Bake

Latke Cookies

by:
November 22, 2021
4
41 Ratings
Latke Cookies
Photo by Julia Gartland. Prop Stylist: Alya Hameedi. Food Stylist: Anna Billingskog.
  • Prep time 15 minutes
  • Cook time 14 minutes
  • makes About 18 cookies
Author Notes

Based on some dodgy math, I figure I've eaten almost a thousand latkes in my lifetime. So let me be the first one to say it—these are not latkes. They are an optical illusion, the answer to the question that no one needed answered, but here I am to answer anyway: What if latkes were cookies? I learned to make these crispy potato pancakes from my mom, who learned to make them from her mom, who learned to make them from her mom. For this Big Little Recipe, I abandoned almost all of our traditional ingredients,and rejiggered them with a minimalist dessert in mind. The approach is inspired by another cookie my family adores: coconut macaroons, specifically Danielle Kartes’ Coconut Custard Macaroons. Instead of shredded russets, there are crispy potato chips. Instead of sizzling oil, melted butter. The egg stays the same, but the onion goes out the window. Sweetened condensed milk brings it all together, turning the bottoms so golden brown and caramelized, it looks like they were deep-fried. The result is crispy edged, slightly custardy in the center, and deeply potato-y.

A few tips: If you have a scale, now is a great time to use it and save yourself from cleaning condensed milk out of a measuring cup. Unsalted versus salted butter is just what it sounds like—how much do you like salt? My answer is a lot, but you tell me. Don’t swap in a shattery-thin potato chip here. You want something sturdy that can hold up to the mixing. And I love the way crinkled chips mimic the grated potatoes of classic latkes. —Emma Laperruque

What You'll Need
Ingredients
  • 3/4 cup (234 grams) sweetened condensed milk
  • 1/4 cup (57 grams) unsalted or salted butter, melted
  • 1 large egg
  • 1 (241-gram/8½-ounce) bag Ruffles potato chips
Directions
  1. Combine the condensed milk, melted butter, and egg in a large bowl. Vigorously stir with a fork until combined. Handful by handful, add the potato chips, crushing them along the way; they should be in chunks, not dust. Stir to combine. Let this mixture hang out while you heat the oven to 375°F and line 2 sheet pans with silicone mats or parchment.
  2. When the oven is at 375°F, use 2 soupspoons to scoop little potato pancakes onto the baking sheets, evenly spacing them apart. (The mixture won’t easily hold together at this point—that’s okay.) If needed, use your hands to encourage each mound into a latke-like shape, mostly flat but domed at the center, 2½ to 3 inches in diameter; don’t futz over this too much—homemade latkes are always irregular.
  3. Bake for 12 to 14 minutes, until the edges and tops are deeply golden brown in certain spots. Let cool for about 5 minutes on the sheet tray, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely. These are best the day they’re baked, but stored in an airtight container, they will keep for up to 2 days.
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Emma Laperruque
Emma was the food editor at Food52. She created the award-winning column, Big Little Recipes, and turned it into a cookbook in 2021. These days, she's a senior editor at Bon Appétit, leading digital cooking coverage. Say hello on Instagram at @emmalaperruque.

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35 Reviews

MDC
MDC December 22, 2022
Made a double batch - conveniently using up the entire 14-oz container of sweetened condensed milk. Followed directions exactly. Took them to our Scout troop's holiday party (a dozen Scouts, plus their folks). Not only were they completely demolished, three people asked me for the recipe!
 
HarcharA
HarcharA December 21, 2022
I really wanted these to work but I should have trusted other reviewers. They tasted ok out of the oven but then turned soggy and very, very greasy. I hate wasting ingredients though and that can of SCM could have been used for brigadiero.
 
Denise
Denise December 20, 2022
I was very interested in trying these. I love sweet n salty. Latkes they are not. But they are good!
I followed the recipe exactly but adjusted the time the mixture sat as advised by another review. I also put them in a non stick mini brownie tray. The results were excellent. The tray held 20 cookies and I had enough of the mixture to make 5 more which were slightly thinner! They came out very crispy, not burnt! Yum! They are a keeper. Not sure if they hold up after a few days. I will try and freeze some and reheat in the oven.🤞
 
mlbatt
mlbatt December 18, 2022
Made these for a friend's latke party. They were just OK - and you do have to watch them, one pan got a little too done. Meanwhile, I found a different latke cookie recipe based on the old standard toll house cookie dough with a very large amount of potato chips added and they are divine.
 
Jennifer D.
Jennifer D. December 7, 2022
LOVE! If you're a fan of sweet/salty, and if you like CRUNCH: these are for you. The best description I can give of the taste is a coconut macaroon, substituting the sweet coconut for salty potato. Shouldn't work but it does! Don't skip the salted butter, and you have to let the chips "hang out" in the batter for a while. I took this to mean let the mixed batter sit for at least 10 minutes before baking. Keep an eye on the oven, the bake time is going to depend on the size of the cookie, mine took about 8 minutes for small and 12 for larger. Next time I am going to drizzle some with some dark chocolate as others have suggested. Also curious about the possibility of a cheddar/plain chip mix and a dulce de leche swap for the condensed milk to mimic Chicago Mix popcorn flavors.
 
