POTATO CHIP COOKIES

T

his has got to be one of my favourite cookies that I've baked in the recent times.I am always game for a good buttery treat, be it a cake or a cookie and this one fits the bill! We love potato chips so much that I knew if it's added to a cookie,it would become an instant hit with us! I've been eyeing this recipe for a while now and like most things that I make mental note of these days, this one also skipped my thoughts until I saw a similar recipe in a church cookbook from the 80's which Dorla gave me 9 years ago. Dorla is a wonderful lady that we've known for the longest time in Minneapolis. She was infact one of the first few people that I met here. Dorla & Dan were Jobin's neighbours when he was living as a bachelor here in Minneapolis.

Even though I saw that cookbook recipe, I also happened to see another one on a website I really enjoy.I guess it's an old fashioned recipe which people tend to overlook these days with all the other brilliant cookie combinations that's floating on the internet. This recipe makes for the best butter cookie that can be had with tea, coffee or as a treat post lunch or even dinner. It's so light and crisp and that potato chips lends a slight salty crunch which makes you feel like you've eaten something like this before. I enjoy sweet and salty so if you are anything like me, you will love this one!

One word of caution is that, even though the recipe says otherwise,please take your time to chill the shaped cookies before baking. When a cookie recipe calls for a lot of butter like this one, there's a tendency for the dough to be warm with handling. So if you bake it right away, it will spread quite a bit and will look like thin buttery crackers. It will not alter the taste but it will affect the look of the final product. So I would recommend chilling the shaped cookies for 25-30 minutes before baking or just until it feels cold and a little firm-ish. It's just like a cookie insurance policy!

Both recipes called for using pecans but I chose to omit them because Ian is not a fan of nuts in baked goods. If you were to try this recipe, I would highly recommend it for the added crunch and flavor it will lend to these already amazing cookies! I get a lot of questions regarding the baking time for cookies in general. I can only suggest that you follow the recipe instructions and the feel of the cookie at the end of the baking time. Since every oven is different, the timing will vary. I usually check the bottom of the cookie and if it's golden brown, I pull them out. Most cookies continue to cook while they are cooling on the sheets and eventually on the cooling rack as well. 

POTATO CHIP COOKIES

Makes 30 cookies

Ingredients:

2 sticks unsalted butter, at room temperature

1/2 cup sugar

1 teaspoon vanilla

Scant 2 cups all purpose flour

1/2 cup chopped pecans / walnuts

1/2 cup finely crushed potato chips*

Method:

Preheat the oven to 350F and prepare two large cookie tins.

In a large bowl, beat butter and sugar on medium high speed for 4 minutes. Add vanilla and beat to combine. Add the flour, nuts, potato chips and beat on low to bring the dough together. Form 30 balls and place them on the baking sheet with 2 inches gap in between each cookie.

Smear some extra butter on the bottom of a drinking glass and dip it in extra sugar. Press the cookie dough balls with this to flatten them to 1/4 inch thickness. Chill the cookie dough for 25-30 minutes and bake at 350F for 10-12 minutes or until it's dry on the top and light golden. Turn the cookie sheets halfway through baking time for even baking.

Cool on the sheets for 5 minutes and then transfer onto a cooling rack to cool completely. Store in airtight tins and use as needed!

*Use the basic salted wafer-thin potato chips like the yellow Lays. Don't crush it too much because it might powder even further during the final mixing.

We sure loved this light,crisp & buttery cookie. I am 100% sure that I will be baking them again and that our cookie tin will be filled with these quite often. If you have baked my Melting Moments before, you will notice a faint similarity in taste. That is also an excellent cookie to try, if you haven't already! These days our cookie tins have been filled to the brim with a variety of cookies and they manage to vanish in no time!