We’re starting to have some warm, 90 degree days here and it has me missing the beach big time. Specifically, East coast beaches. And even more specifically, Cape Cod beaches. Though Cape Cod is still buried under snow, I’ve been thinking about it a lot lately.
Though I love living in California, and all the beautiful parts it has to offer, Cape Cod will always have my heart. When I was growing up, my grandparents had a summer house on the Cape, where we spent every weekend. Countless hours swimming in the ocean, playing in the sand, waiting for the ice cream truck, sailing on my dad’s boat. Through middle school and high school, we’d get to bring our friends down and spend hours searching for sea glass and giggling.
Sis, Mom, Me & Dad on Cape Cod Late 80’s
During college I lived at the house full-time one summer and worked waitressing on the beach. It was a summer of beach bonfires, midnight swims and reckless love. In my early post-college years, my dad became the owner of the house, keeping it in our family and preserving a lifetime of memories. My friends and I used it as our weekend escape from the new-to-us rat race.
Later, not long after Nick and I started dating, he came to visit the Cape with me and fell in love with it, too. We had our wedding there and still love going back any time we can.
Our wedding party on the same beach, 20-something years later.
Living across the country from Cape Cod is really sad, but every once in a while I can find a little piece of home out here. Like Cape Cod® Potato Chips! They’re now available on the West Coast, which is so fun. When we were little, if we had a rainy day on the Cape and couldn’t go to the beach, we would head one town over to the Cape Cod® Potato Chip factory in Hyannis to go on one of their factory tours. It was so fun to see the chips being made. Our favorite part was sampling the chips, of course. These days the factory has become the area’s largest tourist destination, with over 250,000 visitors annually.
Cape Cod® Chips started up in 1980 making their famous kettle cooked chips. I remember when kettle cooked chips later started becoming really popular, I called them all “Cape Cod” chips, regardless of the brand. We’d been eating kettle chips for years! Cape Cod® Chips are such great quality chips with simple, high-quality, all natural ingredients and no preservatives.
Cape Cod® Chips recently sent me a whole boatload of their chips in all different varieties to try (they have a bunch now… besides the original, there is Sea Salt & Vinegar, Sea Salt & Cracked Pepper, Waffle Cut and more). I was scared I’d eat all the chips all at once if I didn’t do something with some of them! So I decided to create a recipe with some of the chips. Potato chips are so versatile. You can use them to top casseroles, you can bread your chicken or fish with them, you can even dip them in chocolate! The idea of sweet and salty desserts really appeals to me, so I thought I’d try my hand at a potato chip dessert.
I went with a crispy rice treat type dessert, but I substituted half the cereal with crushed waffle cut chips. They have almost the same texture, so it worked really perfectly. Then I channeled the chocolate-covered potato chip by drizzling the whole thing in two kinds of chocolate.
Yeah, these were good. Really, really good. Please drive to the store right now and buy yourself some potato chips. And then make these. And then try not to eat them ALL by yourself. Trust me, it’s hard.
- 3 cups crispy rice cereal
- 3 cups crushed waffle or ridged potato chips
- 3 tbsp butter
- 5½ cups mini marshmallows
- 1 cup chocolate chips
- 1 cup white chocolate chips
- Spray a 9x13 inch baking pan with nonstick spray and set aside.
- In a large bowl, toss together cereal and crushed chips. Set aside.
- In another large, microwave-safe bowl, melt butter. Add the marshmallows, toss to coat, and microwave 3 minutes, stirring halfway through. Stir until marshmallows are completely melted.
- Pour the marshmallow mixture into the chip mixture and very quickly stir it all together with a rubber spatula until the marshmallow is evenly distributed.
- Press into the prepared pan. Tip: Use a nonstick-sprayed piece of wax paper to press the mixture into the pan.
- Place the chocolate chips in a microwave-safe bowl and microwave for 1 minute. Stir the chocolate chips until melted. If they need to be heated longer, heat in 15-second intervals, stirring in between, until melted. Repeat with white chocolate chips.
- Drizzle the chocolates over the crispy treats.
- Let cool completely, then cut and serve.
The Cape Cod® Sea Salt Waffle Cut Chips worked so perfectly in these. The thick chips stand up to the marshmallow really well, and the sea salt gave the treats the perfect amount of salty goodness. If you’re looking to satisfy your salty-sweet craving, these really are perfect.
You can find out more about Cape Cod® Chips here. Or connect with them on Facebook or Instagram to stay updated.
This is a sponsored post written by me on behalf of Cape Cod® Potato Chips.
I love the pictures you included from the Cape! I didn’t realize y’all got married there. What a picturesque location!
And I love the sweet salty combo. Salty, crunchy chips are my favorite and I love rice krispie treats. Yum!
