The fact that I’m a huge fan of the sweet & salty combo is no mystery. As I grow as a baker, I’m always looking for ways to sneak salty things into my baked goods. Last week was my second time trying bacon in a dessert, and don’t even get me started on my obsession with salted caramel.
It was only matter of time until I started adding potato chips and pretzels to my treats. Though I loved the compost cookies last year as part of Milk Bar Mondays, there were so many flavors going on (butterscotch, coffee grounds, graham cracker crumbs,) that I could barely taste my salty snacks. I wanted the crunch pretzels and potato chips to be the star of these cookies.
As a base, I used these monster cookies, which I have been dreaming to make again since last year. Crushed pretzels and potato chips replaced the M&Ms which resulted in a perfectly sweet, salty and chewy cookie. This cookie is full of peanut butter, and oatmeal and chocolate chips. Sweet & salty heaven!
- 1 stick butter (softened)
- 1¼ c. brown sugar
- 1 c. sugar
- 2 cups of creamy peanut butter
- 3 eggs
- ½ tsp. vanilla
- 2 tsp. baking soda
- ½ tsp. salt
- 4½ cups quick oatmeal
- ½ cup chocolate chips
- ½ cup crushed pretzels
- ½ cup crushed crunchy potato chips
- Cream together the butter, sugars and peanut butter with an electric mixer until fluffy and creamy.
- Add the eggs and vanilla mix until just combined. Add the baking soda and mix.
- Fold in the oats and then the chocolate chips, pretzels and potato chips
- Using medium/large cookie scoop or spoon, place rounded balls of dough onto a parchment-lined cookie sheet and press down slightly. Bake for 11 - 12 minutes at 375 degrees.
Lauren at Keep It Sweet says
I am also pretty obsessed with sweet and salty… these cookies would not stand a chance!
Joanne says
I’m a sucker for all things sweet and salty also, and my biggest complaint about compost cookies is that the salty just doesn’t shine through enough! These look like the perfect mix of both flavors!
Kayle (The Cooking Actress) says
These look delicious!! Do you think I’d be able to use old fashioned oats, or is using quick oats important?
Audra says
Hi Kayle! The reason the quick oats are important is mostly a texture thing. Quick oats are really just regular oats that are ground down a bit so they cook easier. If you have a blender or food processor- you could pulse the regular oats a bit to break them down. IF you don’t mind a very “oaty” texture though the regular should be fine!
Kayle (The Cooking Actress) says
Ah I figured it was something like that. I’ll def. use my food processor to break my oats down a bit-thanks Audra!!
Cassie | Bake Your Day says
Sweet and salty, oh yes!!
Annie @ Annie's City Kitchen says
Cookies like these make me so happy! They’re such a perfect balance of all the good stuff. These are certainly next on my cookie list and I think I may use salt and vinegar chips for extra tang. Yum yum!!
Audra says
Ooh- Salt &Vinegar sounds great!!
Katrina @ In Katrina's Kitchen says
Must must must make these! Like yesterday would not be soon enough.
Georgia @ The Comfort of Cooking says
Love the sweet-salty combo in these monster cookies Audra! They look so delicious and easy!
Colette says
You put chips in cookies?!
*faints*
chelsea @ serves two says
oh these sound fabulous! made some dorito chocolate chip cookies last week and they knocked my socks off :)
Tracey says
Sweet and salty is the best! I wouldn’t be able to keep my hands off of these cookies!
Jennie @themessybakerblog says
I LOVE these cookies…everything about them. Yum!
a farmer in the dell says
sweet and salty is my favorite combination. I wish I was sitting down with a cup of coffee and a huge plate of these cookies. They sound amazing!
ashley - baker by nature says
O_M_G! I need these!
Julie @ table for two says
we totally channeled each other today with our cookies!! i love it :)
steph@stephsbitebybite says
Such a great twist on the monster cookie. I would gobble these up!
tara says
Ahhhhh I had wondered what happened to you!!! My google reader messed up and I hadn’t been getting posts from you for days! So glad I figured it out. These look delicious!
Audra says
Aw yes Tara- the switch to WordPress made a lot of people have to re-subscribe. Thank you for doing so! :)
Heather @ Suga rDish Me says
Chips & pretzels in cookies are AWESOME!! Sweet & salty combo is always a win- Take 5 candy bars case in point!
Kaylee says
I made these cookies tonight but they came out very flat and they were too soft to get off the cookie sheet without falling apart….do you know why? Yours look so perfect!
Audra says
I’m so sorry they didn’t turn out for you Kaylee. What’s funny is that I found the opposite to be true for these cookies- they were so puffy that if I didn’t flatten the dough balls before baking, the didn’t spread at all! Did you let them cool all the way before taking them off the cookie sheet? My dough was very thick, was yours?
Patty says
I just made these and they turned out awesome!!!! I was worried when there was no flour in the recipe at all as I had not made a cookie recipe before without flour. I did make the Compost cookie previously, which I loved, but I agree with you these are much simpler and straightforward in their flavor. Thanks!
Audra says
Yay! I’m so glad to hear you liked them! I know it seems weird at first to not have flour- but it totally works right? :)
Marina says
Can I leave out the peanut butter altogether? Not a big fan of the flavour, what do you suggest I substitute (if anything?). Muchas gracias!
Audra says
Hey Marina, you could sub almond butter! :)