Giada De Laurentiis Chocolate Chip Cookies Have a Secret Salty Ingredient We Can't Get Enough Of

Now that fall is officially creeping closer, we’re getting in the mood by doing as much baking as we can. Sure, we cooked up as many tasty fresh summer recipes as we could when the weather was warm, but now that things are cooling down we’re excited to crank that oven and start churning out tasty, comforting sweets. But just because a recipe counts as comfort food doesn’t mean it has to be traditional or boring. That’s why we’re so excited to make Giada De Laurentiis’ chocolate chip cookies. They have a secret ingredient that gives the classic recipe an update and will keep the snackers in your family coming back for more – if you decide to share, that is.

Her secret ingredient? Popcorn!

While we’ve heard people debate over whether crispy, chewy, or soft-baked chocolate chip cookies are the best, we can’t think of anyone who would dispute that adding a crunchy, salty element to a soft and sweet cookie would be a bad thing. The textural contrast between the popcorn and the cookie makes these way more fun to eat than your usual chocolate chip goods, and that salty-sweet combo will definitely keep you wanting just one more. One more entire batch, that is.

Along with popcorn, these cookies are loaded with chocolate chips and white chocolate chips. The white chocolate chips add a creamy sweetness to the cookies that counteracts the bitterness of the dark chocolate chips. The white chocolate chips also get slightly toasted as they bake in the oven, which adds a caramel note.

For best results, you want to use a simple popcorn, not one of those artificial butter-blasted bags of microwave popcorn. Make some yourself from scratch, or try a bagged version made simply with olive oil and sea or himalayan salt to add just enough flavor without totally overwhelming the cookie with artificial ingredients.

It also makes us think – what other salty, crunchy items could liven up basic chocolate chip cookies? Pretzels, potato chips, roasted nuts – we can’t wait to start experimenting, using De Laurentiis’ recipe as our guide!

Before you go, check out our gallery below:

More from SheKnows

• Panera Just Announced Your Two Favorite Menu Items Are Coming Together In an Epic Mash Up

Best of SheKnows

• Costco's Bakery Section Is Severely Underrated — Here Are the Items You Need to Try

• The Most Mouthwatering Baked Goods Sellers on Etsy

• 22 Ways to Turn Costco's Rotisserie Chicken Into a Five-Star Meal

Sign up for SheKnows' Newsletter. For the latest news, follow us on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.