Chocolate Shake & French Fry Cookie

Vanilla

The vanilla in this recipe helps give the chocolate company, and flavor context. Whenever I’m making something with chocolate, I always buttress it with a little vanilla and a healthy amount of salt.

Chocolate

Though I’m typically a fan of the nicer the ingredients, the better the result mentality, my grocery aisle, classic semi sweet chocolate chips and cocoa powder can go toe-to-toe with any fancier chopped chocolate or cocoa powder you might want to sub in here (which you’re welcome to do!)

Potato Sticks

Aka mini french fries, these are easily found in the pantry aisle where you find casserole fixins (think: canned green beans, condensed soup, frizzled onions, etc.) These heroes tell the flavor story visually, texturally and with punchy, fried, salty potato flavor. They are a must in this cookie visually, but if all you can find are a great potato chip (kettle cooked or wavy pls!), I support that move, too!

A Few Notes on Cookies

Scale any recipe up/down, scoop any recipe smaller than called for or make any cookie recipe into a cookie pie.

• Smaller mini cookies, 6-8 mins, 350°F

• Medium sized ⅓ cup dough round cookies, 10-12 mins, 350°F 

• Larger cookies, 12-16 mins, 350°F

• Cookie pie (aka all the cookie dough smooshed into a greased 9” cake pan or pie plate) 20-25 mins, 350°F

I like a cookie pulled a minute or two early for fudgy center every time.

How do I get my cookies to look good? Before baking the entire batch of cookies, I always bake a Tester Cookie - one from the batch I just mixed to triple check the time, temperature and mixture is exactly what I want it to be before baking the rest of the dough. That is one of the coolest parts of a cookie- you still have control over the mixture, compared to cake or bread, so take advantage and Test that Cookie before going full force into the oven.

Chocolate Shake & French Fry Cookie

Makes 12 cookies

2 sticks butter, softened

⅓ cups chocolate chips, melted

1 ½ cups sugar

1 ea egg

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

¾ cup flour

¾ cup cocoa powder

1 teaspoon salt

¾ teaspoon baking powder

¼ teaspoon baking soda

1 ⅓ cup potato stick fries

1 cup chocolate chips

1. Heat the oven to 350°F and pan spray or line two half sheet pans with parchment or silicone baking mats.

2. In a large bowl, mix the softened butter and melted chocolate together until smooth and well combined. Add in the sugar and mix until combined, then add in the egg and vanilla and mix anew until well combined.

3. Measure the flour, cocoa powder, salt, baking powder, and baking soda into the mixing bowl. Toss only the dry ingredients on top together with the spatula first, before truly stirring them into the wet ingredients below. Mix all until well combined. 

4. Stir in the potato sticks and chocolate chips and scoop or roll your dough into balls (⅓ cup or 2 ¾ ounce ice cream scoop in size) and place 2 to 3 inches apart on your prepared sheets. Bake at 350°F for 8 to 10 minutes. These cookies will puff, crackle, and spread. It’s kind of impossible to gauge when a cookie this chocolatey is done so set a timer!