Potato Chip Cookies

I saw recipes for Potato Chip Cookies in two different places on the same day, so I took it as a sign that I must make them. I don't have a rule or anything, but hey, it sounded good to me!

Now, I had NO idea what to expect here. I've never heard of these before, and certainly never eaten them. You'd think they'd be salty, right?? But no, they're not! I don't know why and it's really strange. They don't taste like potato chips at all, and you'd never know they're in there, except for they feel kinda potato-chippy when you chew them. The flavor is very buttery and a little nutty from the pecans. They are crisp, and extremely light and crumbly, like a pecan sandy but lighter in texture. Erol said that they are similar to chips in that you could eat a dozen of these before you realize it.
Potato Chip Cookies

recipe from The Best Of Fine Cooking Cookies magazine

8 oz. (1 cup) unsalted butter, softened at room temperature; more for shaping

1/2 cup granulated sugar; more for shaping

1 tsp. pure vanilla extract

8 oz. (scant 2 cups) all-purpose flour

2 oz. (1/2 cup) finely chopped pecans

1/2 cup finely crushed potato chips

Position oven racks in the middle and top of the oven and heat the oven to 350°F. Line two large baking sheets with parchment.

With a stand mixer (use the paddle attachment) or a hand mixer, beat the butter and sugar on medium speed in a large bowl until creamy and well blended, about 4 minutes, scraping the bowl as needed. Add the vanilla and beat again until blended. Add the flour, pecans, and potato chips and mix on low speed until just blended.

Shape heaping teaspoons of dough into 1-inch balls. Arrange the balls about 2 inches apart on the prepared baking sheets. Put some sugar in a shallow bowl. Lightly grease the bottom of a glass or measuring cup with soft butter. Dip the glass into the sugar and press the glass down on a dough ball until it’s about 1/4 inch thick. Repeat dipping and pressing with the remaining balls.

Bake until the cookies look dry on top and the edges are light golden, 10 to 12 minutes, rotating and swapping the positions of the sheets for even baking. Let the cookies cool on the sheets on racks for 5 minutes before transferring them to racks to cool completely.

Store at room temperature or freeze in an airtight container, separating the cookie layers with waxed paper.

Rosemary Butter Cookies

If my condo was burning down, I would grab the magazine this recipe is in. Once I thought I lost it, and I almost lost IT! I would have written to the Martha Stewart company begging for a replacement.

Anyway, I make these cookies every year for Thanksgiving. My mom and sister would have me disinvited if I didn't bring them! Rosemary is an unusual ingredient for cookies, I know, but if you like the scent of rosemary you will LOVE these cookies. They are incredibly good. And with the sugar on the the outside, they remind me of those tins of butter cookies, just homemade, and with a twist. I saw my baggie of rosemary from my parents' yard in the fridge and couldn't think of anything else to make but these.

When you roll the logs of dough, make them quite skinny so you will have cute small cookies. I use Turbinado sugar (or Sugar in the Raw) instead of sanding sugar since it's much cheaper and very good. Rosemary Butter Cookies
recipe from Martha Stewart Holiday Cookies magazine, 2006

Makes about 5 dozen

1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, softened
3/4 cup granulated sugar
1 large egg plus 1 egg white, beaten
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
2 1/2 cups sifted all-purpose flour
1 tablespoon finely chopped fresh rosemary
3/4 teaspoon coarse salt
1/2 cup fine sanding sugar

Put butter and granulated sugar in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment; mix on medium speed until pale and fluffy, about 2 minutes. Mix in whole egg and vanilla. Reduce speed to low. Add flour, rosemary, and salt, and mix until combined.
Halve dough; shape each half into a log. Place each log on a 12-by-16-inch sheet of parchment. Roll in parchment to 1 1/2 inches in diameter, pressing a ruler along edge of parchment at each turn to narrow log. Transfer to paper-towel tubes to hold shape, and freeze until firm, about 1 hour.

Preheat oven to 375. Brush each log with egg white; roll in sanding sugar. Cut into 1/4-inch-thick rounds. Space 1 inch apart on baking sheets lined with parchment. Bake until edges are golden, 18 to 20 minutes. Let cool on sheets on wire racks. Store in airtight containers at room temperature up to 3 days.

Chocolate Chunk Cookies

It has been cookie mania over here in my messy kitchen! I've made Potato Chip Cookies, Rosemary Butter Cookies, and these Chocolate Chunk ones. Of course, each one comes with it's own story, so here they are, one at a time.

We call these Mac Cookies because my grandmother, who we called Mac, made these by the thousand every time she visited us from Florida. They are by far the best thing she ever did for us kids, but hey, we'll take what we can get! The recipe is originally from the packaging of Baker's Semi-Sweet Chocolate, though they have changed the recipe since. I didn't add walnuts today, but I usually do (black walnuts when I can get my hands on them), or sometimes pecans. I get my chocolate from Trader Joes, and I use bittersweet, which is less sweet than semi-sweet. You can use either light or dark brown sugar, but I prefer dark. Especially if you add nuts, the batter seems extremely chunky, like there's not enough batter for the chunks of chocolate and nuts, but don't be alarmed! You can make small, bite sized cookies or huge ones and they will all be perfect, just adjust the cooking time a minute or so more or less.Chocolate Chunk Cookies
1-3/4 cups flour
3/4 tsp. baking soda
1/4 tsp. salt
3/4 cup (1-1/2 sticks) butter or margarine, softened
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1/2 cup firmly packed brown sugar
1 egg
1 tsp. vanilla
1 pkg. (12 oz.) BAKER'S Semi-Sweet Chocolate Chunks
1 cup chopped toasted walnuts

HEAT oven to 375°F.

MIX flour, baking soda and salt in medium bowl; set aside.

BEAT butter and sugars in large bowl with electric mixer on medium speed until light and fluffy. Add egg and vanilla; beat well. Gradually beat in flour mixture. Stir in chocolate chunks and walnuts. Drop by heaping tablespoonfuls on to ungreased cookie sheets.

BAKE 12 to 13 minutes or just until golden brown. Cool on cookie sheets 1 minutes. Remove to wire racks and cool completely.