Making recipes prepared by loved ones from my past is a way I travel back in time and reconnect with those cherished memories. One of my favorite sweet treats my Grandma Huber baked when I was a kid were Potato Chip Cookies. Ingredients are pretty simple yet the cookie is thick with a buttery, savory and simply sweet flavor and crunchy texture.
Now hold that thought about these cookies.
Recently, I discovered Trader Joe’s Fireworks Chocolate Bar which is a dark chocolate bar with chipotle and pasilla chilies, cayenne pepper and popping candy (like Pop Rocks). It is Ah-MAZING! It’s a deep, luscious piece of velvety Heaven peppered with zippiness and sparkle. Plus, it’s dark chocolate so it’s better than milk chocolate, right?
Wondering how I could recreate this bar’s magic, I decided to marry its sassiness with my Grandma’s traditional Potato Chip Cookies to create this recipe. Okay, do a Google search and you’ll find many potato chip cookie recipes but it’ll always be my Grandma’s in my book!
Take a bite of these cookies and be prepared for a fiery party in your mouth! I actually used a little more cayenne pepper than what I included in this recipe and boy, oh boy! The result was a fantastic dose of heat tempered by the soothing creaminess of the cookies. The Pop Rocks add a fun crackling surprise, just like a party!
Ready? Here we go!
Recipe for Fiery Party in Your Mouth Potato Chip Cookies
Makes 2 – 3 dozen cookies
Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees
Ingredients
1 pound butter, room temperature
2 tsp vanilla
1 C sugar
3 ½ C Flour
1½ C crushed potato chips
5 ounces dark chocolate chips (about half a bag)
1 tsp cayenne pepper
4 packets Pop Rocks – any flavor (.24oz packets; I found them at Dollar Tree – and have seen them at Walmart in the checkout aisle. They’re a better value at Dollar Tree)
Directions
Cream together butter, vanilla and sugar.
Stir in flour and crushed potato chips
Take about a tablespoon scoop of batter. Shape it into a ball then roll it between the palms of your hand to create a thick in the middle and thin at the ends cookie (so it looks like a cigar) then bend into a crescent.
Place on a cookie sheet (I used parchment paper).
Bake 12 – 15 minutes until lightly brown.
Cool for 2 minutes on the cookie sheet then remove and cool on a wire rack.
Once cool, melt dark chocolate chip cookies. (I popped them in the microwave on high for 1 minute.)
Stir in the cayenne pepper and a packet of Pop Rocks. If you’re feeling really sassy, toss in another packet of Pop Rocks.
With each cookie, dip an end into the chocolate, pepper, Pop Rocks mixture and place on wax paper until the chocolate cools and solidifies. If desired, sprinkle the chocolate mixture with more Pop Rocks before it solidifies. Repeat.
Enjoy (in moderation, of course)!
I stored them in my refrigerator for a week and a half and the Pop Rocks still crackled.
Speaking of crackling candy, there’s that time I dined in Las Vegas on sushi made with Pop Rocks.
Are you a Pop Rocks fan?
