Indulge in the ultimate communal dessert experience with a Skillet Cookie! Imagine a giant, warm cookie, baked to perfection in a cast-iron skillet, featuring irresistibly crispy, golden-brown edges and a gloriously gooey, chewy center brimming with molten chocolate chunks. This shareable delight is truly elevated when crowned with generous scoops of melting ice cream, creating a symphony of temperatures and textures that promises pure bliss. It’s more than just a dessert; it’s an invitation to gather, share, and savor every single decadent bite.
Welcome to a Week of Wonderful Bakes!
As the days turn cooler and the rain becomes a more frequent visitor, there’s nothing quite like the comforting embrace of a warm kitchen filled with the aroma of freshly baked goods. Here, where gray skies have become a familiar backdrop, my oven has been working overtime. I’ve been immersing myself in a delightful exploration of various recipes and ingredients, and the results have been incredibly exciting. While I have many new creations eager to see the light of day, I felt it was only right to kick things off with a timeless classic, reimagined for maximum joy and sharing: the beloved cookie!
It feels like an age since I last shared a cookie recipe – my decadent Chocolate and Salted Caramel Cookies from December were truly a hit, but it’s time to expand our repertoire! Today, we’re diving into a creation that epitomizes comfort, indulgence, and togetherness. Get ready to fall in love with a dessert that’s as fun to make as it is to devour.
The Skillet Cookie: A Perfect Treat for Sharing (or Not!)
While this recipe is designed for sharing, let’s be honest, we won’t judge if you decide to keep this magnificent creation all to yourself! Because, truly, what could be better than a cookie that’s slightly warm, boasting golden, crisp edges yet remaining wonderfully gooey and satisfyingly chewy in its core? This, my friends, is where the magic of the skillet cookie comes into play. It’s essentially a giant cookie, baked directly in a cast-iron skillet and, ideally, served right from the oven while still wonderfully warm. Forget the fuss of individual plates; the beauty of a skillet cookie is its simplicity. You bake it, you grab a spoon (or several, if you’re truly sharing!), and you dig in. It transforms a simple dessert into an interactive, communal event, making it perfect for family gatherings, cozy nights in, or simply treating yourself after a long week.
Why a Skillet Cookie Stands Out
Beyond its undeniable charm, the skillet cookie offers a unique textural experience. The cast-iron skillet retains heat beautifully, ensuring those coveted crispy edges while the center remains delightfully underbaked and molten. It’s a sensory delight, offering a warm hug in dessert form, and the addition of malted milk takes it to an entirely new level of deliciousness, infusing it with a subtle, toasty flavor that perfectly complements the rich chocolate.
Unveiling the Key Ingredients for Your Skillet Cookie Masterpiece
Crafting this incredible skillet cookie begins with a carefully selected array of ingredients, each playing a crucial role in achieving that perfect balance of flavor and texture. Understanding these components will help you create a truly unforgettable dessert.
- **Butter:** We start with unsalted butter, softened to room temperature. The reason for choosing unsalted butter is simple: control. It allows you to precisely manage the amount of salt in your cookie, ensuring it perfectly balances the sweetness without becoming overpowering. Softened butter is essential for proper creaming with the sugars, creating a light and airy base for your dough.
- **Sugars:** This recipe employs a dynamic duo of sugars: golden caster sugar and soft light brown sugar. Brown sugars are paramount in cookie recipes because their inherent moisture contributes significantly to a chewier, more tender texture compared to white granulated sugar alone. The golden caster sugar adds a delicate sweetness and crispness, while the brown sugar introduces depth, a hint of caramel, and that irresistible chewiness that defines a perfect cookie.
- **Eggs:** Two medium eggs act as the binding agents, bringing the dough together and adding richness. Incorporating them one at a time helps to emulsify them properly into the butter and sugar mixture, resulting in a smoother, more uniform dough.
- **Flour:** Plain flour provides the structural foundation for our cookie. When combined with the other dry ingredients, it creates a dough that is neither too dense nor too crumbly, achieving that ideal cookie consistency.
