skillet baked chocolate chip cookie

Last week was not a good week for me.  I was hit with a major sinus infection and felt like I had been punched in the face and drained of all energy.  This is not good when you have two family birthdays to celebrate, plans every night of the week and a husband traveling.  Brad was in New Orleans for his birthday but, we could not let his birthday pass without a family dinner.  In my state I needed something that showed LOVE and appeared more time intensive then it actually was. Carter saw a picture of this giant skillet chocolate chip cookie and decided this is what daddy had to have.  It was our big secret all week.  Carter would give hints but, never actually gave it away.  I have to say Carter ... nailed it.  This giant cookie is slightly crisp on the top and sides and the soft center is filled with pockets of warm chocolate.  This must be served warm from the oven with a huge scoop of vanilla ice cream. 

skillet baked chocolate chip cookie

adapted: martha stewart

2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
3/4 cup unsalted butter, softened
1/2 cup sugar
3/4 cup packed light-brown sugar
1 large egg
2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
1 1/2 cups (~ 9 ounces) semisweet chocolate chunks
vanilla ice cream (recipe below)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, baking soda, and salt; set aside. In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream butter and sugars until mixture is light and fluffy, about 2 minutes. Add egg and vanilla; mix until they are fully incorporated. Add flour mixture, and beat until just combined.

Stir in chocolate chips.

Transfer dough to a 10-inch ovenproof skillet, and press to flatten, covering bottom of pan. Bake until edges are brown and top is golden, 40 to 45 minutes. Don't over bake; it will continue to cook a few minutes out of the oven. Transfer to a wire rack to cool, 15 to 20 minutes. Cut into 8 wedges. Serve warm; top each wedge with a scoop of ice cream and some caramel sauce.

vanilla bean ice cream 

source: the perfect scoop

1 cup whole milk
pinch of salt
3/4 cup sugar
1 vanilla bean, split lengthwise
2 cups heavy cream
5 large egg yolks
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract


Prepare Ice Cream:


Heat the milk, salt, and sugar in a saucepan. Scrape the seeds from the vanilla bean into the milk with a paring knife, then add the bean pod to the milk. Cover, remove from heat, and infuse for one hour.

To make the ice cream, set up an ice bath by placing a 2-quart (2l) bowl in a larger bowl partially filled with ice and water. Set a strainer over the top of the smaller bowl and pour the cream into the bowl.

In a separate bowl, stir together the egg yolks. Rewarm the milk then gradually pour some of the milk into the yolks, whisking constantly as you pour. Scrape the warmed yolks and milk back into the saucepan. Cook over low heat, stirring constantly and scraping the bottom with a heat-resistant spatula, until the custard thickens enough to coat the spatula.

Strain the custard into the heavy cream. Stir over the ice until cool, add the vanilla extract, then refrigerate to chill thoroughly. Preferably overnight.

Remove the vanilla bean and freeze the custard in your ice cream maker according to the manufacturer's instructions.