This guest blog post is written by Kim of KickAssBaker.com.
Hi, LorAnn fans! My name is Kimberlee Ho and I am a homebaker from NJ, who loves to share approachable baking recipes and tips with busy families like my own on my blog, kickassbaker.com. There’s nothing I love more than inspiring other home bakers to kick ass in the kitchen with mouthwatering recipes!
I am excited to share this Standout Salted Caramel Cookie Skillet! What could be more perfect for the cooler temperatures of fall and the cozy vibes of a snowy winter’s day than a warm, gooey salted caramel chocolate chip cookie skillet? And, this isn’t just any ol’ chocolate chip cookie recipe that just so happens to be baked in a cast iron skillet. In this recipe, I used LorAnn’s NEW Caramel Bakery Emulsion to totally elevate a chocolate chip cookie recipe. I hope I can inspire you, too, to utilize LorAnn’s bakery emulsions to bring wonderful new flavors to your baking!
This cookie has layers upon layers of rich caramel flavor with crisp edges and a super gooey center. It’s simply perfect for eating straight out of the pan with a few scoops of creamy ice cream, an extra drizzle of salted caramel sauce, and a couple of spoons (if you’re sharing, that is!).
One of the best parts about this recipe is that it’s made without a mixer and no rolling or scooping is necessary. All you need is a couple of mixing bowls and a cast iron skillet.
“Why a cast iron skillet, you ask?” Well, the skillet helps conduct heat evenly while baking to ensure the cookie is evenly baked. And, it helps produce those perfectly crisp edges. Plus, it’s just plain easier than having to scoop out individual cookies.
The Secret Ingredient For Rich, Caramel Flavor
Let’s talk about those caramel notes in this recipe. LorAnn’s Caramel Bakery Emulsion is used here as a wonderful alternative to alcohol-based extract flavorings. All of LorAnn’s bakery emulsions are nut-free, gluten-free and low-carb.
No need to add extra flavoring when using LorAnn’s bakery emulsions. Because they are water-based, the bakery emulsions are suspended in a water base instead of an alcohol base, meaning the flavor won’t “bake out” when exposed to heat like many traditional extracts. Hallelujah! The emulsions are formulated similarly to a baking extract. So, one teaspoon of Caramel Bakery Emulsion is equivalent to one teaspoon of extract.
For this cookie skillet, we use 2 teaspoons of this glorious Caramel Bakery Emulsion to maximize the caramel flavor. One full cup of dark brown sugar is also used to add another layer of caramel to this tasty dessert recipe. Light brown sugar can be substituted, however, using dark brown sugar elevates the caramelly richness for sure.
So let’s dive into how to make this delicious, standout dessert!
Salted Caramel Cookie Skillet
Start by whisking together your dry ingredients. Set those aside for later. In a separate bowl, mix together the granulated and brown sugars. Place that bowl next to the stovetop where you will be melting your butter.
In a cast iron skillet, melt the butter. The important piece here is to swirl the butter around to coat the bottom and sides, as best as possible without spilling the butter. Once the butter is melted, pour it into the bowl with the sugars and stir until the sugar is dissolved.
Do not clean the skillet or wipe the butter out of it. Just leave it where it is on the stove top. We will be using that buttery, greased skillet to dump the cookie dough into, creating a buttery, nonstick layer between the cookie and the pan.
Next, add in the eggs and whisk until well combined. The good news here is that even though typically adding eggs to hot melted butter is not a good idea because it’ll result in scrambled eggs, when the melted butter gets mixed with the sugars, it cools down significantly. This eliminates the need to cool down the mixture before adding in the eggs. Voila!
Pour in that glorious bakery emulsion and take a big whiff of the delicious aroma.
Now add in the dry ingredients and mix just until combined. Overmixing will lead to a tough cookie which is the opposite of the chewy, gooey cookie we are aiming for.
Grab a bar of baking chocolate, chocolate chunks or chocolate chips and mix those in. I prefer using a baking bar and chopping it. This creates chunks of varying sizes as well as small shavings and bits that, when mixed into the batter, add chocolate throughout the dough. This is ideal, in my opinion!
Dump the cookie dough in the buttered skillet and pop it in the oven. Start checking for doneness around the 25 minute mark. You are looking for golden brown edges and a center that is no longer glossy or just slightly glossy.
Be sure to use an oven mitt when removing the skillet from the oven – the handle will be super-hot! Allow the cookie to cool in the skillet. The center will set, but still be super gooey.
Top directly in the skillet with ice cream and add a generous drizzle of salted caramel sauce and dig in!
Like what you see? Get the full recipe step-by-step here.
Will you try this recipe? Share with us in comments!
Check out more delicious recipes using LorAnn products!
About the Guest Blogger:
Kimberlee Ho
Kimberlee Ho is a homebaker from NJ, who loves to share approachable baking recipes and tips with busy families like her own on her blog, kickassbaker.com. Kim works full-time during the day and bakes, recipe tests, and photographs at night and on the weekends in between driving her two daughters to gymnastics practices. Her goal is to inspire home bakers to kick ass in the kitchen!
