Potato Chip Chocolate Chip Cookies

I wasn’t sure about putting potato chips in cookies until I tried it last Tuesday and the whole thing clicked. The potato chip chocolate chip cookies turned out crunchier on the outside than I expected and the centers stayed soft enough that you get this contrast that actually works. I keep thinking about that first bite where the fleur de sel hit my tongue right after the chocolate.

Why You’ll Love This Recipe

• The crushed potato chips baked into the dough give you salt pockets that aren’t evenly distributed, which sounds bad but it’s actually better that way
• You get to roll the dough balls in more crushed chips so there’s this crunchy shell situation happening
• Chocolate chips melt into the salty base and it tastes like you planned something fancy
• Fleur de sel on top while they’re hot makes the whole cookie taste more alive somehow
• They bake in 15 to 17 minutes which is fast enough that I made them on a weeknight
• The edges crisp up at 375°F but the centers stay a little underbaked if you pull them at exactly 15 minutes

The Story Behind This Recipe

I saw someone mention potato chip cookies on a forum last month and it sounded weird enough to try. I had a bag of plain chips that were getting stale anyway so I figured why not just throw them in some chocolate chip cookies and see what happens. Honestly I thought it would be a disaster. But when I pulled them out of the oven last Tuesday after work, the smell was this mix of butter and salt and something almost savory that made me want to eat three immediately. I did eat three immediately. Now I’m writing this because I want to remember the exact amounts I used before I forget and go back to making boring regular cookies that don’t have this kind of texture thing going on.

What You Need

You’ll need 1 cup of softened butter and it has to actually be soft or the sugar won’t cream right. I use unsalted but if you only have salted just skip some of the fleur de sel at the end. For sugar you need 3/4 cup white and 3/4 cup packed brown sugar, and when I say packed I mean really press it into the measuring cup because that’s where the chewiness comes from. Two eggs and 1 teaspoon vanilla extract go in next, nothing fancy there.

The flour situation is 2 1/4 cups all-purpose and 1 teaspoon baking soda mixed together. Don’t use self-rising flour because the leavening will be off and your cookies will puff weird.

Now for the important part. You need 2 cups of crushed potato chips total and they have to be plain, not ridged, not kettle cooked. I used regular Lay’s because they crush into this fine rubble that distributes better than thick chips. Half goes in the dough and half becomes the coating. Then 2 cups semisweet chocolate chips, whatever brand you trust. The fleur de sel for sprinkling on top isn’t optional even though it sounds like it is, because without it these just taste like cookies with chips in them instead of something that makes sense.

How to Make Potato Chip Chocolate Chip Cookies

Heat your oven to 375°F before you start anything else because I forgot once and had to wait with wet dough sitting there getting warm. Beat the butter in a large bowl until it lightens up and looks fluffy, which takes longer than you think if your butter was too cold. Add both sugars and keep beating until the whole thing looks creamy and you can’t see sugar crystals anymore when you scrape the side.

Crack your eggs and beat them in one at a time. The batter will look broken after the first egg but it’ll come together after the second one. Stir in the vanilla extract and watch how the mixture loses that grainy look and gets this smooth shine to it that means you’re done with this part.

In another bowl sift together the flour and baking soda, which I usually skip but it actually matters here because clumps of baking soda taste metallic. Fold the dry stuff into the wet ingredients slowly and stop as soon as you don’t see flour anymore. If you overmix it the cookies bake up tough and that’s the opposite of what you want.

This is where it gets weird. Take 1 cup of the crushed potato chips and the chocolate chips and fold them in with your hands, not a spoon. Your hands can feel when the chips are breaking down too much. You want some bigger pieces left so you get those salt pockets I was talking about. The dough will look lumpy and kind of wrong but that’s correct.

Put the other cup of crushed chips in a shallow bowl. Scoop out tablespoon-sized balls of dough and press each one into the chips hard enough that they stick all over the outside. I thought this was just for looks but it creates this shell that crisps up separately from the cookie itself.

Space them out on a parchment-lined baking sheet because they spread more than regular chocolate chip cookies. Bake for 15 to 17 minutes and start checking at 15 because the difference between underbaked centers and overbaked dry cookies is like 90 seconds. The edges should start to color and the centers should look just set but still a little puffy.

The second you pull them out sprinkle the fleur de sel on top while they’re hot. The heat kind of melts the salt crystals just barely into the surface and that’s when the flavor really gets in there. Let them sit on the sheet for a few minutes because if you move them right away they’ll fall apart, then transfer them to a rack or just eat them warm off the sheet like I did.

What I Did Wrong the First Time

I used kettle-cooked chips the first time because that’s what I had and they didn’t break down right. They stayed in these hard chunks that were too thick and the texture was wrong, like biting into a cookie with rocks in it. Regular thin chips crush into this powder and rubble mix that actually bakes into the dough instead of just sitting there. Also I didn’t press the dough balls into the coating chips hard enough so half of them fell off in the oven and burned on the pan, which smoked up my kitchen and made everything smell like burnt salt for two days.

