13 Jun Hot Fudge Brown Butter Skillet Cookie
Hot Fudge Brown Butter Skillet Cookie. Alternately titled — The Reason I Should Quit My Job to Become a Full-Time Food Blogger.
Let me tell you a little story about my day job.
You see, my position requires me to be ‘client facing’. Meaning, rather obviously, that I deal with clients on a daily basis, whether in person, via phone or email. I like to think this means that one of my strengths is the ability to hold my own in an intelligent conversation. And for the most part, I’m pretty successful at it.
But once in a while something happens — something is said — that makes you want to crawl into a dark hole and never, ever speak again. That is, unless it’s censored blog speak from behind the safety of a keyboard.
So here’s how it went. Brace yourself.
There I was, sitting in the conference room across from my clients, sipping on my second cup of mediocre coffee (with far to much vanilla creamer, just like I like it), all business-lady-like. The topic turned to some past advertising creative and the floor was mine. I began speaking about said creative, trying to express that it was super sexy and had great potential, but it hadn’t had enough time or eyeballs on it to be successful.
Trying to say it hadn’t yet stretched its legs.
But that’s not what I said.
In that moment of all eyes on you, say something smart, this is your expertise the lines crossed, the signals scrambled, some shit in my brain misfired…stretched it’s legs got all tangled with spread it’s wings…and instead I said…wait for it…
It hadn’t SPREAD it’s legs.
Yeah. That happened.
Take a moment to process the complete mortification that followed.
So there you have it. I should probably never be allowed to speak to clients ever again. Better yet, I should just become a full-time food blogger so that I can talk to you guys all day. And by talk to you I mean hide behind my computer screen and proofread every sentence I put into the world three times over because apparently, real-life talking isn’t really my jam.
I probably would have been fired if it weren’t for this Hot Fudge Brown Butter Skillet Cookie. (Not really — I got a good chuckle instead of a stern warning.) Working for a small company means no HR department (phew!) but the guy that takes on a lot of those duties told me that this cookie is ‘the best thing [he] has ever put in [his] mouth’. I like to think that counts for something.
I adapted this recipe from Joy the Baker’s The Best Brown Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies and it took every bit of willpower that I have to not eat the entire batch of dough raw. While talking may not be, brown butter is most definitely my jam. The blogosphere has been exploding with recipes featuring it as a main ingredient for eons, but for some reason, this was our first rendezvous. And I’m smitten.
The edges of this cookie get nice and crispy while the center stays soft and gooey. The hot fudge layer adds an extra dose of oozy goodness, and if you use my homemade recipe which is less sweet than the store-bought kind, you get a nice bitterness in every bite that helps balance out the richness. And then there’s the pièce de résistance, the brown butter. It imparts a deep nutty flavor and color that might just make this skillet cookie the best thing you’ve ever put in your mouth. It’s perfection with a scoop of vanilla ice cream or a glass of ice cold milk.
A few notes about this recipe:
I used both white and semi-sweet chocolate chips in mine but feel free to use whatever you have on hand. You could also substitute caramel for hot fudge and it would be delicious times infinity.
Make sure you press the dough into the pan. I made this cookie twice, the first time I didn’t press the dough in and the edges rose so high that the middle fell – it still tasted great but didn’t look nearly as pretty.
If you don’t have a skillet you can make this in a 10-inch round cake pan, but you will need to adjust cooking time. To do this, set your timer for 18 minutes and check on the cookie every 3-5 minutes until done.
Enjoy! XO, Katie
Ingredients
- 1 cup (16 tablespoons) unsalted butter, softened to room temperature
- 2/3 cup light brown sugar, packed
- 1/2 cup dark brown sugar, packed
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 1/2 cup granulated sugar
- 1 large egg
- 1 large egg yolk
- 2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/2 cup fudge sauce (homemade or store bought)
- 3/4 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
- 1/2 cup white chocolate chips
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 350F. Lightly grease a 10-inch cast iron skillet with vegetable oil or butter and set aside.
- In a medium saucepan heat half the butter (8 tbsp) over medium heat, swirling the pan occasionally. As it melts, the butter will foam and froth then start to crackle and pop (this is the water cooking out). Once the crackling stops, keep a close eye on the melted butter, continuing to swirl the pan often. The butter will start to smell nutty, and brown bits will form in the bottom. Once the bits are amber brown (about 2 1/2 to 3 minutes or so after the sizzling stops), remove the butter from the burner and immediately pour it into a small bowl, bits and all, to stop the butter from cooking. Allow to cool for 20 minutes.
- In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with paddle attachment (or with a large bowl & hand mixer) beat the remaining 1/2 of the butter with the brown sugars for about 3 minutes, until smooth. Add the vanilla extract and mix well.
- Pour the cooled brown butter into the bowl, add the granulated sugar and beat for another two minutes, until the mixture is light in color and starts to become fluffy. Add the egg and egg yolk and beat until combined.
- Add the flour, salt and baking soda and beat until just combined. Fold in both the semi-sweet and chocolate chips.
- Cover and chill your dough in the refrigerator for at least 30 minutes (resist eating it all!).
- Once chilled, press half of the dough into the cast iron skillet. Spread an layer of fudge sauce over the dough and then top with the remaining half, gently pressing the dough into the pan in an even layer.
- Place in the oven and bake for 25 - 30 minutes, or until a deep golden brown and a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.
- Serve warm with vanilla ice cream - but it's also great cold or at room temperature. To store, cut into slices and refrigerate in an airtight container.
miss messy
Posted at 17:28h, 13 JuneOh hello! What a combination! This sounds delicious. Also I once tried to say organism in a class and instead said orgasm. Mortifying. I feel your pain sister!
miss messy recently posted…Low Fat Blue Cheese Dressing Recipe
dina
Posted at 11:06h, 17 Junethese are so yummy!
dina recently posted…Weekend Whets 6/13
Shikha @ Shikha la Mode
Posted at 02:00h, 19 JuneThese remind me of the pizookies from BJ’s except a bazillion times better and with BROWN BUTTAH, which is my favorite ingredient ever. I wonder what your job is cus I’m in something similar, and oh lawd I would love be blogging full-time. Wouldn’t that be the life?!
KWahlman
Posted at 11:12h, 26 JuneI work in client services for a tech start up. It’s great but to bake 24/7 would be THE LIFE! Thanks for stopping by!
Alexandra @ Confessions of a Bright-Eyed Baker
Posted at 14:20h, 14 JulyI love that I’m not the only one who reads each one of my blog posts at least three times before hitting the publish button. Obviously there’s the whole proofreading for errors thing, but there’s also that need to be like, “Does this sound okay or do I just sound like a weirdo?”. But OMG that story… I feel for you. :/ THIS, though, looks amazing. Pinning!
Alexandra @ Confessions of a Bright-Eyed Baker recently posted…Healthy No-Bake Chocolate, Almond, and Coconut Bars {GF, Vegan}
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Posted at 10:01h, 05 August[…] Hot Fudge Brown Butter Skillet Cookie via Butterlust […]
Jessica @ Sweet Menu
Posted at 23:09h, 07 AugustIncredible! This cookie looks so beautiful and golden – and I just love the fudgey chocolate sauce! The ultimate dessert!
Jessica @ Sweet Menu recently posted…Chocolate Fudge Cookies
KWahlman
Posted at 10:48h, 08 AugustThanks Jessica! The brown butter gives the cookie such a pretty golden crust – to die for!
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Posted at 02:00h, 07 November[…] ~recipe for Hot Fudge Brown Butter Skillet Cookie~ […]