Cookie Monster

We have a pizza joint here that has really good pizza. It’s a local place that seems to go in and out of business. Every time it re-opens, it changes owner. The pizza recipe has been changed quite a bit through the years. But, one thing that’s stayed the same is their cookie monster. When my kids have a birthday, I sometimes take them there to share one. A few weeks ago, my oldest boy turned 7. We already had a birthday party planned for the weekend after, so I wanted to go a little bit frugal with his actual birthday dinner. I knew right away that I wanted to include a homemade cookie monster.

These are a really special treat. They’re incredibly indulgent because they don’t keep very well. But, if you have a bunch of people ready to eat it, it’s a fun dessert!

You need a cast iron skillet or baking dish to make this yummy dessert.

You first start by making a batch of chocolate chip cookie dough and baking it in an iron skillet.

Here’s how I make mine:

Skillet Chocolate Chip Cookie:

3/4 C salted butter, softened
3/4 C brown sugar
3/4 C granulated sugar
1 egg
2 tsp pure vanilla extract
2 C flour
2 tsp corn starch
1 tsp baking soda
1 C semi-sweet or milk chocolate chips

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Spray the iron skillet with non-stick cooking spray.

In a stand mixer, beat the butter and sugar for a full 5 minutes. That gets the butter nice and whipped. Trust me, it makes a huge difference in the texture. Add in the egg and vanilla a mix really well. Add the flour, corn starch and baking soda and mix until just combined. Mix the chocolate chips in by hand.

Bake 25-30 minutes, or until the cookie is golden brown.

While the cookie is still really hot and in the iron skillet, top the over-sized cookie with vanilla ice cream, hot fudge, caramel sauce and whipped cream.

The ice cream and the toppings melt into the hot cookie. It gets ooey and gooey. It’s making me drool just writing this post. I must find another excuse to make a cookie monster soon!