Potato Chip Chocolate Chip Cookies

By Emma

Prep:

10 min

Cook:

17 min

Total:

27 min

Servings:

36 servings

Ingredients

• 1 cup butter, softened
• 3⁄4 cup white sugar
• 3⁄4 cup packed brown sugar
• 2 eggs
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 2 1⁄4 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 2 cups potato chips, crushed, divided
• 2 cups semisweet chocolate chips
• fleur de sel, for sprinkling

Method

1. 1 Heat your oven to 375°F, setting the stage for golden edges and soft middles.
2. 2 In a large bowl, beat the butter until it lightens and becomes fluffy, then add both sugars. Work them together until the mixture looks creamy and airy.
3. 3 Beat in the eggs one at a time, then stir in vanilla extract, watching the batter lose its grainy texture and take on a smooth shine.
4. 4 Sift the flour and baking soda into a separate bowl, then gradually fold this dry mix into the wet ingredients until just combined. Don’t overmix or you’ll lose that tender crumb.
5. 5 Using your hands, fold in 1 cup of the crushed potato chips along with the chocolate chips. The chips create a lovely texture contrast and pockets of salty-sweet surprises.
6. 6 Dump the remaining crushed potato chips into a shallow bowl for rolling.
7. 7 Scoop dough balls roughly the size of a tablespoon, then press them into the potato chips, packing them in so they cling firmly to the dough’s surface.
8. 8 Place the coated dough balls evenly spaced on a baking sheet lined with parchment to prevent sticking and encourage crisp bottoms.
9. 9 Slide the tray into the oven and bake 15 to 17 minutes. You’ll know they’re ready when the edges turn a light golden brown but the centers stay slightly soft and look just set.
10. 10 The moment they come out, while the cookies are still hot and slightly tacky, sprinkle fleur de sel on top. This final touch punches up the flavors with a subtle crunch and aroma.
11. 11 Let them cool on the sheet for a few minutes so they firm up enough to transfer without breaking. Once cool, dig in or store in an airtight container to keep those chips crisp.

Nutritional information

Calories

120

Protein

1g

Carbs

15g

Fat

6g

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Tips for the Best Potato Chip Chocolate Chip Cookies

Room temperature matters more than I thought. Your butter needs to sit out for at least an hour before you start or the chips won’t incorporate right and you’ll end up with greasy spots that spread weird in the oven.

When you’re crushing the chips, don’t use a food processor because it turns them into dust. I put them in a bag and smash them with the bottom of a measuring cup so you get pieces from powder up to pebble-sized, and that range of sizes is what makes the texture work.

The dough gets softer as you work with it so I scoop all the balls first and then roll them in chips right before they go on the sheet. If you try to do it one at a time the last few will be too soft to hold their shape and they’ll flatten out too much while baking.

Pull them at 15 minutes even if the centers look underbaked. They’ll keep cooking on the hot sheet for another two minutes and if you wait until they look done in the oven they’ll be too hard when they cool. I learned this the annoying way by baking six batches in one night trying to figure out why some were chewy and some weren’t.

The fleur de sel needs to go on within 30 seconds of coming out because after that the surface cools enough that the crystals just sit on top instead of barely sinking in.

Serving Ideas

They’re really good with cold milk but that’s obvious. What I didn’t expect is how good they are crumbled over vanilla ice cream, where the salt and crunch turn it into something that tastes more complicated than it is.

I brought them to a party with coffee and people kept going back for more because the salt makes you want another bite in a way that regular chocolate chip cookies don’t. They also work next to beer, which sounds weird but the salty-sweet thing pairs better than you’d think with something hoppy.

If you want to be fancy about it, sandwich two cookies with a thin layer of peanut butter between them while they’re still slightly warm.

Variations

You can swap the semisweet chips for dark chocolate if you want less sweetness competing with the salt, and honestly that might be better if you’re not into really sweet cookies. I tried it once and the bitterness made the potato chips taste more interesting.

White chocolate chips work too but they make the whole thing sweeter and you lose some of the contrast that makes potato chip cookies actually worth making instead of just regular ones. Peanut butter chips sound like they’d be good but I haven’t tried them yet because I keep forgetting to buy them.

Pretzels instead of potato chips give you more crunch but less of that savory flavor that makes these weird in a good way. They’re crunchier but kind of one-note compared to the way chips taste.

If you use sea salt instead of fleur de sel the crystals are bigger and you get these intense salt bombs in random bites which some people like but I think it’s too much.

FAQ

Can I use kettle cooked potato chips instead of regular chips? No, they stay too hard and don’t break down into the dough. You’ll end up with thick chunks that hurt your teeth when you bite down. Regular thin chips crush into this mix of powder and small pieces that actually bakes into the cookie instead of just sitting there like gravel.

Do the cookies stay crispy or get soft after a day? The outside stays pretty crispy for about two days if you store them in a container that’s not completely airtight. After that the chips absorb moisture and they turn into regular soft cookies, which isn’t bad but it’s not the point anymore. I usually eat them all in three days so it hasn’t been a problem.

