Chocolate Chip Potato Chip Cookies
Chocolate Chip Potato Chip Cookies
If you love the combination of sweet and salty, these Chocolate Chip Potato Chip Cookies need to be on your baking list. They’re soft and chewy chocolate chip cookies loaded with semisweet chocolate chips and crushed Wavy Lay’s potato chips for an unexpected salty crunch.
The potato chips are what make these cookies so good. They add little crispy, salty bites throughout the buttery cookie dough without making the cookies taste overwhelmingly like potato chips. Instead, that extra saltiness balances the brown sugar, vanilla, and chocolate.
I used Wavy Lay’s Original Potato Chips because the thicker ridged chips hold up beautifully in cookie dough. Crush them into pieces rather than fine crumbs so you can actually see and taste the potato chips in the finished cookies.
They’re a fun twist on classic chocolate chip cookies and one of those recipes people won’t expect to love nearly as much as they do.
Why You’ll Love These Chocolate Chip Potato Chip Cookies
These cookies have a little bit of everything: chewy centers, buttery crisp edges, melty chocolate, and salty potato chip crunch.
You’ll love them because they’re:
- Sweet and salty
- Soft and chewy
- Loaded with chocolate chips
- Made with crunchy potato chips
- Easy to make
- No complicated ingredients
- A fun twist on chocolate chip cookies
- Perfect for parties, bake sales, and cookie trays
And if you’ve ever dipped French fries into a milkshake or put sea salt on chocolate, you already understand why this combination works.
Ingredients
- 1 cup unsalted butter, softened
- 3/4 cup granulated sugar
- 1 cup packed light brown sugar
- 2 large eggs
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 2 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 2 cups semisweet chocolate chips
- 2 cups roughly crushed Wavy Lay’s Original Potato Chips
- Additional chocolate chips and crushed potato chips for the tops, optional
Why Put Potato Chips in Cookies?
Potato chips might sound like a strange cookie ingredient, but they’re essentially adding three things that already work beautifully in desserts: salt, crunch, and a little extra richness.
The salty chips contrast with the sweet cookie dough and chocolate, making the chocolate taste even better.
It’s similar to adding flaky sea salt to chocolate chip cookies—except you get crunch along with the salt.
Why I Used Wavy Lay’s
I used Wavy Lay’s Original Potato Chips in these cookies, and I especially like the wavy chips because they’re thicker than many traditional potato chips.
That means you can fold pieces into the dough without all of them immediately disappearing into crumbs.
You want to crush them, but don’t pulverize them.
Some small crumbs are inevitable and actually help distribute that salty potato chip flavor throughout the dough, but leave plenty of larger pieces for texture.
How to Make Chocolate Chip Potato Chip Cookies
Crush the Potato Chips
Place the Wavy Lay’s potato chips in a zip-top bag and gently crush them with your hands.
You can also crush them in a bowl.
You’re looking for small pieces, not potato chip powder.
Set them aside while you prepare the cookie dough.
Cream the Butter and Sugars
Add the softened butter, granulated sugar, and brown sugar to a large mixing bowl.
Beat until the mixture is creamy and fluffy, approximately 2–3 minutes.
Creaming the butter and sugar well helps create a wonderful cookie texture.
Add the Eggs and Vanilla
Add the eggs one at a time, mixing after each addition.
Mix in the vanilla extract.
Scrape down the sides of the bowl as necessary so everything is evenly incorporated.
Add the Dry Ingredients
In a separate bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda, and salt.
Gradually add the dry ingredients to the butter mixture.
Mix just until the cookie dough comes together.
Avoid overmixing once you’ve added the flour.
Add Chocolate Chips
Fold in the chocolate chips.
I like semisweet chocolate because these cookies already have plenty of sweetness, and semisweet chocolate provides a nice balance.
Milk chocolate works too if you prefer a sweeter cookie.
Fold in the Potato Chips
Finally, gently fold the crushed Wavy Lay’s into the dough.
Don’t use the mixer for this step.
Folding them in by hand helps preserve those crunchy pieces instead of crushing them completely into the dough.
Scoop the Cookies
Preheat the oven to 350°F and line baking sheets with parchment paper.
Scoop approximately 2 tablespoons of dough per cookie and place the dough balls several inches apart.
For especially pretty cookies, press a few additional chocolate chips and pieces of potato chip onto the top of each dough ball.
This makes it immediately obvious what’s hiding inside.
Bake
Bake for approximately 10–12 minutes, or until the edges are lightly golden and the centers still look slightly soft.
Don’t wait until the centers look completely dry.
The cookies continue setting as they cool on the hot baking sheet.
Allow them to rest on the baking sheet for about 5 minutes before transferring them to a wire cooling rack.
The Secret to Soft and Chewy Cookies
The biggest secret is simple: don’t overbake them.
