The World's Most Decadent Cookie -- Sweet and Salty Chocolate Chip Cookies

Traditional holiday cookies step aside.  The recipe below blows you all away.

Imagine, if you will, your traditional Toll House cookie.  You know, the ones made from the recipe printed on the back of the yellow semi-sweet chocolate chip package. Well, add to that 2 cups of crushed potato chips and one cup crushed pretzel sticks.  Oh no, I'm not kidding.  They are DIVINE.  The delicate salty crunch underscores the stolid sweetness of the standard cookie, making the conventional sublime.

This recipe comes to you direct from Broadway, via the stage manager at "Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf."  When they're not drowning their sorrows or throwing drinks at each other onstage, they're dunking these cookies in milk to comfort themselves after the show.

I can think of no better indulgence in this crazy season . . .

Ingredients:

1 cup (2 sticks) butter, softened

3/4 cup granulated sugar

3/4 cup packed brown sugar

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

2 large eggs

2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour

1 teaspoon baking soda

1 teaspoon salt (optional)

2 cups (12-oz. pkg.)  Semi-Sweet Chocolate Morsels

2 cups coarsely broken rippled potato chips

1 cup small pretzel twists, broken into 1/2-inch pieces

Method:

PREHEAT oven to 375° F.

COMBINE flour, baking soda and salt in small bowl. Beat butter, granulated sugar, brown sugar and vanilla extract in large mixer bowl until creamy. Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Gradually beat in flour mixture. Stir in morsels, potato chips, pretzel pieces and peanuts. Drop by rounded tablespoon onto ungreased baking sheets.

BAKE for 9 to 11 minutes or until golden brown. Cool on baking sheets for 2 minutes; remove to wire racks to cool completely.