I have a cookie addiction.

There is actually a story that my neighbors all love to tell about how we “bonded”.  Over cookies. (And lots of wine in the driveway, which is how said cookies came to be baked, but hey…)

It was the first spring after we moved into our house, and we pulled our patio heater out front. Because that is clearly what you do with a patio heater when you don’t have an actual patio at your new house yet. In Minnesota, this marks an instant invitation for anyone else who is also dying to kick cabin fever to the curb to join you.

Here’s the thing about being a driveway host: my husband and I both know our roles.  He hands out beverages from the garage fridge and I whip up a batch of cookies.  Apparently, however, the fact that I just randomly emerged from the house bearing warm cookies was highly entertaining to my neighbors. Remember, they didn’t really know me yet.

From that point on, my reputation as resident baker is a challenge that I have accepted.  The upside is that I won a whole troupe of taste-testers that I can now get to try every recipe that I have ever loved. Which is an extensive list.

What I love about cookies is they’re just so easy.  And they all start from a pretty basic base.  Then you just have to decide which flavors appeal to you, or, in my case, your neighbors.

For me, it depends on the day.  Sometimes I just want something melty and chocolatey, and so your standard chocolate chip variety will do.  Some days, though, I crave a serious sweet and salty combo. On those days, this recipe is key.

cookie batterI start nearly every recipe with a similar set of ingredients and measurements.  My version begins with 2 sticks of softened butter and 1 1/2 cups of sugar – in some combination of brown and granulated, depending on the cookie.  Creaming together the butter and sugar is a task that can happen while you are prepping your dry ingredients.  Set it in a mixer and let it do its thing.

In a separate bowl combine 2 cups of flour and 1/2 tsp of both baking powder and baking soda.  I would normally also tell you to add some salt to this bowl, but the potato chips you will add at the end will take care of that factor.  I have not tried it, but I’m going to guess that any additional salt content at this point, would just be overkill.

In your mixer, go ahead and add in the egg and vanilla.  I will confess that I tend to be liberal with my vanilla content.  I list measurements for those that need it, but to be fair, I usually open the cap and pour.  If you have good vanilla, a little extra can’t hurt you.

potato chip cookiesSlow the speed on your mixer, and add in your dry ingredients.

Pour some plain potato chips into a ziploc bag, and crush them with a roller/glass/meat mallet – really whatever is handy.  This happens to be a task my youngest LOVES.  He’s our little destroyer, anyway, so when we let him loose with some form of “safe” kitchen weapon and permission to smash things, he’s a happy camper.

Stir the crushed potato chips into your dough with a spoon.  You can use the mixer, if you want, but it can potato chip cookiespulverize the already crushed potato chips, and then you just don’t get the same result when they’re baked up.

Use a spoon or scoop to grab similar sized balls of cookie dough.  Roll them in the granulated sugar you have reserved, and set on a prepared sheet.  They’ll bake for about 12-15 minutes, or until they are golden brown.

We like to slightly underbake cookies around our house, but the definition of done is totally up to you.  Let me just leave you with this thought, though.. gooey cookies, what could be bad?