The skillet cookie has offered us a brand-new reason to love cast iron cookware as if we needed another one. Cast Iron cookware has been around for ages and chances are you remember your grandmother using one to cook a variety of delicious homemade dishes.
They are the perfect choice for baking cornbread and can add the perfect touch to any casserole or pie.
The skillet cookie is one of the newest recipe favorites for cast iron skillet owners. You simply take the basic ingredients of a cookie–any type will work, but most people choose to create chocolate chip cookies.
However, instead of creating small, individual cookies, you add all the cookie dough to a well-greased cast iron skillet and bake until it’s done all the way through.
The result is an ooey-gooey delicious treat that tastes amazing, with a texture very similar to a brownie. And the fact that it was prepared in a cast iron skillet adds even more flavor to it.
Why Does a Skillet Cookie Taste So Different?
The transformation of the cookie from what we are familiar with to this brownie/cookie hybrid is due in part to the loss of surface area that occurs when you switch from scooping out tiny balls of cookie dough and applying them to a pan, to adding a large ball of dough to a single pan.
This creates a soft and fudge-like middle that is very similar to your favorite fudgy brownies.
The cast iron skillet is also a key element in any skillet cookie recipe. You can’t use just any type of skillet to create this masterpiece, and you can’t use a regular cake pan or pie pan and attempt to get the same results. It just won’t turn out the same.
The cast iron skillet helps by keeping the dough evenly crisp around the edges without overbaking the middle.
If you happened to use an aluminum cake pan, the cookie would bake evenly, and no differences in texture would occur.
Although cast iron skillets can be tricky when it comes to new recipes, if you follow the directions carefully you shouldn’t have any problem getting excellent results preparing your new favorite dessert.
The Top Reasons to Own a Cast Iron Skillet
Cast Iron Skillets are safer to use than most of the modern pieces of cookware that we have today. They have been around for more than 2000 years and their long history proves that they are relatively safe to use for any type of cooking.
Here are a few more reasons why you should consider using cast iron skillets.
They Are Strong and Durable
Cast iron pans and skillets can last for hundreds of years, and many of the older pans that you find at garage sales are probably 75 to 100 years old or older. Since they are cast as one piece, there is very little wear and tear that can occur, and they are impossible to break.
They Require Less Oil
Cast iron pans don’t require as much oil as stainless steel pans. While you will require some oil since the surfaces aren’t non-stick, you will find out after using one for a while that you only need a thin layer of cooking oil on the surface to prepare food evenly without burning It.
How to Get the Best Results from Your Skillet Cookie Recipe
There are a few tweaks that you can do to make your skillet cookie turn out better than ever. Here are a few suggestions that you should try the next time you bake one of these amazing desserts.
Mix Up Your Chocolate
If your chocolate chip skillet cookie could use some more depth with its flavor, try mixing up your chocolate chips by adding some different flavor varieties.
Instead of using only milk chocolate chips, try mixing in white chocolate and dark chocolate for an intense flavor change. You can also add in chunks of baking chocolate for a completely different texture and consistency.
Use Less Sugar
While it may seem wrong to add less sugar to chocolate chip cookies, it is possible to have too much of a good thing.
If you don’t want your skillet cookie to turn out too sweet, try substituting some of the white sugar with brown sugar.
You can also cut the amount of white sugar by 40% and not replace it with any additional brown sugar. This will help create a much chewier consistency and you shouldn’t miss too much of the sweetness with all the chocolate chips that were added to the mix.
Improve the Flavor
If you are looking for a way to improve the flavor of your skillet cookie, you may want to add a scoopful of malted milk powder to create a toasty taste.
Since you are cooking with a cast iron skillet, there is less of a browning effect. If you would prefer the taste that comes along with browning the cookie but don’t want to end up burning your dessert, the malted milk powder should do the trick.
It should be available at any supermarket and it is best to use plain powder, not the chocolate flavor.
Add Plenty of Butter
Cast iron skillets are not non-stick so you will need to make sure the entire interior of the skillet is well-oiled so that your cookie won’t stick.
Plus, adding some butter around the edges will give your cookie a rich and crispy-fried texture that you are sure to love. Be generous with the butter even if you think you have added enough, you may want to add a little bit more.
Instead of scooping the dough out in individual portions, you should scrape the entire batch of dough into a 10” cast iron skillet that is covered with butter.
Spread the dough out to create an even layer and bake it at 400 degrees Fahrenheit for around 35 minutes. You will want the cookie to be golden brown and puffed to ensure that it is done.
Since cast iron skillets retain heat very well, the cookie will continue to bake long after you take it out of the oven.
Because of this, you should allow the cookie to cool for at least 45 minutes before serving. Before that, the cookie may still seem like it is undercooked or very raw in the center.
But if you allow it to have a little more time for the cast iron skillet to work its magic, your skillet cookie should turn out perfectly.
This recipe is the perfect choice when you need to come up with a dessert in a hurry. And since you don’t have to scoop out each cookie one at a time, you end up saving a lot of time by creating one big gooey cookie for everyone to enjoy.
The Chocolate Chip Skillet Cookie Recipe
Classic chocolate chip cookie dough takes on an entirely new area of dessert with this creation that is made using the best traditional cookware around: the cast iron skillet.
Baking the cookie dough in a cast iron skillet helps to ensure that the cookie will be crisp around the edges. The malted milk powder helps improve the browning effect and adds an extra layer of flavor.
Ingredients
- 8 oz. unsalted butter, softened but still cool. You will need more for greasing the skillet.
- 4 1/2 oz. white sugar
- 8 oz. light brown sugar
- 1 oz. malted milk powder, plain
- 1/2 oz. vanilla extract
- 2 tsp. Diamond Crystal kosher salt
- 1 tsp. baking soda
- 1/2 tsp. baking powder
- 1 large egg
- 12 1/2 oz. all-purpose flour
- 12 oz. assorted chocolate chips or chunks
Directions
Adjust your oven rack to the middle and preheat to 400 degrees Fahrenheit. Add butter, white sugar, brown sugar, malted milk powder, vanilla extract, baking soda, and baking powder to a bowl or stand mixer.
Mix on low to moisten all ingredients. Then, increase the speed to medium and beat until the dough is light and fluffy. This usually takes around five minutes.
As the mixer is running, add the egg and continue beating until smooth. Reduce speed back to low and add in flour. Then, add in the chocolate chips. Mix to form a stiff dough.
Add butter to a 10-inch cast iron skillet. Fill it with cookie dough and press the dough into an even layer. Bake until the cookie is puffed up and golden brown, or about 35 minutes.
Cool until crumbs start to set this usually takes around 45 minutes. Serve and enjoy warm, or cover with foil and keep for up to three days at room temperature.
How Did Your Skillet Cookie Turn Out?
Did you try out our recipe for a brownie-like skillet cookie? Hopefully, you ended up with a brand-new dessert that you and your family are sure to love.
These cookies are great served warm with a scoop of vanilla ice cream on top, or with a large cold glass of milk to wash everything down.
Be creative and try adding in your favorite cookie ingredients to create your perfect customized skillet cookie.
Leave a Reply