Julie Clark
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Butterscotch Potato Chip Cookies
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Butterscotch Potato Chip Cookies have crushed potato chips in the dough for a perfect combination of salty & sweet. Fall in love with this easy cookie recipe!
Butterscotch gets a bad rap in our house. When it comes time to satisfy our sweet tooth in some way, the word “butterscotch” never ever enters into the discussion. And when I see cookies like these I wonder…why??
Although butterscotch is often forgotten, it is very versatile. It’s one of our favorite ice cream toppings, and this coffee cake made with butterscotch pudding is our go-to breakfast treat. And butterscotch chips in cookie bars are always a good idea.
Potato Chips in Cookies
When people hear “potato chip cookies”, they think we are crazy. They can’t believe they would taste good. You’ll love how the sweet butterscotch chips pair with the salty potato chips to create a perfect cookie.
And if you often find yourself with multiple bags of crushed potato chips in your pantry, this is the way to use them up.
This is a new take on our classic potato chip cookie, normally made with chocolate chips. The butterscotch cookie recipe comes from Matt’s aunt, who always made them this way. Because butterscotch chips are really sweet, I lowered the granulated sugar by ¼ cup for this version.
What type of potato chips are best?
Wavy or ripple style chips (or kettle chips) tend to be sturdier than regular chips so they give the cookies more of a crunch. You can use any type of chips you’d like though.
How much do you crush the chips? It depends on how you’d like your cookies. We like to see pieces of potato chips in the cookies, so we crush our chips coarsely.
How to Make Butterscotch Potato Chip Cookies
Don’t preheat the oven right away for this recipe. You have to let the dough chill for at least 1 hour before baking. Prepare cookie sheets with baking mats or parchment paper.
- Cream. Cream together the butter, sugar, and brown sugar using a hand mixer or stand mixer in a medium bowl for 2-3 minutes.
- Mix. Mix in the eggs and vanilla. Mix for 1 minute or until well combined. Add in the flour, salt and baking soda. Mix until combined. Lastly, mix in the potato chips and butterscotch chips.
- Scoop. Use a cookie scoop to scoop the dough. Form them into balls and place on the prepared baking sheets. Press extra butterscotch chips into the top for a pretty look.
- Chill. Refrigerate the cookie dough balls for at least 1 hour.
- Bake. Preheat the oven to 350º Fahrenheit. Bake each batch for about 13-15 minutes, or until nearly browned.
Baking tip
It’s important to note that these cookies will be very soft when you take them out of the oven. Cool the cookies on the cookie sheets for 5 minutes, then move them to a wire rack to cool completely.
Do you have to refrigerate the cookie dough?
You should refrigerate the dough at least an hour before baking them for the best cookies, especially if you like a thicker cookie. Or, you can choose not to refrigerate the dough and get a flatter cookie.
We like to make these cookies both ways. Flat cookies are great for cookie sandwiches and to serve with homemade ice cream. Thick cookies are great for grab and go desserts and school lunches.
The secret to making perfectly round cookies.
Depending on the amount of oil in your potato chip cookies, these cookies may spread slightly more than you’d like. Here’s the trick to making perfectly round cookies:
Place a large round cookie cutter (or a wide mouth mason jar ring) over the hot cookie. Use your hand to make quick circles on the pan, which will spin the cookie on the inside of the ring and round out the cookie.
You have to do this when the cookies is hot, so work quickly immediately after the cookies come out of the oven.
This recipe is excellent after an American comfort meal of sloppy joes, a cookout with hot dogs or bratwurst, or sheet pan dinner of baked nachos.
Butterscotch Potato Chip Cookies
Butterscotch Potato Chip Cookies have crushed potato chips in the dough for a perfect salty & sweet combination. Fall in love with this easy cookie recipe.
Servings 36
Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 15 minutes
Chilling Time 1 hour
Total Time 1 hour 25 minutes
Ingredients
- 1 cup unsalted butter 8 ounces -room temperature
- 3/4 cup granulated sugar 150 grams
- 1 cup brown sugar 200 grams
- 2 large eggs
- 2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour 325 grams
- 1 teaspoon baking soda 5 grams
- 1/2 teaspoon salt 3 grams
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract 5 grams
- 2 cups butterscotch chips 340 grams (plus an extra ½ cup for pressing into the top of the cookie balls)
- 2 cups crushed potato chips 4 ounces
Instructions
- Using an electric mixer or in the bowl of a stand mixer (with the paddle attachment), cream together the room temperature (not melted!) butter, sugar, and brown sugar. Cream for 2-3 minutes on medium-high speed.
- Mix in the eggs and vanilla. Mix for 1 minute or until well combined.
- Add in the flour, salt and baking soda. Mix until combined. Lastly, mix in the potato chips and butterscotch chips.
- Scoop the dough into balls using a 1 1/2″ cookie scoop and place on a parchment paper lined baking sheet. Refrigerate for at least 1 hour.
- Preheat the oven to 350ºF. Place dough balls 2″ apart on a parchment lined baking sheet (or use a silicone baking mat). If you’d like, press a few extra butterscotch chips or leftover crushed chips on the top of the dough balls which will make them look pretty after baking.
- Bake for about 11 minutes, or until the cookies are lightly golden brown around the edges.
- Allow the cookies to cool on the pan for 3-4 minutes, then move to a wire rack to cool completely.
Video
Notes
- Store in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 4 days.
- Freeze any leftovers. You can also use white chocolate chips in this recipe.
- Refer to the article above for more tips and tricks.
- The calories shown are based on the recipe making 36 cookies, with 1 serving being 1 cookie. Since different brands of ingredients have different nutritional information, the calories shown are just an estimate. **We are not dietitians and recommend you seek a nutritionist for exact nutritional information. The information in the nutrition box are calculated through a program and there is room for error. If you need an accurate count, I recommend running the ingredients through your favorite nutrition calculator.**
Nutrition
Calories: 183kcal | Carbohydrates: 28g | Protein: 2g | Fat: 7g | Saturated Fat: 4g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 2g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 25mg | Sodium: 129mg | Potassium: 101mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 18g | Vitamin A: 182IU | Vitamin C: 1mg | Calcium: 11mg | Iron: 1mg
Helpful Cookie Resources:
- Our best Cookie Making Tools that every baker should have.
- Tips on how to freeze cookies.
- Do your cookies turn out flat? Find out why here.
Surprisingly good! I was skeptical about potato chips in a cookie…who knew🤷♀️