It seems like Nadiya Hussain has started a trend. Ever since I saw her skillet cookie on her Netflix show, my Instagram feed has been flooded with them. And that's well and good for many reasons -- it's a quick, no-bake way to get a warm cookie directly into your stomach. But everyone seems to be doing the same thing: chocolate chip. I'm not morally opposed to chocolate chip, in fact I love it. But I was waiting for someone to add something different to the skillet cookie landscape and no one was willing to take the risk. I'm sure they're out there somewhere, but I didn't see any skillet snickerdoodles or skillet peanut butter cookies. It was all chocolate chip.
This is my effort to add something new to the skillet cookie conversation. My favorite candy bar is hands down a Take 5 (which for some unnecessary reason has been recently rebranded as a part of the Reese's family, as if it wasn't its own thing before). Take 5 is a candy bar loaded with textures and flavors, making it the perfect challenger for the humble chocolate chip. I mean, what's not to love when you combine chocolate, peanut butter, toasted peanuts, dulce de leche (or any caramel-y spread) and salty, crunchy pretzels?
Like all skillet cookies, this recipe features some basic steps. Build the dough in the pan, prepare your ingredients for seamless batter building, adorn the top with texture and flavor enhancers, and cook on the stove, covered, over a lowish heat until fully cooked. My recipe does involve brown butter, because brown butter makes everything better, and the addition of cocoa powder to make a chocolate cookie makes for thicker dough that cooks with a fudgier, almost brownie-like chew. Top with ice cream and you're...
If you're looking for a fuss-free Valentine's Day dessert to make at home, I highly recommend my Take 5 skillet cookie. Feel free to simply make the chocolate cookie in the skillet and change the toppings to match your preferences. But you don't need to wait until Valentine's Day for this dessert. Skillet cookies are an any-day every-day kind of dessert.
With a sweet tooth constantly satisfied,
~c.j.
TAKE 5 SKILLET COOKIE
PREP TIME: 5 minutes
ACTIVE COOK TIME: 10-15 minutes
INACTIVE COOK TIME: 15-20 minutes
TOTAL COOK TIME: 25-35 minutes
YIELD: 6 servings
INGREDIENTS
250 g (2 c.) all-purpose flour
25 g. (5 tbsp) cocoa powder
1 1/2 tsp baking soda
1 tsp kosher salt + more for topping
2 large eggs, room temperature
1 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
1/3 c. shelled, salted peanuts
10 tbsp unsalted butter
50 g (1/4 c.) granulated sugar
100 g (1/2 c.) dark brown sugar
4 oz semi-sweet chocolate chips or chunks
6 tbsp creamy peanut butter, softened in the microwave
6 tbsp dulce de leche or caramel sauce, softened in the microwave
3/4 c. pretzel twists
vanilla ice cream, for serving
DIRECTIONS
Preheat a 9-inch skillet over medium heat. In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, cocoa powder, baking soda, and 1 tsp kosher salt. Set aside. In another medium bowl, thoroughly whisk together eggs, vanilla extract, and 1/4 c. water until there are no visible streaks in the eggs. Set aside.
Place peanuts in the preheated skillet and gently toast until fragrant and darkened, about 5 minutes. Remove from the skillet and reserve. Return empty skillet to heat.
Melt butter in the warm skillet. Once melted, swirl the pan constantly until butter starts to sputter and become fragrant, about 5-10 minutes. Some of the moisture in the butter will evaporate, this is okay. Once you see the milk solids in the butter go brown, start to work quickly because you don't want to burn the brown butter!
Still on the heat, immediately add your flour mixture and combine using a heatproof rubber or silicone spatula. This mixture will be thick and a little tough, but be persistent. Once mostly combined, add the egg mixture and continue to incorporate with the spatula until a cohesive dough forms. Use the spatula to gently press the dough into a flat layer. Top with the reserved peanuts, chocolate chips, dollops of peanut butter and dulce de leche, and pretzel twists. Sprinkle with kosher salt.
Reduce the heat to low, cover the skillet, and allow to sit 15-20 minutes until dough is dry but soft to the touch. Slice and serve with vanilla ice cream.
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