Lisa’s Note: The butter in this recipe should be at room temperature unless you have an un-insulated kitchen and it’s winter in Minnesota. In that case, you’d better soften it a little.
Hannah’s 1st Note: 5 to 6 cups of whole potato chips will crush down into about 2 cups. Crush them by hand in a plastic bag, not with a food processor. They should be the size of coarse gravel when they’re crushed.
Mix the softened butter with the white sugar and the molasses. Beat them until the mixture is light and fluffy, and the molasses is completely mixed in.
Add the vanilla and baking soda. Mix them in thoroughly.
Break the eggs into a glass and whip them up with a fork. Add them to your bowl and mix until they’re thoroughly incorporated.
Put your potato chips in a closeable plastic bag. Seal it carefully (you don’t want crumbs all over your counter) and place the bag on a flat surface. Get out your rolling pin and roll it over the bag, crushing the potato chips inside. Do this until the pieces resemble coarse gravel. (If you crush them too much, you won’t have any crunch—crunch is good in these cookies.)
Measure out 2 cups of crushed potato chips and mix them into the dough in your bowl.
Add one cup of flour and mix it in.
Then add the second cup of flour and mix thoroughly.
Add the final half cup of flour and mix that in.
Measure out a cup and a half of peanut butter chips and add them to your cookie dough. If you’re using an electric mixer, mix them in at the slowest speed. You can also take the bowl out of the mixer and stir in the chips by hand.
Let the dough sit on the counter while you prepare your cookie sheets.
Spray your cookie sheets with Pam or another nonstick cooking spray, or line them with parchment paper, leaving little “ears” at the top and bottom. That way, when your cookies are baked, you can pull the paper, baked cookies and all, over onto a wire rack to cool.
Drop the dough by rounded teaspoons onto your cookie sheets, 12 cookies on each standard-sized sheet.
Hannah’s 2nd Note: I used a 2-teaspoon cookie scoop at The Cookie Jar. It’s faster than doing it with a spoon.
Bake your Peanut Butter Potato Chip Cookies at 350 degrees F. for 10 to 12 minutes or until nicely browned. (Mine took 11 minutes.)
Let the cookies cool for 2 minutes on the cookie sheet and then remove them with a metal spatula. Transfer them to a wire rack to finish cooling.
Yield: Approximately 5 dozen wonderfully chewy, salty and soft cookies that are sure to please everyone who tastes them.
Hannah’s 3rd Note: DO NOT bake these for anyone with a peanut allergy!
Lisa’s Note: These cookies travel well. If you want to send them to a friend, just stack them, roll them up like coins in foil, and cushion the cookie rolls between layers of Styrofoam peanuts, or bubble wrap.
Chapter Twenty-one
Andrea was their first stop after they left The Cookie Jar. Hannah and Michelle walked across the street to Lake Eden Realty and entered the small office. Andrea was sitting behind her desk, working on the computer. The bell inside the door tinkled as they entered and she looked up.
“Hi!” she said. “I was just about to call you two.” She turned to Hannah. “You’re investigating, aren’t you?”
“Yes.”
“That’s what I thought, since Michelle found the body.” Andrea swiveled in her chair to face Michelle. “I’m really sorry you had to go through that, Michelle. I remember how I felt when I found Max’s body in the old barn.”
“I’m okay now, but I don’t want to go inside that cooler ever again!”
“I know that feeling,” Hannah echoed their sentiments. “There are more than a few places in Lake Eden that I don’t want to go. I have to force myself to do it, but it does get better with time.”
“You’re probably right,” Andrea said. “What can I do for you two? I know you didn’t come in just to say hello.”
Hannah laughed. “You’re right, of course. We were wondering if you could get . . .” She stopped speaking when Andrea pulled her center desk drawer open, took out a large manila envelope, and placed it on top of her desk. “Is that what I think it is?” she asked Andrea.
“Yes, I got it this morning while Bill was in the shower. There’s a copy of the police lab report, the autopsy report, and the crime scene photos. It’s a really good thing Bill takes long showers. It took me quite a while to copy everything.”
“That’s great, Andrea!” Hannah told her. “This will help a lot!”
Andrea looked very smug about getting Hannah something she needed. “Bill always brings a copy of the casework home with him. I just hope that he never catches on to what I’m doing.”
“I’m almost sure he won’t,” Hannah said.