- **Leavening and Seasoning:** A pinch of salt is vital for enhancing all the other flavors, preventing the cookie from tasting flat. Baking powder is our leavening agent, giving the cookie a slight lift and contributing to its tender interior.
- **Chocolate Chunks/Chips:** The star of the show! I’ve opted for a delightful mix of dark and white chocolate chunks, which offer varying levels of sweetness and melt beautifully, creating pockets of gooey chocolate throughout the cookie. Using chunks rather than chips often results in more satisfying pools of melted chocolate.
- **Malted Milk Powder:** This is the secret ingredient that truly elevates this skillet cookie. Malted milk powder imparts a distinctive, nutty, and slightly toasty flavor profile that is wonderfully complex and incredibly addictive. It adds a subtle savory note that balances the sweetness and gives the cookie an unparalleled depth of flavor, making it stand out from a traditional chocolate chip cookie.
Mastering the Art of Making This Malted Milk Chocolate Chip Skillet Cookie
Fear not if you don’t possess a small skillet or cast iron pan in your kitchen! This incredibly versatile recipe can easily be adapted to make traditional cookies, yielding equally delicious results. Whether you’re baking in a skillet or on a baking sheet, the fundamental steps remain the same, ensuring a delightful treat every time.
Step-by-Step Baking Guide:
- **Creaming Butter and Sugars:** Begin by taking your softened butter and both types of sugar – golden caster and soft light brown – and combining them in a large mixing bowl. Using an electric mixer is ideal for this step, as it allows you to achieve a truly light and fluffy consistency, but you can certainly achieve excellent results by hand with a sturdy whisk and a bit of elbow grease. Beat these ingredients together until the mixture is pale in color and visibly airy, indicating that air has been incorporated, which is key for a tender cookie.
- **Adding Eggs for Richness:** Once your butter and sugar mixture is light and fluffy, it’s time to introduce the eggs. Add them one at a time, beating well after each addition. This ensures that each egg is fully incorporated into the mixture, creating a smooth, cohesive base without curdling. Scrape down the sides of the bowl as needed to ensure everything is evenly combined.
- **Introducing Dry Ingredients:** Next, add all of your dry ingredients to the bowl: plain flour, a pinch of salt, baking powder, and, of course, the distinctive malted milk powder. Gently stir these ingredients until they are *just* combined. The key here is to avoid overmixing, which can lead to a tough cookie. Stop stirring as soon as no pockets of dry flour remain visible.
- **Folding in the Chocolate:** Now for the best part – the chocolate! Add your chosen chocolate chunks (a mix of dark and white is highly recommended for a balanced flavor profile and visual appeal). Gently fold them into the dough until they are evenly distributed. Again, be careful not to overmix at this stage. Your luxurious cookie dough is now complete and ready for its transformation!
- **Baking in the Skillet:** If you’re opting for the skillet method, lightly grease your skillet(s) to prevent sticking. This recipe yields enough dough for two 22cm skillets, allowing for optimal cooking and serving. Transfer the cookie dough into the prepared skillet(s) and gently spread it out evenly with a spatula or the back of a spoon. Bake in a preheated oven at 180°C (160°C fan) for approximately 15-20 minutes. The cookie is perfectly ready when its edges are beautifully golden brown, and the center is just set but still feels soft to the touch, promising that irresistible gooeyness.
- **The Perfect Serve:** Once baked, remove the skillet from the oven and allow it to cool for a mere 5-10 minutes. This brief resting period allows the cookie to set slightly, making it easier to serve while retaining its decadent warmth and molten center. Resist the urge to cool it down completely; you want to experience this treat while it’s still sumptuously warm and ooey-gooey!
