Maui Style Potato Chips are my favorite chip. They are very crunchy and unlike some other brands, they are not smashed to smithereens when you open up the bag. Some of them are curved, some folded over (I like these best), and they are perfectly salty as a chip should be. With that being said, they are ideal for this recipe. I can understand the 5 star rating these Fine Cooking magazine cookies receive from those who have made them. They are delicious.
If you can’t find Maui Style Potato Chips you may substitute with your favorite kettle-style potato chips.
Finely chopped pecans contribute to the cookie’s crisp texture.
The cookie dough is shaped into balls then pressed with a buttered cup coated with sugar. The dough is not overly sweet and the sugar-coating adds a nice finish to the cookies once baked.
- 8 ounces Earth Balance Buttery Sticks (or regular butter), softened at room temperature; more for shaping
- ½ cup granulated sugar; more for shaping
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 8 ounces (scant 2 cups) all-purpose flour
- ½ cup finely chopped pecans
- ¾ cup finely crushed potato chips
- Position rack in the middle and heat oven to 350 degrees. Line 2 large baking sheets with parchment paper.
- With a hand mixer, beat the Buttery Sticks and sugar on medium speed in a large bowl until creamy and well blended, about 4 minutes, scraping the bowl as needed (or use a stand mixer with the paddle attachment). Add the vanilla and beat again until blended. If using a hand mixer, stir in the flour, pecans and potato chips or mix on low speed with a stand mixer.
- Shape dough into 1½-inch balls. Arrange the balls about 2 inches apart on the baking sheets. Put some sugar in a shallow bowl. Lightly grease a flat-bottomed glass or small bowl with soft butter. Dip the glass into the sugar and press the glass down on a dough ball until it's about ¼-inch thick. Repeat dipping and pressing with the remaining balls. You will need to grease the glass now and then with more butter.
- Bake 1 sheet at a time until the cookies look dry on top and the edges are light golden, about 12 minutes. Let the cookies cool on the baking sheet on a rack for 5 minutes before transferring them to a rack to cool completely.
- If you are not serving the cookies right away, freeze them in an airtight container. This keeps them fresh and crisp. Remove cookies from the freezer 30 - 60 minutes before serving.
