Let’s make a deal.
If you come over and help me take down my Christmas decorations, I’ll pay you in homemade tortilla chips.
I think that’s a fair bargain.
All season long I told myself I’d dismantle the tree immediately after the holidays. I pictured being organized, having everything put away, and starting the new year with a clean slate. Instead, the tree is still up. The idea of taking it down is consistently defeated by plain old laziness — I’d rather do anything else than that one chore.
It’s like unpacking a suitcase or unloading the dishwasher: I delay until it becomes unavoidable. Sometimes my husband beats me to it, which only proves how stubborn I am about the small tasks I don’t want to do.
It’s one of those quick fixes that would make me feel instantly accomplished, but I keep putting it off. The feeling is oddly similar to eating a bowl of cereal for dinner: momentarily satisfying, and then suddenly I find myself grazing on cheese and crackers with a glass of wine because the cereal didn’t do the job. Now I’m comparing my Christmas tree to a cereal box on the internet — not my finest moment — so I’ll stop while I’m ahead.
But I’ll still pay you in chips.
These chips are dangerously good. You should seriously consider the offer.
I could spend the post talking mostly about the hummus, but honestly the chips steal the show. The hummus is fantastic — I used a roasted jalapeño, a touch of honey and the ice water trick for extra creaminess — and it’s smooth and flavorful. Still, the olive oil–spiced flour tortilla chips are what I keep dreaming about.
Recently I discovered a crushed dried jalapeño pepper that I love — it’s similar to red pepper flakes but hotter and brighter. If you’re sensitive to heat, use it sparingly; for me it adds a lively kick without overwhelming the other flavors. I brush flour tortillas with olive oil, sprinkle a mix of spices over them, and bake until they’re crispy.
When flour tortillas bake, their delicate layers crisp into thin, flaky shards that are both crunchy and tender. We ate these chips with the jalapeño honey hummus, then dipped them into a smoky white bean chicken chili later that evening, and also enjoyed them with sliced smoked cheddar. They’re incredibly versatile.
Now I face two choices: swear off snacks forever, or make these olive oil chips every single day.
Jalapeño Honey Hummus with Spiced Olive Oil Tortilla Chips
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Ingredients
Olive Oil Spiced Chips
- 10 (4-inch) flour tortillas, cut into quarters
- 3 tablespoons olive oil
- 1/2 teaspoon dried jalapeño pepper (use sparingly)
- 1/2 teaspoon smoked paprika
- 1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
Hummus
- 1 jalapeño pepper, roasted and seeds removed
- 1 1/2 cups chickpeas (drained and rinsed if canned)
- 1/4 cup tahini
- 2 tablespoons honey
- 1/3 cup olive oil
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
- 3 tablespoons ice water
Instructions
Olive Oil Spiced Chips
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Preheat the oven to 375°F. Arrange tortilla wedges on a nonstick baking sheet and brush with olive oil. In a small bowl, mix the dried jalapeño, smoked paprika, garlic powder, salt and pepper. Sprinkle evenly over the tortillas. Bake for 10 to 12 minutes, until lightly golden and crisp.
Hummus
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Roast the jalapeño (char over a flame or broil until blistered, then steam and peel). In a food processor, pulse the chickpeas until partially pureed. Add tahini, honey and the roasted jalapeño, blending until combined and scraping down the sides as needed. With the processor running, stream in the olive oil until smooth. Add salt and pepper, then, with the processor running, stream in the ice water and blend until extra creamy. Serve with the chips.
Appetizer
American
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Bubbly chips!