The first time I ever ate a pizookie (pizza cookie) was in college.
I was visiting my friend Ali in her hometown of Los Angeles, and her food tour always included two cookie Meccas in Westwood, Diddy Riese for ice cream sandwiches, and BJ’s for deep dish skillet cookies with ice cream on top.
This was also the trip that I tried Spinach Artichoke Dip for the first time. And if you’re asking yourself whether I came home 20 pounds heavier, the answer to your question is that it was Freshman year of college and I had already taken care of that. There was nothing out of the ordinary about this vacation diet.
When we returned to our college town that winter, I lamented not having a place to indulge in single serve cast iron skillet cookies. There were multiple late night pizza joints on college hill, as well as the famous Meeting Street cookies, which were roughly the size of your face, and roughly responsible for 15 out of 20 pounds of my weight gain. But there was no magical place that combined the two!
Right off the heels of this realization (obsession?) I took my first (and only) business class. Our task at the end of the semester was to write a full business plan for a start-up we wanted to pursue. Perhaps it should have been a sign of things to come, but I chose to open a hypothetical cookie shop with by the slice pizookies and ice cream sandwiches.
If I ever need to quit current day job, you’ll know where to find me.
So it’s actually kind of surprising, market research-wise, that I’ve never made a gluten-free version of this magical cast iron skillet cookie. When I started brainstorming ideas for a last-minute Valentine’s Day treat, I knew I had to finally do it. If not for my love, than for my future cookie empire, I needed to figure out a combination that would be ultra-crispy on the outside and gooey in the center.
And friends…we did it.
This chocolate chip skillet cookie recipe is paleo, using coconut flour, sugar, and oil, and relatively light on the sweetness, which means you can get away with even more dairy-free vanilla ice cream on top. Making a gluten-free, paleo cookie in a skillet is actually a dream come true. You don’t have to worry as much about texture and bend, whether it will hold together with a chewy bite or crumble into a hot mess in your hands. You get to eat it with a spoon!
If you’re looking for a quick dessert option that will evoke all the best of college gluttony, but help you avoid the Freshman 15, I highly recommend this one.
Happy Valentine’s Day friends and lovers!
Xoxo
Phoebe
Paleo Chocolate Chip Skillet Cookie
Ingredients
- ¼ cup coconut oil at room temperature
- ⅓ cup coconut sugar
- 1 large egg
- 2 tablespoons almond butter
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- 1/3 cup blanched almond flour
- 1/4 coconut four
- 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
- ¼ teaspoon fine sea salt
- 1/4 cup chopped dark chocolate chunks or chips
- Flaky sea salt for garnish
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350ºF. Lightly grease a 5-inch cast iron skillet with coconut oil and set in the oven to warm as it preheats.
- In a medium mixing bowl, combine the coconut oil, coconut sugar, egg, almond butter and vanilla. Beat until smooth.
- Add the almond flour, coconut flour, sea salt, and baking soda to the wet ingredients. Mix until well incorporated. Fold in the chocolate.
- Remove the hot skillet from the oven and carefully press the dough into the pan. Sprinkle with the flaky salt and bake for about 12 minutes or until just beginning to turn golden brown around the edges. Remove from oven and serve warm with vanilla nondairy ice cream.
I’ve got all the ingredients, but no 5″ iron skillet! Thinking I’ll try to split into individual ramekins and cut the baking time. (And watch them like a hawk!)
haha ramekins should work! you may have to keep the same baking time since it will be more depth. But see what happens when they set! worst comes to worst, partial cookie dough 🙂
Love this recipe. I want to bake it but I will use some sweetener instead of coconut sugar. I hope it vill work good!
yes should be fine!