Not Just Chocolate Chip Cookies + Tips to help you get your holiday baking started early!

The other day I got an email from my Aunt telling me about these amazing cookies someone made her. When you like to cook and bake, you tend to get a lot of people sending you recipes to try out. Normally, I would just add the recipe to my ever-growing stack of "recipes to try when I have free time" list (HA!), but when she told me that these cookies contained pretzels AND potato chips, I was sold. I love dessert and I don't need an excuse to try out a new cookie recipe but this sweet and salty combo definitely peaked my interest. I'm six months pregnant and my kicks definitely come from sweets these days. Since I can't have the Margarita I've been craving, this cookie would have to do. The recipe was really good as written. However, I was craving a slightly different texture, something chewy to contrast with the crispness of the mix-ins. Never being one to leave well enough alone, I decided to try and make them my own. I am super happy with how these came out and I hope you are too.

This recipe is the prefect excuse to use up all of the broken chips and pretzels that inevitably invade the bottoms of the bags after your kids decide to "help" you unpack the groceries. These babies may not be the healthiest cookie in the world, but I like my desserts decadent and a little (ok, A LOT) naughty. You have my permission to go hog-wild. And if you feel that guilty, go ahead and sprinkle in some wheat germ, I wont tell! : )

P.S. My friend OneHungryMama posted something similar to these last week (great minds!). We all must have party snacks on the brain! She kicked them up a notch by adding peanuts. Brilliant!

Not Just Chocolate Chip Cookies

Makes 12-15 large cookies

3/4 cup granulated sugar

1/2 cup unsalted butter, room temperature

1 large egg

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips

3/4 cup crushed, pretzels

1/2 cup crushed, salted potato chips

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line 2 baking sheets with Silpat or parchment paper.

2. In the bowl of an electric mixer beat butter and sugar until creamy. Beat in egg and vanilla extract until incorporated. In a separate bowl, combine flour and baking soda. Add dry ingredients to the wet ingredients and beat on slow just until flour is incorporated. Turn the mixer off and remove the bowl. Stir in chocolate chips, pretzels and potato chips by hand.

3. Drop heaping tablespoons of dough onto prepared cookie sheet, spacing them 2 inches apart. Bake for 12-15 minutes or until the edges begin to turn golden brown. Place on a rack to cool. Enjoy!

To Freeze Drop Cookie Dough:

I love making batches of cookie dough and freezing them. I feel like a great mom/host when I can bake off a fresh batch of warm cookies at a moments notice. The method is super simple and a great one to know, especially during the holiday gift-giving/cooking/baking frenzy we all put ourselves through. I plan on starting my holiday baking early this year and this is how I'll get it done.

Method:

Make your favorite drop cookie recipe. Clear enough space in your freezer to fit your baking sheet. Divide dough into balls and arrange on a cookie sheet lined with parchment or wax paper. Place the cookie sheet in the freezer. When the dough balls are frozen, place them in a Ziplock freezer bag or small air-tight container, label and date them. Dough will last 3 months in your freezer.

To Bake Frozen balls:

You can defrost your cookie dough balls on a parchment or Silpat lined baking sheet in the refrigerator, this will take at least an hour.

OR

If you are impatient like me, you can bake them off frozen. Place frozen dough balls directly on a parchment or Silpat lined baking sheet and bake according to your recipes specifications. Usually your time will be a little longer than what your original recipe calls for. Keep checking the cookies for doneness.