Potato Chip Cookies

published Mar 8, 2023
Potato Chip Cookies Recipe

Soft sugar cookies studded through with salted ruffled potato chips.

Makes45 (2-in.) cookies

Prep30 minutes

Cook25 minutes to 30 minutes

Jump to Recipe
We independently select these products—if you buy from one of our links, we may earn a commission. All prices were accurate at the time of publishing.
Potato Chip Cookies on plate
Credit: Kayla Hoang

I love a vanilla-scented sugar cookie, but my snack cravings usually lean more toward the salty side. To satisfy my craving, I combined soft sugar cookies with crunchy potato chips to create an irresistible snack for when you can’t decide between something salty or something sweet. With potato chip cookies, you get the best of both worlds in one adorable cookie. Even those who have never had them before will probably be fans after taking their first bite. Plus, these little drop cookies are as easy to make as chocolate chip cookies, and just as easy to eat.

What Do Potato Chip Cookies Taste Like?

Potato chip cookies taste like soft sugar cookies studded through with potato chips. They have a salty-sweet flavor, with a satisfying crunch from the chips.

What Kind of Potato Chips Should I Use? 

Because there are so many varieties of potato chips available, I tried the three most popular to see which made for the best potato chip cookies. It was a bit like Goldilocks and the three bears: Regular potato chips (like Lay’s) were too soft and didn’t retain their crunch, and kettle cooked potato chips were a bit too thick and dense. Ruffled potato chips, on the other hand, were just right: The cookies retained their crunch even after a few days. 

Credit: Kayla Hoang

If You’re Making Potato Chip Cookies, a Few Tips

  • Get salted chips. To achieve the signature sweet-savory flavor in the cookies, make sure you get salted chips.
  • Don’t crush the chips too finely. Crush the chips into pieces no bigger than one half-inch. They’ll break apart into slightly smaller pieces as you stir them into the thick, sticky cookie dough.
  • Drop the dough. There’s no need to roll the dough into balls first — just drop them from the scoop or spoon directly onto the baking sheet. This way, you can see the fun waves of the chips poking through the tops of the craggy cookies.
  • Bake on parchment for the best color. Although you can bake the cookies on parchment paper or silicone baking mats, the cookies will brown better on parchment.

Can Potato Chip Cookies Be Made Ahead of Time?

While I would usually freeze cookie dough by dropping it onto the baking sheet and then popping it in the freezer, the chips would get soggy during the freezing process. If you want to make potato chip cookies ahead of time, I would just bake them off and store them in an airtight container at cool room temperature — they’ll be good for up to four days.

Potato Chip Cookies Recipe

Soft sugar cookies studded through with salted ruffled potato chips.

Prep time 30 minutes

Cook time 25 minutes to 30 minutes

Makes 45 (2-in.) cookies

Nutritional Info

Ingredients

  • 2 sticks

    unsalted butter

  • 3 1/2 ounces

    ruffled salted potato chips (about 4 cups)

  • 1/2 cup

    packed light brown sugar

  • 1/2 cup

    granulated sugar

  • 1

    large egg

  • 1 1/2 teaspoons

    vanilla extract

  • 1/2 teaspoon

    kosher salt

  • 2 cups

    all-purpose flour

Instructions

  1. Place 2 sticks unsalted butter in the bowl of a stand mixer (or large bowl if using an electric hand mixer). Let sit until softened to room temperature. Meanwhile, place 3 1/2 ounces ruffled salted potato chips in a large ziptop bag, press out the excess air, and seal the bag. Gently crush with a rolling pin or bottom of a small pan into pieces no larger than 1/2-inch (about 1 1/2 cups).

  2. Arrange 2 racks to divide the oven into thirds and heat the oven to 375ºF. Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper or silicone baking mats (the cookies will brown more on parchment).

  3. Add 1/2 cup packed light brown sugar and 1/2 cup granulated sugar to the bowl of butter. Beat with the paddle attachment on medium speed until lightened in color and fluffy, 3 to 4 minutes. Add 1 large egg, 1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract, and 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt. Beat on medium speed until combined, 30 seconds to 1 minute. Scrape down the sides of the bowl and the attachment with a flexible spatula.

  4. Add 2 cups all-purpose flour and beat on the lowest speed until almost combined, about 30 seconds. Add the potato chips and fold by hand with the spatula until just combined and no streak of flour remain, the dough will be thick and sticky. Drop level tablespoons of the dough onto the baking sheets (no need to roll them into balls), spacing them at least 2-inches apart, 15 per sheet.

  5. Bake for 8 minutes. Rotate the baking sheets from front to back and between racks. Bake until the bottoms and edges of the cookies are light golden brown, 4 to 5 minutes more. Let the cookies cool on the baking sheets for 5 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack and let cool completely. Bake the remaining dough on cooled baking sheets (you can reuse the parchment or mats).

Recipe Notes

Make ahead: The cookie dough can be scooped onto a baking sheet and frozen solid. Transfer to a plastic zip-top bag and freeze for up to 2 months. Bake from frozen for the same amount of time.

Storage: The cookies can be stored in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 4 days.