Potato chip cookies are one in a long line of recipes invented by manufacturers to push their products on consumers and, in this case, we’re totally fine with that. These cookies bring together sugar, salt, and crunch for an addictive combination of flavors and textures. For the cookie base itself, we wanted something multitextured, with the right balance of shortness and chew. Using half granulated sugar and half confectioners’ sugar gave us a cookie that was tender without being too delicate. Tasters preferred potato chip crumbs to the shards found in many recipes all of the crunch without the sharp edges. During our testing, we thought the cookies tasted slightly of frying oil, and they were sporting edges that darkened too deeply. We had been making our recipe with the test kitchen’s favorite potato chip: Lay’s Kettle Cooked Original Potato Chips. To see if a different chip would produce a better cookie, we tried our recipe with baked, reduced-fat, fried, and kettle-fried chips. Batches made with reduced-fat chips were best; the hint of oil vanished, as did the overly dark edges that were forming as a result of too much fat. We liked the common addition of chopped pecans; they added a nutty crunch without obscuring the salty-sugary contrast. Cape Cod 40% Reduced Fat Potato Chips are the test kitchen favorite among reduced-fat chips.
Ingredients
- ¾ cup (3¾ ounces) all-purpose flour
- 1½ ounces reduced-fat potato chips, crushed fine (½ cup)
- ¼ cup pecans, toasted and chopped fine
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- 8 tablespoons unsalted butter, cut into 8 pieces, softened but still cool
- ¼ cup (1¾ ounces) granulated sugar
- ¼ cup (1 ounce) confectioners’ sugar
- 1 large egg yolk
- ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
- Adjust oven rack to middle position and heat oven to 350 degrees. Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper. Combine flour, potato chips, pecans, and salt in bowl.
- Using stand mixer fitted with paddle, beat butter, granulated sugar, and confectioners’ sugar on medium high speed until pale and fluffy, about 3 minutes. Add egg yolk and vanilla and beat until combined. Reduce speed to low and slowly add flour mixture in 3 additions. Roll dough into 1-inch balls and space them 3 inches apart on prepared sheets. Using a floured dry measuring cup, press each ball to ¼-inch thickness.
- Bake cookies, 1 sheet at a time, until just set and lightly browned on bottom, 10 to 13 minutes, rotating sheet halfway through baking. Let cookies cool completely on sheet, about 15 minutes, before serving.