Can I freeze the dough? Yeah, scoop the balls and freeze them on a sheet then transfer to a bag once they’re solid. Don’t roll them in chips until right before you bake them or the coating gets soggy in the freezer. Bake straight from frozen and add maybe two minutes to the time.

What if I only have salted butter? Use it but skip the fleur de sel on top or use way less because you’ll end up with too much salt. I did this once and the cookies were still good but every bite was almost too salty, which is saying something for a recipe that already has chips in it.

Can I make these without the vanilla extract? You can but they’ll taste flatter. The vanilla doesn’t add vanilla flavor really, it just makes the chocolate and butter taste more like themselves. Without it the cookies are fine but kind of boring compared to what they could be.

Why do my cookies spread too much in the oven? Your butter was probably too warm or you didn’t chill the dough. If the dough feels soft and sticky before it goes in the oven, stick the whole sheet in the fridge for 15 minutes first. Also make sure your oven is actually at 375°F because if it’s running cool they’ll spread before they set.

Do I have to use parchment paper or can I use a greased pan? Parchment is better because greased pans make the bottoms brown too fast and sometimes the chip coating sticks and rips off when you try to move them. I tried using just a greased sheet once and half the cookies lost their crunchy bottom layer.

How do I know when they’re actually done? The edges will start to turn golden and pull away slightly from where they spread. The centers will look puffy and barely set, like they could use another minute but they really can’t. If you wait until the centers look done they’ll be overbaked by the time they cool.

Can I use a different kind of salt on top? Fleur de sel has this specific mineral taste and crunch that regular table salt doesn’t have. You could use Maldon salt which has big flaky crystals that work similarly, but kosher salt dissolves too fast and table salt is too fine and just makes them taste straight salty instead of interesting salty.

What happens if I forget to sprinkle the salt on top while they’re hot? You can still do it after they cool but the salt just sits on the surface and half of it falls off when you bite in. The heat makes the crystals stick and barely melt into the top layer which is how you get that salt hit at the beginning of each bite instead of it just tasting like you sprinkled salt on a cookie.

My chips turned to dust when I crushed them, is that okay? Some dust is fine but if they’re all powder you won’t get those crunchy bits and salt pockets. Next time crush them less aggressively or use a slightly thicker chip like Ruffles, though those are harder to work with. You want a mix where most pieces are the size of coarse sand with some bigger ones mixed in.

Can I add nuts to this recipe? You could add half a cup of chopped pecans or walnuts but honestly it makes the texture too busy. There’s already a lot happening with the chips and chocolate, and nuts just compete instead of adding anything. I tried it because someone asked and it was fine but not better.

How long do they actually last in a container? Three days before the chips lose their crunch and it starts tasting like a regular soft cookie. After five days they’re still edible but you’ve lost the whole reason to put chips in cookies in the first place. I’ve never had them last longer than that because people eat them too fast.

Do I need to sift the flour and baking soda together? You should because clumps of baking soda taste metallic and weird if they don’t get mixed in evenly. It takes like 30 extra seconds and the one time I skipped it I bit into a cookie that had a bitter spot that tasted like I was licking a battery.

Can I make these smaller or bigger? Smaller works fine but watch them closer because they’ll bake faster, maybe 12 to 13 minutes. Bigger cookies don’t work as well because the outside gets too dark before the center sets and you lose that contrast between crispy edges and soft middle. Tablespoon-sized is the right ratio.

What brand of chocolate chips works best? I use Ghirardelli because they hold their shape and have that good chocolate taste, but honestly any semisweet chip works. Cheap chips sometimes have that waxy taste but it’s not a dealbreaker. Just don’t use chocolate chunks because they’re too big and throw off the chip-to-chocolate ratio.

Why do my cookies look lumpy and weird before baking? That’s how they’re supposed to look because you’re folding in chips that don’t distribute evenly. If your dough looks smooth and uniform you probably mixed it too much or crushed the chips too fine. Lumpy dough with visible chip pieces is what you want going in.

Can I use brown butter instead of regular softened butter? I tried this thinking it would add more flavor and it does but it also changes the texture so they spread thinner and get crispier all the way through. Not bad, just different from what this recipe is supposed to be. If you want that buttery caramel flavor it’s worth trying but don’t expect the same soft centers.

Do I really need two full cups of crushed chips? Yeah, one cup goes in the dough and one becomes the coating. If you skimp on the coating you won’t get that crunchy shell that makes the texture work. I tried using less once to save chips and the cookies were boring, just regular chocolate chip cookies with some salt in them.

What if my dough is too crumbly after adding the flour? You probably didn’t cream the butter and sugar long enough or your butter was too cold. The dough should be soft and slightly sticky, not crumbly. If it’s falling apart, beat in a tablespoon of milk to bring it together, but you shouldn’t need to if you followed the butter part right.

Can I use Greek yogurt or applesauce instead of butter to make them healthier? Don’t do this with these cookies. The butter is what makes them rich enough to balance the salt from the chips, and if you cut the fat they’ll taste dry and weird. There are other cookie recipes for that kind of substitution but this isn’t one of them.