Paula Deen Potato Chip Cookies

Paula Deen Potato Chip Cookies are an easy butter cookie made with crushed potato chips, flour and confectioners' sugar, ready in 40 minutes. This sweet and salty Southern cookie recipe fits potluck tables, church suppers and holiday cookie trays, since one batch makes about 20 cookies.

Bake these at a low 300°F until they are only light brown around the edges, because that gentle heat keeps the buttery, crumbly texture. Pull them too late and they turn dry and lose that melt-in-your-mouth bite.

Crushing the chips coarsely instead of into powder leaves small salty bits in every cookie, which is where the sweet and salty crunch comes from. Dipping the fork in flour before pressing each one also stops the soft, buttery dough from sticking.

Paula Deen Potato Chip Cookies

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Course: DessertCuisine: American, SouthernDifficulty: Easy

Servings

20

servings

Prep time

20

minutes

Cooking time

20

minutes

Calories

220

kcal

Buttery shortbread-style dough studded with crushed potato chips bakes up tender and crumbly with a salty edge. Once cooled, a dusting of confectioners' sugar finishes each cookie.

Ingredients

• 2 cups (4 sticks) softened Butter
  

• 1 cup sugar
  

• 3 1/4 cups all purpose flour
  

• 1 teaspoon vanilla
  

• 1 1/2 cups coarsely crushed potato chips
  

• 1/4 cup confectioner's sugar
  

Directions

• Preheat the oven: Preheat your oven to 300°F. Leave the cookie sheet ungreased, since the dough is buttery enough on its own.
• Cream butter and sugar: Beat 2 cups (4 sticks) softened butter and 1 cup sugar together in a large mixing bowl. Keep going until the mixture looks smooth and creamy.
• Add flour and vanilla: Slowly blend in 3 1/4 cups all purpose flour and 1 teaspoon vanilla. Adding the flour a little at a time keeps it from puffing out of the bowl.
• Fold in the chips: Add 1 1/2 cups coarsely crushed potato chips and mix well. Then stir just until the chips are spread evenly through the dough.
• Shape the cookies: Drop the dough by rounded teaspoon onto the ungreased cookie sheet, 2 inches apart. Then flatten each one slightly with a fork, dipping the fork in flour first so the dough doesn't stick.
• Bake the cookies: Bake for 18 to 20 minutes, or until light brown around the edges. They stay pale on top, so go by the edges.
• Cool and dust: Move the cookies to a wire rack to cool. Once they are cool, sprinkle them with 1/4 cup confectioners' sugar.

Tools for this recipe

• Pyrex 3-piece glass mixing bowl set, KitchenAid 5-speed hand mixer, Checkered Chef cooling racks, Nielsen-Massey Madagascar Bourbon vanilla extract, 8 oz. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.

FAQs

Can I use any kind of potato chip for these cookies?

Plain classic chips work best, since they add salt without competing with the butter and vanilla. Ridged or kettle chips also work if you crush them coarsely. I would skip heavily flavored chips like barbecue or sour cream and onion, because those seasonings would show up in a sweet cookie.

How should I store potato chip cookies?

Keep them in an airtight container at room temperature, with parchment between layers so the sugar coating stays put. They are best within a few days, because the chips lose their crunch over time. Dust with a little fresh confectioners' sugar before serving if the coating has soaked in.

Can I make the dough ahead of time?

You can mix the dough and chill it for a day or so, then let it sit out until it is soft enough to drop by the teaspoon. Add the crushed chips right before baking if you can, so they stay as crisp as possible.

Why do I press the cookies with a fork dipped in flour?

The dough is very buttery, so it sticks to a dry fork and pulls up when you press. A quick dip in flour lets the fork release cleanly and leaves a neat pattern on top. Dip it again as needed while you work through the tray.

What is the biggest mistake with these cookies?

Overbaking is the most common one. The cookies should only be light brown around the edges, since they firm up as they cool on the rack. If they turn deep golden in the oven, they come out dry instead of tender.