Brown Butter Skillet Cookie

My relationship with butter has been rather dodgy. I often cheat on her with other fats because they’re packaged to seem healthier, but the butter dish has always played both my seductress and saviour. Of late, our relationship has become a bit more complex though. A gentle push over medium flame and I discovered a nutty, toasty side to her that I was unaware of. Beurre noisette was the startling revelation, that proclamation of love that sealed the deal between butter and I. A little brown butter over scallops or cooked with sage for ravioli adds complexity to savoury dishes, and when added to sweet, yields the most delicious biscuits and cookies. This skillet cookie is a cross between a cookie and a pudding for times you can’t decide between the two. A favourite at slumber parties, I usually don’t bother with all the slicing you see in the picture.

INGREDIENTS:

Butter 80g

Caster Sugar 1/3 cup

Brown Sugar 1/2 cup

Egg 1, medium sized

Vanilla Extract 1 1/2 tsp

All-purpose flour 1 cup

Baking Soda 1/4 tsp

Milk chocolate 1/2 cup, chopped into large chunks

Dark chocolate 1/2 cup, chopped into large chunks

METHOD:

Preheat the oven to 190 degrees celsius.

For the beurre noisette, melt the butter over medium heat till it begins to froth, stirring constantly with a spatula. Watch it closely for it will begin to change colour and brown rapidly. Once the butter has changed colour and has released a wonderful nutty aroma, take it off the heat. Be careful to not let it burn, as this will turn it into beurre noir. The milk solids will settle at the bottom of the pan, but don’t strain it out as these browned bits will only add to the flavour of the cookie. Let the butter cool for a few minutes before adding the sugars to it. Using a hand mixer to combine the sugars and the butter.

Add the egg and vanilla extract to this mix, and once again blend it together. Now sift in the flour and baking powder and use a spatula to mix. Fold in 3/4th of the chocolate chunks and transfer the cookie batter to a waiting skillet. Wet your hands slightly and flatten out the cookie to reach the ends of the pan. Scatter the reserved chunks of chocolate on top and gently press them into the batter.

Transfer to the oven and bake for 15 minutes. You must be careful to not over bake, as these will harden as they cool. It’s quite alright if you can’t wait for it to cool completely, so you can dig in shortly after it’s out of the oven.