It’s hard to believe we’re already in mid February. The snow is finally completely gone and last week was on the warmer side. I’m starting to see the early signs of spring, like the daffodils that are starting to peak out at the top of my driveway. Plus, it seems like everyone else in the world is pushing for spring.
As I have mentioned time and time again, Spring is my least favorite season. I think I associate Spring with change, in little and big ways. And personally, I really don’t like change. Plus, as a Junior in high school, spring feels very stressful school-wise. And on top of all of that, I just generally prefer colder weather over warmer.
In terms of baking, spring to me means floral flavors. Summer is more for fruit and berries, but spring is sort of the transition into that with flavors like lavender, rose, earl grey, and lemon. So you can expect to see a lot of that in the next couple months.
But for now we’re sticking with my favorites: cozy and comforting recipes, with spices, chocolate, and coffee. So let’s get to the matter at hand, this skillet cookie.
Describe this Cookie to Me
Taste: This cookie has a delicate balance of flavors, with sweet vanilla and brown sugar, warming bourbon and brown butter, cozy spices, and bittersweet dark chocolate. It seems like there’s too much going on, but the flavors work together to give this cookie a cozy twist on the classic chocolate chip.
Texture: This skillet cookie is served warm, so the outside is crisp and caramelized, while the inside is slightly gooey and dotted with puddles of melty chocolate. It’s extra tasty served with ice cream, providing the perfect contrast.
Ease: This is a pretty simple recipe. It starts by browning the butter, which we will mix with our sugars, eggs, bourbon, espresso powder, and vanilla. Then we add in all the dry ingredients, fold in the chocolate, spread it into a skillet, bake, and serve! It’s one of those recipes you whip up quickly and enjoy right away while it’s still warm.
What is a Skillet Cookie?
It’s not a very complicated concept really, it’s a cookie baked in a skillet. It’s a bit like a cookie cake, but it’s typically served warm and it’s still gooey and soft on the inside. Because of the gooey texture and the warm puddles of melty chocolate, this is delicious served with ice cream.
The Dough
This is a pretty straightforward cookie dough, but there are a few alterations to make it suitable as a skillet cookie. First, we use both whole eggs and an egg yolk. The extra egg yolk, and the cornstarch, help give this cookie that crisp exterior, while the brown butter and combination of both sugars keeps this perfectly gooey on the inside. The bourbon, while also adding to the flavor, is slightly acidic and helps activate the baking soda so the dough remains light while still gooey.
Spiced Bourbon Chocolate Chip Skillet Cookie
Ingredients
Method
- Grease an 8 inch cast iron skillet with butter and set aside. Preheat the oven to 350℉.
- In a medium sized saucepan over medium heat, melt the butter. Once melted, keep cooking and the butter will begin to sizzle and foam. Keep cooking, stirring occasionally until the butter starts to brown. Once browned, remove from the heat and pour into a large mixing bowl. Let it cool for 5 minutes before continuing.
- To the slightly cooled brown butter, whisk in the brown sugar and granulated sugar. Add the eggs, bourbon, espresso powder, and vanilla extract and whisk until combined. Add in the flour, cinnamon, cardamom, ginger, cornstarch, baking soda, and salt and use a large wooden spoon or spatula to fold the mixture together into a smooth dough. Finally, fold in the chocolate chunks.
- Spread the dough into the previously prepared skillet and bake for 20-25 minutes or until the top and sides are browned but the center is still gooey. Let the cookie cool for 10 minutes before serving warm with a sprinkle of flakey sea salt and a scoop of ice cream.