Even though I had heard positive buzz about Jessie Sheehan's cookbook The Vintage Baker, I initially decided not to buy it. The book doesn't include that many recipes (about 55) and the last thing I need is more cookbooks. But after I saw Sheehan's recipe for Butterscotch-Potato Chip Balls on epicurious.com, I changed my mind. This cookie was right up my alley and not what I would have expected from a "vintage" recipe. I tend to think of sweet and salty desserts as a rather recent phenomenon and for some reason I had always assumed Christina Tosi was the person who came up with the idea of putting potato chips in cookies (I always use kettle chips when I make Tosi's compost cookie recipe).
Sheehan's cookies are an updated version of a 1950s Good Housekeeping recipe for "Chip Balls." They call for butterscotch chips, which I object to on principle (because they are full of hydrogenated oil and artificial flavoring). But since I discovered Cacao Barry Zéphyr Caramel pistoles -- which are essentially caramelized white chocolate chips -- I have been using them in recipes calling for butterscotch chips.
The cookies come together quickly because the dough doesn't need to be chilled and it uses melted butter, so you don't even have to wait for butter to soften before making the recipe. You cream melted butter with sugar; add an egg and an egg yolk, followed by vanilla; add the dry ingredients (flour, baking soda, salt, and the butterscotch chips); and mix in kettle chips. You scoop out the dough (I used a #30 scoop and got 28 cookies), roll each ball of dough in crushed kettle chips, sprinkle on some flaky sea salt, and bake. While the cookies spread a decent amount in the oven, the recipe instructs you to flatten them with a spatula right after taking them out of the oven, so my cookies ended up quite flat.
The cookies were chewy and quite tasty, with a nice balance of salty and sweet. I loved the crunch from the potato chips. The caramelized white chocolate chips added a lot of richness and a deep butterscotch-y flavor. While the potato chips around the outside were not quite as crunchy by day three, but the cookies still tasted great. Even if they have their roots in a vintage recipe, these cookies have broad appeal and seem thoroughly modern to me.
Recipe: "Butterscotch-Potato Chip Balls" from The Vintage Baker by Jessie Sheehan, recipe available here at epicurious.com.
Previous Post: "They're Magically Delicious!: Compost Cookies 3.0," March 23, 2012.
Sheehan's cookies are an updated version of a 1950s Good Housekeeping recipe for "Chip Balls." They call for butterscotch chips, which I object to on principle (because they are full of hydrogenated oil and artificial flavoring). But since I discovered Cacao Barry Zéphyr Caramel pistoles -- which are essentially caramelized white chocolate chips -- I have been using them in recipes calling for butterscotch chips.
The cookies come together quickly because the dough doesn't need to be chilled and it uses melted butter, so you don't even have to wait for butter to soften before making the recipe. You cream melted butter with sugar; add an egg and an egg yolk, followed by vanilla; add the dry ingredients (flour, baking soda, salt, and the butterscotch chips); and mix in kettle chips. You scoop out the dough (I used a #30 scoop and got 28 cookies), roll each ball of dough in crushed kettle chips, sprinkle on some flaky sea salt, and bake. While the cookies spread a decent amount in the oven, the recipe instructs you to flatten them with a spatula right after taking them out of the oven, so my cookies ended up quite flat.
Recipe: "Butterscotch-Potato Chip Balls" from The Vintage Baker by Jessie Sheehan, recipe available here at epicurious.com.
Previous Post: "They're Magically Delicious!: Compost Cookies 3.0," March 23, 2012.
Comments
(PS - I'm headed to DC in November for work - which bakeries should I make sure not to miss? Thanks!)
Made these with butterscotch chips and now definitely want to try them with the caramelized white chocolate pistoles. Having a tough time findig them. Where did you find them? thanks!!