The Secret Ingredient In These Retro Cookies Is An Unexpected Snack

The first modern bags of commercial potato chips hit shelves at the start of the 1950s, and midcentury home cooks were nothing if not resourceful when it came to discovering new ways to feed their families. It was very much in keeping with '50s sensibilities to take something new and exciting (in this case, the bagged potato chip) and combine it with something familiar and beloved, like cookies. Behold, potato chip cookies — a simple butter cookie that was made airy, crunchy, and just the tiniest bit savory with the addition of potato chips.

Potato chip cookies can be found in old church cookbooks, the type of recipe that was passed around to friends and neighbors. Today, potato chip cookies not only scratch our insatiable itch to cook old-fashioned everything, but they're downright enjoyable on their own merits. You can see the lineage in treats like kitchen sink cookies, chocolate chip cookies sprinkled with flaky sea salt, or adding chips or pretzels to boxed brownies.

We've covered the fact that one reason why you should store potato chips in the fridge is extra crispiness, which is something you definitely want in the chips you'll crush up for your cookies. Plain potato chips are best, obviously, and we recommend ruffled chips or kettle-cooked specimens for their ability to hold up sturdily to the baking process. A "standard" midcentury potato chip cookie is very basic; just a butter cookie studded with potato chips, but you can definitely venture away from this simplicity ... and even do it in ways of which retro cooks would have approved!

If you want to amp up the sweetness of your potato chip cookies, try covering them in a snowfall of powdered sugar. By themselves, the cookies are not exceptionally sweet, thanks to the butter and chips in the cookie dough. Another delicious add-in is chocolate, whether you add chocolate chips or drizzle them in melted chocolate before serving. How about butterscotch chips for gooeyness and sugary taste? 

Want more crunch? Kick things up a notch with crushed nuts, which will amplify the delightful texture of the cookies and add an even more savory element. Part of having fun with vintage recipes is not being too precious about the "authenticity" of the preparation and being willing to put your own spin on things.