Chocolate chip, pretzel & potato chip cookies

It's become clear that I need to get my priorities in order.  A few recent "discoveries" have caused me question how I made it to the age of 29 living the way I do.

To start, Matt called on his way home from work one night last week and informed me that our car was overdue for inspection.  Three months overdue.

The car is kind of Matt's thing since he's the one driving it 95% of the time.  But it shouldn't have taken that long for one of us to notice.  In fact, I looked at the sticker recently and thought, "Huh, they usually write the date on the inside of the sticker, but this one's blank."  Did I bother to look at the front?  Nope.  Definitely didn't.

First thing Friday morning, I called and scheduled an inspection for that afternoon, so as to not tempt fate any longer.  I even thought to mention that we also needed an oil change.  Yay me!  As far as the the appointment itself, let's just say it cost a smidge more than we anticipated.

A few days prior to this little incident, I had to address an issue I'd ignored since New Year's Eve: our malfunctioning iron.

The iron was on the fritz for a few months but generally worked when we needed it to... except on New Year's Eve.  The hunk of junk gave out just before I could finish my dress.  Since I knew we'd be sitting down at dinner soon and the wrinkle was near the bottom and in the back, I didn't mind skipping it.  However, Matt's shirt was too wrinkled to be seen in public, so he picked out another.  Easy fix.

Fast forward to last week when I spotted a growing section in the center of closet, items completely out of place.  I pulled out a shirt to wear and immediately knew why. "Oooh, right."  [forehead smack]  "This stuff needs to be ironed, and our iron doesn't work."  When I told Matt, he oh-so-sweetly agreed that yes, we did need a new iron, and pointed to the much larger section of his closet that was unwearable.  Oops.

That night I ordered a new iron on Amazon along with a new pair of running shoes.  Ask me how long I delay purchasing new shoes, and I'll tell you an obvious answer: Never.  Priorities!

By now, you might think I'd have acquired the ability to do without certain things for long periods of time, but that's not the case.  I couldn't even handle one week without butter.  One week!  Cue an all-too-predictable "emergency" trip to the store.

I had a craving for a new cookie recipe that couldn't be silenced.  To tinker, to toil, to create and bake!  My mission was to create a cookie that was irresistible to everyone.  Salty and sweet.  Familiar flavors in unexpected places.  That, my friends, is how this cookie was born.  I've been mentally referring to it as the "For the love of all humanity cookie."

A crispy on the edges but chewy on the inside cookie base is studded with pretzel pieces and semi-sweet chocolate chips.  The dough is then scooped onto baking sheets and topped with even more crushed potato chips before the cookies head into the oven.

What comes out of the oven is nothing short of magical.  Cookies that score points with just about every appetite you could imagine.  Chewy, crunchy, sweet, salty, snack-y and dessert-y.  Headed to a friend's house for game night and unsure of what to bring?  Chips or pretzels?  Chocolate or vanilla?  Without being too forward or pushy, BRING THESE!  Because they've got it all.  And they are, most definitely, all that.

When it seemed like I was playing catch-up and couldn't quite get it together, these cookies saved the day.  If I could discover up a way to marry chips, pretzels and cookies, I could surely find the time to get back to living like a fully-functioning adult, who can take care of all sorts of tasks.

Come to think of it, none of this would've happened if I had a personal assistant.  A helper/minion to do my bidding and take care of annoying yet necessary chores like maintaining cars and wardrobes while I focus my energy on more important things.  Interested parties should apply.  I promise to have cookies waiting when you arrive.

One year ago: Mint chocolate chip cookies
Three years ago: Coconut chicken with honey mustard sauce
Four years ago: Quickest doughnuts


Chocolate Chip, Pretzel & Potato Chip Cookies
(based on the classic Toll House recipe)
-makes 38-40 cookies

2 sticks (1 cup) unsalted butter, room temperature
3/4 cup granulated sugar
3/4 cup packed light brown sugar
1 large whole egg + 1 large egg yolk
2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2  teaspoon salt
1/2 cup finely crushed potato chips, plus more for topping
3/4 cup crushed mini pretzels

1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.  In a large bowl, whisk together flour, baking soda, and salt; set aside.  Line two baking sheets with parchment paper.

In the large bowl of a stand mixer, combine butter and sugars and beat on medium high until light and fluffy, about 4 minutes.  Add egg, egg yolk, vanilla, and beat on low speed until incorporated.  Gradually add flour mixture and 1/2 cup crushed potato chips, beating until just combined.  Fold chocolate chips and pretzels into the dough.

Scoop 1 1/2 tablespoon balls of dough onto lined cookie sheets, leaving 2 inches between cookies.  Sprinkle tops of cookie dough balls with more crushed potato chips, pressing slightly to adhere.  Bake for 11 to 13 minutes or until edges are set and turning golden.  (Centers will still be soft but will harden as they cool.  Do not overbake!)  Remove cookie sheet to wire rack to cool completely.  Enjoy with a tall glass of milk!

Cookies can be stored in containers between wax or parchment paper at room temperature for up to 1 week, or frozen for up to 3 months.