Potato Chip Cookies are the perfect sweet-and-salty treat with an irresistible balance of flavors. Made with cold butter for texture and thickness, they bake up with crispy edges and a soft center. Dual chocolate chips and flaky sea salt set them apart, adding rich flavor and the perfect finishing touch.
Potato Chip Cookies Recipe Essentials
- 🍽️ Course: Dessert
- ⏱️ Cooking Time: 12 minutes
- 🍴 Servings: 25
- 🍪 Flavor Profile: Sweet and salty with chocolatey crunch and buttery richness.
- ☕️ Best Served With: Cold milk or coffee.
- 🧊 Make Ahead?: Yes, the dough can be prepared in advance and chilled before baking
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Potato chips are the hero ingredient, adding a subtle crunch and salty flavor that perfectly balances the sweetness. Cold butter helps these cookies hold their shape and bake up perfectly thick with crispy edges and a soft center.
I love making them for bake sales and special occasions-the texture and flavor are so mouth-watering, they've quickly become my new favorite.
If you enjoy the sweet-and-salty combination, try these butter crunch cookies and pistachio chocolate chip cookies.
Why You'll Love This Recipe
- You don't need to chill the dough: This is the perfect last-minute cookie to make for a party or when you have a salty-sweet craving because the cookie dough doesn't need any time in the fridge before baking it.
- Two types of chocolate lend a richer flavor: I use semi-sweet and milk chocolate chips to get a mix of sweet and bitter for a richer flavor profile.
- The potato chips add salt and texture: The secret ingredient is the crushed potato chips. They add crunch to the cookies while keeping them chewy, and a salty flavor to complement the sweet dough and rich chocolate.
Ingredients
The essential ingredients for these chocolate chip cookies with potato chips are listed below. They are key in achieving the best structure, texture, and flavor!
- Butter: Make sure to use cold, unsalted butter in these chocolate chip potato chip cookies. This helps the cookies spread less in the oven, resulting in chunkier cookies with a soft center and crispy edges.
- Potato chips: I use crushed potato chips in this recipe and in these kitchen sink cookies, too. I like classic chips, but if you decide to use another type, like kettle-cooked, expect a slightly different texture.
- Chocolate chips: The bitter flavor from the semi-sweet chips complements the sweetness from the milk chocolate perfectly. Something so simple as using two different kinds of chocolate provides balance and depth.
- Flaky salt: This is a lovely finishing touch for presentation, adding a little salty crunch on top to tie all the ingredients together.
See the recipe card below for exact ingredient amounts, nutritional information, and detailed instructions.
Variations
- Try peanut butter chips: Swap the milk chocolate chips for peanut butter chips to add peanut flavor.
- Add chopped nuts: Replace ½ cup of crushed potato chips with chopped nuts, such as pecans or walnuts, for added texture.
- Use crushed pretzels: Swap ½ cup of potato chips for pretzels to get a bigger crunch.
How to Make Potato Chip Cookies
Preheat your oven to 350°F and line two cookie sheets with parchment paper (they won't fit on just one).
Step 1: Combine the butter and sugar. Start by adding the brown sugar, white sugar, and cold butter to a mixing bowl. Then, beat with an electric mixer until they're fluffy.
Step 2: Add eggs and vanilla. Beat in one egg at a time, and then add the vanilla extract.
Step 3: Stir in the dry ingredients. Add the dry ingredients to the egg mixture and stir until just combined.
Step 4: Fold in the chocolate and chips. Gently fold in the crushed potato chips and chocolate chips.
Step 5: Scoop the dough. Grab your cookie scoop and scoop the cookie dough onto the prepared baking sheet. Next, sprinkle some flaky sea salt on top of each cookie.
Step 6: Bake and cool. Place the pan into the oven and bake the cookies for 10-12 minutes, or until the edges start to brown and the centers are just a tiny bit underbaked. Allow them to cool in the pan for about 5 minutes, then move them to a cooling rack. Enjoy one warm with a cup of peppermint hot chocolate.
Expert Tips
- Keep the butter cold: Using cold butter in the potato chip cookie dough allows it to melt slowly as the cookies bake, preventing them from spreading too much. This gives you crispy edges and a thick, soft center, which gives them a bakery-style feel.
