Potato Chip Cookies & First Week of Summer

You read that right. Not cookies & potato chips, but cookies with potato chips in them. So wrong.

But so right.

I've had this recipe, pulled out of Martha Living, on my night stand for at least a month, so it was time. I followed the recipe, except skipped the nuts (chips are enough!) and the skipped the salt (oops...baking with a toddler), but missed neither. The cookie base is buttery and not overly sweet, with a good combination of crunch from the edges and chips and softer, chewy centers. Heaven. Thankfully, I only baked a few and the rest are safe in the freezer.  Indiana, the light eater, ate two, so I'm guessing they're kid-friendly. Mom friendly too.

Ingredients
•    2 sticks unsalted butter, softened
•    3/4 cup packed light-brown sugar
•    3/4 cup granulated sugar
•    1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
•    2 large eggs
•    2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
•    1 teaspoon baking soda
•    3/4 teaspoon coarse salt, optional
•    4 cups coarsely crushed salted potato chips (about 2/3 of a regular bag, 8 ounces), divided
•    1 cup pecans, toasted and coarsely chopped, optional

Directions
1.    Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Beat together butter and sugars with a mixer on high speed until fluffy, 2 to 3 minutes. Add vanilla and eggs (one at a time, allow to mix for 30 sec), and beat on medium speed until just combined.
2.    Add flour, baking soda, and salt, and beat on low speed until just combined. Stir in 2 cups potato chips and the nuts.
3.    Roll dough into 2-inch balls, and then roll balls in remaining potato chips to coat. Place cookies 2 inches apart on a parchment-lined baking sheet. Bake until golden, 18 to 20 minutes. Let cool completely on baking sheet.


What other, that cookies, have we been up to this week?

 Looking at trucks. Indiana jogged two blocks to see this truck close up. He LOVES trucks. So funny.

 Chalk. Indiana usually sits on whatever I draw...but we all have fun out there.

 Casey and I did a relay triathlon this morning, as Casey still doesn't have Dr.'s permission to run, I did the running for him. We beat the pants off the other relay teams and had an overall good time doing the race together.

Also, on Wednesday, we got a grill. It's gas, so yes...it's not hard-core fire cooking, but I'm hard core about the cooking part, at least. We've already made fajitas (yum) and now Rosemary Buttermilk marinaded Chicken Kebabs. Healthy and tasty. I plan on doing some strip steaks, whole butterflied chicken, whole-wheat flatbreads, corn and garden squash on the grill this week. It's a whole new branch of cooking, and I can't wait to try it all.