Potato Chip-Toasted Pecan Sandies

Okay, we know, it is so devilish to put yummy, salty potato chips in a dessert, but sometimes, you get a cult recipe stuck in your head, and you have to try it out and see if it merits all the fuss. There are lots of recent recipes for potato chip-pecan sandies out there (like this one and this one, both of which inspired us), but we wanted to experiment and come up with a TCV version. Ours is packed so full of pecans and crushed sea salt chips that it's sort of ridiculous to work with the resulting cookie dough, but the effort is worth it in the end.

Potato Chip-Toasted Pecan Sandies

1/2 cup olive oil margarine (softened)
1/2 cup cane sugar
1/4 cup light brown sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla
1/2 teaspoon vanilla powder

2 tablespoons whole milk

1 egg

1 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon sea salt

1 cup crushed sea salt potato chips (like Whole Foods 365 brand)

1/2 cup pecans (toasted, chopped)
1 tablespoon cane sugar (optional; for topping)

Cream margarine and both sugars in the mixer. Add vanillas, milk, and egg and mix. In a separate bowl, whisk flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt together; add this to the wet mixture and mix until dough comes into a ball. Stir in chips and pecans. Chill dough in a container in the fridge for a few hours. Using a small spring-loaded, half-ounce scoop, portion the dough into 1-inch-round balls on a parchment-lined baking sheet. Press them very flat with the bottom of a glass or the palm of your hand. Sprinkle them with a little sugar before baking if you like. Bake in a 350-degree oven for 12 minutes. (Makes 40 cookies.)