- Don't crush the chips too much: Keep the potato chips coarse when you crush them. You want to be able to see and taste the pieces in the cookies.
- Round the cookies after baking: I like to take a round cookie cutter and swirl it around each cookie after they come out of the oven. This gives them all an even, round shape that makes the presentation even more impressive.
- Make the dough in advance: If you like, you can prepare the potato chocolate chip cookie dough ahead of time. Keep it covered for up to 48 hours in the refrigerator. Just make sure that you allow it to sit at room temperature for about 10 minutes to make it easier to scoop.
- Storage and freezer directions: Store your potato chip cookies in an airtight container for up to 5 days at room temperature. You may freeze them in a freezer bag for up to 3 months.
Another one of my favorite cookies that is sweet, salty, and has plenty of mix-ins is these Christmas crack cookies.
Serving Suggestions
- Ice cream: Enjoy a scoop of brownie ice cream with caramel with your potato chip cookie. You may also turn them into an ice cream sandwich with your favorite store-bought vanilla.
- Drink pairings: An ice-cold glass of milk or a hot cup of coffee are classic companions for freshly baked cookies.
- More bake sale treats: Whether you're planning to participate in a bake sale or want to make a dessert board, some more desserts you can make are Oreo brookies and almond cookie bars.
Potato Chip Cookies Recipe FAQs
You can use any kind of plain and salted potato chip in this recipe for potato chip cookies. I don't recommend trying another chip flavor, but styles like wavy or kettle cooked will work just as well as the classic version.
Yes! Scoop the cookie dough balls and allow them to firm in the freezer on a baking sheet. Then transfer them to a freezer bag lined with parchment paper. Bake the potato chip cookie dough balls straight from frozen, but add 2-3 minutes to the baking time.
The best way to prevent this is to ensure the butter is cold when you make the dough and avoid letting the cookie dough sit at room temperature for long. As it sits, the butter will get warm, making the cookie dough sticky and causing it to spread too much in the oven. Bake the cookies right away or put the potato chip cookie dough balls in the fridge until you're ready to bake them.
You can! The result feels more like shortbread, and it is less sweet. I think the chocolate chips bring balance, but you can skip them if you don't like or want chocolate in the cookies.
More Homemade Cookie Recipes
Do you like cookie recipes? Here are some recipes you may also like to try.
If you try this recipe and love it please leave a star rating in the recipe card below or even better, drop a review in the comment section. I always appreciate your feedback. Be sure to follow along with me on Facebook, Pinterest, and YouTube for more easy recipes!
Potato Chip Cookies
Ingredients
- 1 cup unsalted butter cold
- 1 cup light brown sugar packed
- ½ cup granulated sugar
- 2 large eggs
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 2 ¼ cups all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon baking powder
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 1 ½ cups crushed potato chips I used Lays
- ¾ cup milk chocolate chips
- ¾ cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
- Flaky sea salt or coarse salt for sprinkling *optional
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 350°F . Line two baking sheets with parchment paper or silicone baking mats. You can also bake them 1 batch at a time.
- In a large mixing bowl, use a hand mixer to cream the butter, light brown sugar, and granulated sugar together until light and fluffy (about 2 minutes).
- Beat in the eggs one at a time, followed by the vanilla extract. Mix until fully incorporated.
- In a separate bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda, baking powder, and salt.
- Gradually add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients, mixing just until combined. Do not overmix.
- Gently fold in the crushed potato chips, milk chocolate chips, and semi-sweet chocolate chips.
- Using a cookie scoop or tablespoon, drop rounded balls of dough onto the prepared baking sheets, spacing them about 2 inches apart.
- Sprinkle each dough ball with a pinch of flaky sea salt if desired.
- Bake for 10-12 minutes, or until the edges are lightly golden and the centers appear slightly underbaked. They will firm up as they cool.
- Allow cookies to cool on the baking sheets for 5 minutes before transferring them to a wire rack to cool completely.
Notes
- Using cold butter in the potato chip cookie dough helps it melt slowly as the cookies bake, keeping them from spreading too much. This results in crispy edges and a thick, soft center for that perfect bakery-style texture.
- Crush the potato chips coarsely so you can still see and taste the pieces throughout the cookies.
- To prevent spreading too much, keep the butter cold and don't let the dough sit at room temperature too long. Bake right away or refrigerate the dough balls until ready to use.
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