Remember
Monster Cookies? They were all the rage once upon a time. I hadn't made them in
years! Then, just over a year ago, I saw Grant Melton make a Monster Skillet Cookie on the Rachael Ray Show.
It
looked SO GOOD! I knew I needed to try it! Thankfully I had purchased an oven
proof skillet a few months earlier so I just needed to get the ingredients
together. Of course I made a couple of small changes to his original recipe like
using crunchy peanut butter rather than smooth and peanuts instead of pecans.
It was DELISH!
Well,
actually, I did have one problem. I didn't want to serve it in my Paderno
non-stick pan. I wanted to serve it on a large plate. That meant a double invert
to get it out of the pan and onto a plate. I did let it cool for awhile in the
skillet before trying to turn it out but I didn't wait long enough! When I did
the initial turn, the cookie fell apart! Luckily, I had put a piece of parchment
paper over the cookie first so none of the broken pieces and crumbs were lost! It
was a very tasty mess!
A
few weeks later, I tried it again and waited till the cookie was completely
cooled before doing the invert and that time it worked perfectly!
Then
I had this crazy idea to make it even more delish. Why not make it into a Skillet
Chocolate
Monster Cookie? If I adjusted the basic ingredients a bit and added some cocoa
powder AND NUTELLA ,,, the cookie could be downright amazing!
The
result was beyond my expectations! The PB and Nutella made it moist. The oats
made it a bit chewy. The combination of all the add-ins was just right. It was
loaded with scrumptious flavour and cookie goodness! I had hit the cookie
trifecta!
As
always, I took samples to several friends to get their opinions. Let's just say
the oohs, awes and mmm's I heard were music to my ears! They LOVED
it!
This
tasty treat is great for any occasion and can also be frozen if removed from
skillet and wrapped in plastic wrap then stored in a zipped freezer bag.
By
the way, February 5 is World Nutella Day, so if you are looking for a sweet
treat to wow your co-workers, friends and family you can't go wrong with this
recipe!
Skillet
Chocolate Monster Cookie
1/2
cup butter or block margarine
2/3
cup crunchy peanut butter
1/2
cup Nutella
1
cup brown sugar
1/2
cup white sugar
2
large eggs, at room temperature
2
cups quick rolled oats
1
cup all purpose flour
3
Tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder
1
teaspoon baking powder
1
teaspoon baking soda
1/2
teaspoon salt
1/2
cup candy coated chocolate candy (M&M’s)
1/2
cup dark or bittersweet chocolate chips
1/2
cup peanut butter chips
1/2
cup blanched, salted peanuts, chopped
Soak
the dried cherries in hot (not boiling) water for 15-20 minutes to partially
rehydrate. Drain, rinse and chop. Place the cherries in a single layer on a
paper towel to drain a bit more while preparing the rest of the recipe. You
could also use fresh cherries that have been pitted and chopped into small
pieces. If you prefer your dried cherries to be really chewy (like shoe leather
for the really dry ones!), you could skip the partial rehydration but I am
partial to a softer cherry.
Preheat
oven to 350°F.
In an
11 or 12-inch oven proof skillet, melt the butter/margarine. Once melted, turn
off the heat and add in the peanut butter, Nutella and both sugars. With a heat
proof spatula or whisk, mix until smooth. Remove the skillet from the heat to a
cooling rack and let cool for a few minutes.
While
the sugar mixture is cooling, combine the oats, flour, cocoa powder, baking
powder, baking soda and salt in a medium sized bowl. Set aside.
Once
the sugar mixture is cool to the touch, use your spatula or whisk to mix in the
eggs.
Using
a rubber spatula, carefully fold in the oat mixture. Once the dough has formed,
add in the candy coated chocolates, chocolate chips, peanut butter chips,
peanuts and dried cherries. Mix just to combine all the add-ins. Spread the
batter evenly in the skillet.
Place
the skillet into the preheated oven and bake for 25-30 minutes or until
slightly puffy on top and starting to pull away from the edges.
Remove
skillet from oven and place on wire rack to cool before serving.
Now,
depending on what type of skillet you used the serving/presentation may have to
vary a bit.
If
you used a cast iron pan, you can serve it warm out of the pan.
However,
if you use a non-stick pan such as my Paderno, then you will have to use a
non stick utensil to slice it in the pan OR preferably take a few
extra steps to remove it from the pan to a serving plate when cooled so that
you don't inadvertently scratch or otherwise damage the non-stick coating on
your pan.
Before
you attempt to transfer the cookie to a serving plate, allow it to cool in the
skillet for at least 1 1/2 - 2 hours before attempting to remove from pan. This
allows the "cookie" to firm up. Attempting to invert it out of the
pan before completely cool will result in it falling apart! Trust me - that is
what happened the first time I tried making a skillet monster cookie! It was
still delish - just didn't have a great look for presentation!
To
remove from a non-stick pan:
Once
the cookie is completely cooled, place a piece of parchment or wax paper over
the top of the cookie in the skillet then place a cooling rack upside down on
top of the parchment paper. Align it so that the rack and the paper completely
cover the top of the skillet and the cookie inside. While holding onto both the
skillet and the paper on the rack, CAREFULLY,
turn it over so the rack with the paper is on the bottom and the pan is upside
down on top. If the cookie does not slide out within a few seconds, gently tap
the bottom of the pan to loosen it. At that point it should separate from the
skillet onto the parchment and rack. If the cookie still feels a bit warm on
the underside leave it for a few minutes before the final invert. Once the
bottom also feels cool to the touch, place a serving plate upside down on top
of the cookie. Now, CAREFULLY turn
the whole thing over so the plate is on the bottom with the cooling rack on
top. Remove the top rack and paper.
Enjoy!
dn