Thanks!! It’s definitely one of my favorite places ever! So pretty. 🙂
yum! looks so good! craving for potato chips now!
styleandchocolates
I’ve never been to Cape Cod before but it’s on my list of places to see! Looks so beautiful, Jess! How neat that you had your wedding there, too! And cape cod potato chips are my absolute fave! I can still remember the first time that I had the kettle cooked chips, I was hooked! So needless to say, I love these treats! Sounds so delicious and crunchy!
Kettle cooked chips are the BEST! And I hope you do make it up there… all of New England is so pretty… just not when it’s covered in snow. 😉 Thanks, Gayle!
We went on a tour of Lighthouses and Cape Cod was on the tour. It was beautiful and I’m sure these bars are just as beautiful to eat. I had some Cape Cod chips while there and they surely will add to the bar. Thank you for posting this recipe. Gail
These look amazing Jess! I love the salty/sweet combo in this special treat! Send me a PM will you, I want to know what lens you shot these photos with and what f-stop you used – because they are amazingly crisp & clear!
Thanks, Kristi! PM’d you!
I love those waffle chips!! These potato chip crispy treats look super good. I love salty and sweet snacks!
YUM! I am such a sucker for all things sweet and salty! This is such a clever idea!
Thanks, Annie! The chips are gluten free, and I’ve definitely seen gluten free rice krispies…. just saying. 😉
These look amazing! I love the salty-sweet combo 🙂
BEST. IDEA. EVER. That is all. Lol. But seriously. The best!
Oh my gosh…this is brilliant! Salty and sweet at its finest! I need these in my life 🙂
Oh my goodness, as much as I want to make these I’m scared that I would eat the entire pan in one sitting!! This is such an amazing idea!! Potato chips are one of my weaknesses and I love sweet and salty together!
Uhm…. it’s really hard not to. They are SO good. 😉
I live about 30 minutes from the bridge, but I’m a Maine girl all the way (sorry!) because that’s where my family has always had a vacation home. Although we do like biking the canal 🙂 Love the wedding pics! Cape cod chips are addicting, I remember visiting the factory when I was a kid. What a creative dish you created- I never would have thought of the that. Looks yummy!
Oh, I love Maine too… but… the water is too cold!! 😉 I’m a wimp and I love the warm Buzzard’s Bay water!
These look amazing Jess! The Cape Cod chips in here are such a great idea! Sweet and salty snacks are my favorite! Love your wedding photo 🙂
Yum! Cape Cod Chips makes a killer waffle cut Buffalo Cheddar one you’d love if you haven’t already tried it!
Oh my gosh, I HAVEN’T!! Must find!!
I love the photos you shared, and Cape Cod definitely sounds like a wonderful place! These potato chip crispy treats sound like they’d be perfect to fuel my sweet-salty addiction! Pinned.
Thanks, Marcie!! They are the perfect combo!
These crispy rice treats look like the perfect combination of sweet and salty – how ingenious to incorporate potato chips! I grew up in CA but did take a trip out to Cape Cod one summer…I’d love to go back there someday!
Okay well first off I am 100% addicted to those cape cod chips, they are gonna be the death of my skinny jeans. Secondly, gorgeous wedding photo. Such a perfect place to get married!!! AND these rice crispy treats are both sweet and salty which translates to everything I need in life! Drooling over here!
Haha, thanks Mariah!! I definitely ate WAY more of these than I needed to!!
As much as I love traveling, I’m a New England girl at heart. 🙂 These crispy treats are brilliant. I never thought of combining the two, but I’m going to have to try it now.
Your memories bring back my memories. Thanks for the post but I didn’t need to know about the “midnight swims and reckless love” 🙂
Dad
I have always wanted to go to Cape Cod! It seems so beautiful and relaxing. Loved looking at all your pictures. I love these crispy treats with potato chips. Nothing better than salty and sweet!
It is SO pretty, Natalie! And the water…. SO MUCH warmer than Cali! 🙂
I love the salty-sweet combo and ADORABLE wedding pic! What a special story!
Mmm these are SO right up my alley…salty/sweet heaven! I’ve never been to Cape Cod but it’s on my much-too-long bucket-list 🙂
Oh yes please!! I love sweet and salty together, and these crispy treats look right up my alley.
Aaaand I think I just found what to make for my mom on Mother’s Day. All of her favorite things combined! Awesome idea 🙂
Yayyy! All my favorite things, too! Hope she loves them!
Forgot to Thank your husband for his service. I have a nephew who graduated from the Naval Academy and flew the F18’s, etc. for 20 years. We are so proud of him for all of his time he gave to this Country. Now he is flying for FedEx. So, thank you for your service, Jess.
Thanks, Gail!
Absolutely love your creative idea with Chocolate-Covered Potato Chip Crispy Treats! Can I post it on my blog? Thanks for sharing!