cast iron skillet

This cookie is quite different from your average chocolate chip cookie! For one thing, it’s giant-size because it’s made in a 10″ cast iron skillet. I got the idea from The Nourished Life and thought it was great! There’s nothing like having a nice thick slice of a giant chocolate chip cookie! I thought I’d use dark chocolate chips in my giant cookie and I loved the way it turned out. The cast iron skillet bakes it up just right–thick and chewy on the inside, and crispy on the outside!

Since May 15 is National Chocolate Chip Cookie Day, it seemed like just the right time to make this! Besides, I had recently received a sample of a very quality vanilla extract to use in my chocolate chip cookie–Nielsen-Massey Madagascar Bourbon Vanilla Extract. It has a sweet, creamy, mellow flavor that works well with both sweet and savory dishes. I’ve seen this vanilla at Williams-Sonoma, so I was happy to have the chance to try it out. I thought it worked really well in this recipe and gave the batter a great flavor. If you want a chance at winning a complimentary 2 ounce sample of this vanilla, just leave a comment at the end of this post saying you’re interested in trying it by 8:00 pm CST on Thursday, May 15–I’ll do a random drawing and one winner will be selected and notified by email. The winner will receive the vanilla extract directly from Nielsen-Massey. This giveaway is limited to residents in the continental U.S. CONGRATS TO LORI K. for winning the bottle of Nielsen-Massey Vanilla! The random number drawn was 3, and Lori’s was the 3rd comment that mentioned wanting to try the vanilla!

I hope you get a chance to try this cookie out–it is so, so good. If you don’t have a cast iron skillet, this may be a great reason to get one! 🙂

GIANT DARK CHOCOLATE CHIP SKILLET COOKIE by NancyCreative, adapted from The Nourished Life

Makes 1 giant cookie in a 10″ cast iron skillet

2 cups all-purpose unbleached flour

1 teaspoon baking soda

3.4 teaspoon salt

3/4 cup (1 1/2 sticks) butter, softened

1/2 cup granulated sugar

3/4 cup packed light or dark brown sugar

1 large egg

2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract (I used Niielsen-Massey Vanilla)

1 (10-ounce) bag dark chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 350˚F. Lightly grease a seasoned 10″ cast iron skillet with butter or coconut oil.

In medium size bowl, combine flour, baking soda, and salt; set aside.

In large bowl, cream softened butter with granulated and light brown sugars until light and fluffy. Add egg and vanilla, blending well.

Add flour mixture from small bowl to butter-sugar mixture and mix all ingredients together just until blended–do not overmix!

Fold in chocolate chips and mix until the chocolate chips are evenly incorporated into the batter (the batter will be thick, so you’ll need a large sturdy spoon to mix!). Then spread or pat the batter evenly into your cast iron pan and bake at 350˚ degrees for 32 to 35 minutes, or until the edges of the cookie are golden brown. Cool for 20 minutes and cut into slices (as you would a pie) and serve while it’s still warm. A scoop of ice cream on top wouldn’t be a bad idea, either! 🙂

Just a note that it was a little hard getting the first slice of cookie out without a little crumbling and breaking, but after that it was smooth cookie sailing–the other pieces came out very nicely!

I just have one cast iron skillet–my 10″ skillet, but I love using it! Do you cook often with cast iron?

Linked to Wow Us Wednesdays, Full Plate Thursday, Thursday Favorite Things, Nifty Thrifty Sunday, Nifty Thrifty Tuesday.

I really like using my large cast-iron skillet. When I first bought it, I didn’t realize I would have to season it (this was before the seasoned versions came out). It sounded time-consuming, so I put it off for awhile. But when I finally took the time to do it, I discovered how easy it was! Pre-seasoned cast-iron pans are more expensive, so if you’re wanting to buy an unseasoned one and season it yourself, it’s pretty easy to do. Seasoning cast-iron cookware gives it a smooth, non-stick surface that continues to improve the more you use it. I came across some good tips on seasoning and caring for cast-iron cookware at the eHow website and MarthaStewart.com, where I also found this photo. MarthaStewart.com mentions how great it is for making roast chicken, upside-down cake, cornbread, and pizza (you can flip the pan over and use the bottom as a pizza stone…isn’t that a great idea?). I like making biscuits and gravy with my cast-iron skillet, too. Here are some helpful tips for seasoning and caring for cast-iron cookware…

SEASONING CAST IRON COOKWARE:

The first step is to wash your new cast-iron cookware using hot, soapy water. Then rinse and dry with a dish towel, and put in a 300-degree oven for a few minutes to completely dry (this prevents the pan from rusting). Remove pan from oven.
Pour about 1 Tbsp. of oil into the pan (or other cast-iron cookware item) and rub a thin coating of it over the entire surface with a paper towel. Place the pan in the 300-degree oven and leave it in for an hour; remove pan from oven.
Let pan cool a little, and wipe away any excess oil. Then let pan continue cooling to room temperature. Your pan will now be seasoned and ready to use!

CARING FOR CAST-IRON COOKWARE:

It’s best to clean cast iron while it is still warm and before food dries on it.
To clean your pan, you can sprinkle it with coarse salt, rub with paper towels, and then wipe, OR scrape with a nylon tool and then wipe. If stubborn food particles are stuck to the cookware, you can remove them with hot water and a nylon brush or scouring pad. NOTE: You are not supposed to use soap when cleaning cast iron, or soak it in water for long periods of time. Also, do not use metal utensils to scrape your cast iron pan when cleaning.
To remove burnt or dried food, put some water in the pan and boil on the stove for about 30 seconds to a minute (if you boil the water too long, it could damage the seasoning). Use a nylon brush to carefully clean the area where the food is stuck.
When the cookware is clean, dry the pan with a dish towel and then use a paper towel to apply a thin coat of oil to the inside cooking surface of the pan.
Don’t cook alcohol or acidic foods, such as tomato sauce, in your cast iron pan…they will eat away at your seasoned coating. If you happen to forget, though, you can just reseason your pan.

Linked to Favorite Things Saturday.