Elevate Your Skillet Cookie Experience
To truly take this dessert from delicious to absolutely divine, I wholeheartedly recommend topping your warm skillet cookie with a generous scoop (or three!) of your favorite ice cream. Vanilla bean is a classic choice, its creamy coolness providing a wonderful contrast to the warm, rich cookie. The warm cookie dough will magically mingle with the melting ice cream, creating an indulgent and irresistible symphony of flavors and textures. A drizzle of caramel sauce or a sprinkle of flaky sea salt could also add an extra layer of gourmet flair. You’re welcome for this ultimate indulgence!
No Skillet? No Problem! Alternative Baking Methods
Don’t let the absence of a cast-iron skillet deter you from making these incredible malted milk chocolate chip cookies! This dough is wonderfully adaptable and can be baked in various forms to suit your kitchen setup.
Traditional Drop Cookies:
If you prefer individual cookies, simply roll the dough into walnut-sized pieces. Arrange them on baking trays lined with parchment paper, ensuring ample space between each cookie to allow for spreading. For a slightly thicker, chewier cookie, you can opt to chill the dough balls in the fridge for about 20 minutes before baking; this helps them hold their shape better. Reduce the baking time to approximately 10-12 minutes, or until the edges are golden and the centers are just set. Allow them to cool on the baking tray for a few minutes before transferring them to a wire rack. Watch them disappear almost instantly!
Other Baking Vessels:
You can also bake this cookie dough in a standard round cake pan (a 9-inch pan would work well for a single large cookie, adjusting baking time as needed) or even individual ramekins for single-serving delights. The principle remains the same: look for golden edges and a slightly soft center for that perfect gooey texture.
For those moments when you crave a quick treat but are short on time or still seeking alternatives, why not try a Chocolate Chip Mug Cake? It offers minimal effort for maximum dessert satisfaction.
Happy baking, friends! May your kitchens be filled with warmth and the irresistible aroma of freshly baked goods.
Thank you for stopping by and taking the time to read! Your comments and ratings are always cherished, so please don’t hesitate to share your thoughts below. You can also connect with me and follow my latest culinary adventures on Instagram, Pinterest, and Facebook!
📖 Recipe: Malted Milk Chocolate Chip Skillet Cookie
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Chocolate chip and malted milk skillet cookie
Equipment
- small skillet
Ingredients
- 140 g butter softened
- 50 g golden caster sugar (white caster will also work)
- 100 g soft light brown sugar
- 2 medium eggs
- 200 g plain flour
- 175 g malted milk powder
- ½ teaspoon baking powder
- 100 g chocolate chopped (dark and white recommended)
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 180°C (160°C fan). Lightly brush two small skillets (approximately 22 cm in size) with a little butter to prevent sticking, then set them aside.
- In a large mixing bowl, combine the softened butter with both the golden caster sugar and the soft light brown sugar. Beat these ingredients together until the mixture becomes wonderfully light and fluffy. You can achieve this using an electric mixer or by hand. Once light, incorporate the eggs, adding them one at a time and beating thoroughly after each addition until fully combined.
- Add the plain flour, malted milk powder, baking powder, and a pinch of salt to the butter and egg mixture. Gently stir until the dry ingredients are just incorporated and a cohesive dough forms. Be careful not to overmix the dough. Now, fold in your chopped chocolate chunks (a mix of dark and white chocolate adds great depth). Stir gently until the chocolate is evenly distributed throughout the dough.
- Divide the cookie dough evenly between your two prepared skillets. Use a spatula or the back of a spoon to gently smooth the dough over the base of each skillet. Transfer the skillets to the preheated oven and bake for approximately 15-18 minutes. The cookie is done when the top is golden brown and the center is just set, still feeling soft to the touch for that perfect gooey interior.
- Carefully remove the skillets from the oven and allow the cookies to cool for about 10 minutes. This short cooling period helps the cookie to set slightly, making it easier to enjoy. For the ultimate indulgence, top with generous scoops of ice cream immediately before serving. Enjoy your warm, gooey skillet cookie!
Please note that all my recipes are developed and tested in metric grams. I recommend that you use digital scales for more accurate results. I have provided a conversion to US customary in the recipe but please note that I haven’t tested using this method.
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