Karen K.
Karen K. December 4, 2022
I was intrigued by the savory (salty) aspect of these, so decided last year to give them a shot. I followed the recipe exactly, but I have to say, they were awful! Sorry this was one of the few “fails” on recipes from this site!
 
megan
megan June 15, 2022
These are so good and so, so easy. It's a dangerous combination: delicious and a breeze to whip up. They were tasty out of the oven but also equally tasty the next day, too. I love the custardy taste of the ones that are thicker. Some of mine got pretty toasty (read: burned) on the edges but I would blame my probably-decades-old oven in my rental and not the recipe. Just keep an eye on them!
 
csaundersiam@yahoo.com
[email protected] January 12, 2022
These taste like macaroons for Passover, and they’d work as a dessert for them too! I used half the SCM (like 3/8 cup) and made half a batch with an 8 oz bag of ridged sweet potato chips and half with half of the 8oz bag of ridged potato chips. Drizzled with chocolate sounds good! Salty and sweet already from the potato flavors, but chocolate would be a special finish! The baking time and temperature worked perfectly and simply for me, a seasoned latke chef!
 
MikePavlov
MikePavlov January 12, 2022
I threw this recipe together around Christmas. I was intrigued with the recipe and had a huge bag of the right chips. I had no interest on the thoughts of any one else including my family. That said.....the cookies were eaten and my wife wondered if they were hard to make. A modest number of cookies were eaten in the first two days. by day 3 the cookies were not as enjoyable. Sweet/salty and crunchy (couple of days). My only complaint was using 1/2 can of SCM. I didn't want to make a double batch and have to make a decision.
 
Lynette M.
Lynette M. December 28, 2021
This recipe was really awful. We wound up throwing them away
 
Deborah
Deborah December 28, 2021
These were ok right out of the oven when they were a bit crispy but awful the next day. Soggy and tasteless. I won’t make again.
 
KMcDermott
KMcDermott December 24, 2021
Decided to take a chance and make these cookies for Christmas Eve. I would like to preface this review by saying that I first came across this recipe and upon reading the reviews I was on the fence about making them. DO NOT be lead astray! I followed the recipe as directed, but I let the mixture "marinate" for about an hour to allow for the chips to really soak up the batter. They will not come together like a typical batter however they will be a slightly soggy mix. I used foil to line my sheets. It was a bit of a pain to get the cookies off the foil because they really do not hold form well. I read another review that said they might try a muffin pan. I think by using a muffin pan with liners it would make for easier cleanup and a more put together cookie. Now for the taste, it was amazing! It reminded me of a melted ice cream cone. Not too sweet and not too salty. It was no where near bland, as some reviewers have stated. I suppose adding chocolate could potentially elevate this recipe...because chocolate is always amazing...however I would not change it for the mere simplicity of the recipe. Overall it turned out great and makes a great treat to cut down on an overly sweet Christmas dessert!
 
Gumbamania
Gumbamania December 18, 2021
I wanted these to be my new cute cookie but first pan was burnt at the 375 temp and less than 12 minutes. Turned down to 350 for about 9 minutes. Not much flavor so I decided from other reviews to drizzle some chocolate on top. Darn, these were so easy to make but not as sweet and salty as so imagined.
 
Bonanzababe
Bonanzababe December 13, 2021
They're to die for. I just made them and after five minutes I already ate four of them. You do have to let the mixture sit for a little while and keep mixing them before you make them so the chips absorb the batter.
 
Jackie N.
Jackie N. December 8, 2021
I made these and they turned out exactly as pictured. You need to let these cool completely to achieve the crisp/chewy texture. I will make these again but will probably tweak the recipe by using a can of dulce de leche instead of sweetened condensed milk. I might even throw some Heath chips on top before baking.
 
Lesliemac
Lesliemac December 8, 2021
Waste of ingredients ... and this from someone who loves potato chips, the coconut macaroon recipe on which this is based, and the older recipe for a more shortbread-style potato chip cookie.
 
sconelady
sconelady December 7, 2021
Oh I see-they have so many potato chips it just happens by magic. By the way -THEYRE GREAT!
 
sconelady
sconelady December 7, 2021
I don't understand how the picture of the cookies has them covered in potato chips.
Do the chips migrate to the top of the cookie?
 
maries
maries November 18, 2022
The cookie is basically a pile of chips held together by the mixture of SCM, butter, and egg (so not just chips on the top). They were a huge hit at our house.
 
dmoroff@gmail.com
[email protected] December 6, 2021
Yum. A friend had them the night before I made them and suggested drizzling chocolate on top. Worked brilliantly, in my opinion!
 
jf
jf December 5, 2021
Used salted European style butter. Still pretty bland; should probably add salt to the batter
I also wonder if replacing some of the butter with olive oil +/- vegetable oil might also help push it further into latke? It just tasted like a cookie with potato chips in it, but not necessarily latke-ish. Not terrible, but wouldn't make again unless I adjust it a lot