Take the cookies out when the edges have set but the centers still look slightly underdone.
As the cookies sit on the hot baking sheet, they’ll continue cooking without becoming dry.
Brown sugar also helps create that wonderfully soft, chewy center.
Don’t Crush the Potato Chips Too Much
This is probably the most important tip specific to this recipe.
If you turn the potato chips into fine crumbs, they’ll essentially disappear into the cookie dough.
They’ll still add flavor, but you’ll lose that fun potato chip texture.
Instead, aim for a mixture of small and medium pieces.
When you bite into the cookie, you should occasionally hit an unmistakable little piece of salty potato chip.
Should I Chill the Cookie Dough?
You can bake these cookies without chilling the dough if your butter wasn’t overly soft and your dough holds its shape well.
However, if your kitchen is warm or the dough seems particularly soft, refrigerate it for about 30 minutes before baking.
Chilling can also help produce a thicker cookie.
Can I Add Potato Chips on Top?
Yes, and I recommend it.
After scooping the cookie dough, press a few pieces of Wavy Lay’s and a few extra chocolate chips into the tops.
The potato chips on the surface may become especially crisp and golden while the cookies bake.
It also makes these cookies look much more interesting than an ordinary chocolate chip cookie.
Sweet and Salty Chocolate Chip Cookies
Salt and chocolate are a classic combination for a reason.
A little salt balances sweetness and brings out the deeper flavors in chocolate.
That’s why these cookies don’t simply taste like chocolate chip cookies with a random ingredient thrown into them.
The potato chips actually make sense.
You get buttery cookie, brown sugar, vanilla, chocolate, and little salty, crunchy bites all at once.
Potato Chip Cookie Variations
Once you’ve tried the basic recipe, there are plenty of ways to change it.
Dark Chocolate Potato Chip Cookies: Use dark chocolate chunks instead of semisweet chips.
Milk Chocolate Potato Chip Cookies: Swap in milk chocolate chips for an extra-sweet version.
Chocolate Chunk Potato Chip Cookies: Roughly chopped chocolate gives you larger melted chocolate pockets.
Potato Chip Toffee Cookies: Add about 1/2 cup of toffee bits along with the chocolate.
Potato Chip Pretzel Cookies: Replace part of the potato chips with roughly crushed pretzels for even more salty crunch.
What Kind of Potato Chips Are Best for Cookies?
A sturdy potato chip works particularly well.
That’s one reason I like Wavy Lay’s for this recipe.
The thicker ridges give the cookies a little more texture and are less likely to completely disappear when they’re folded into the dough.
I recommend using original salted potato chips rather than strongly flavored varieties for the classic sweet-and-salty flavor.
Can I Use Other Chocolate Chips?
Absolutely.
Try semisweet, milk chocolate, dark chocolate, mini chocolate chips, or chopped chocolate.
You could even use a combination.
Semisweet is my favorite here because it balances the sweetness of the dough and the saltiness of the potato chips.
How to Store Chocolate Chip Potato Chip Cookies
Allow the cookies to cool completely before storing.
Keep them in an airtight container at room temperature for approximately 3–4 days.
The potato chips will be crispiest when the cookies are fresh, but they’ll still add wonderful salty flavor as the cookies sit.
Can You Freeze the Cookie Dough?
Yes.
Scoop the dough into individual cookie dough balls and place them on a parchment-lined baking sheet.
Freeze until firm, then transfer the frozen dough balls to a freezer-safe container or bag.
You can bake them from frozen, adding a little additional baking time as necessary.
For the best appearance, wait to press additional potato chip pieces onto the tops until you’re ready to bake.
Can You Freeze Baked Cookies?
Yes. Once completely cool, place the cookies in a freezer-safe container with parchment between the layers.
Thaw them at room temperature.
A few seconds in the microwave will bring back that wonderful soft chocolate-chip-cookie texture.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can you really put potato chips in chocolate chip cookies?
Yes! Potato chips add salt and crunch that balance the sweet cookie dough and chocolate.
Do potato chip cookies taste like potatoes?
Not really. You’ll notice little salty, crunchy bites rather than a strong potato flavor.
What potato chips are best for potato chip cookies?
Thicker original salted chips work particularly well. I used Wavy Lay’s because the ridged chips hold up nicely when folded into the cookie dough.
Should I crush the potato chips?
Yes, but only roughly. You want recognizable potato chip pieces rather than fine crumbs.
Can I use regular Lay’s instead of Wavy Lay’s?
Yes. Regular potato chips will work, although they’re thinner and may break into smaller pieces more easily.
Can I make the cookie dough ahead of time?
Yes. Cover and refrigerate the dough, then scoop and bake when you’re ready.
Prep Time: 15 minutes
Bake Time: 10–12 minutes per batch
Total Time: About 30 minutes
Yield: Approximately 24–30 cookies
