ooey gooey pizookie's

Happy Monday everyone! I hope you all had a nice Valentine's weekend (even if you got a lot of snow like we did, here in the Northeast). As some of you may have noticed I've slightly redesigned the blog- I'm trying to customize it a bit more and this has been on my to-do list for a while, so I'm happy to check it off the list! Anyway, on to cookies...

My mom has a gas range that she loves as a cooktop, but is unimpressed with the oven. She says that every batch of cookies comes out really flat or burnt and she's tried adjusting the temperature and times (I don't think the higher elevation is doing her any favors either). Regardless, she's completely given up on making cookies the traditional way and is now only making them as pizookie's. Pizookie's are a weird name for a pizza cookie but basically it's cookie dough usually in a skillet-type pan and served hot with ice cream to cool it off. They're basically an easier, cleaner way to eat a warm cookie sandwich. 

I don't know about you, but I love a warm dessert in the winter. You're basically just taking a ramekin and stuffing it with cookie dough, baking it so it's almost set, but still soft in the center- after all, you need a place for the ice cream to sink into. My dad is obsessed with pizookie's and makes them every time guests are over for dinner. My mom, the smart lady that she is, makes cookie dough in advance, freezes the cookie dough balls and then is able to pull them out anytime my dad feels the need to impress people with his "cooking" skills.

So I took the cookie dough I made from my Chocolate Chip Cookie Perfection recipe and did what my mom did: formed the dough into balls, froze them, threw them into a freezer-safe bag and now I can have pizookie's anytime I want too (of course I can also use this dough to make regular cookies too. If using frozen, just give it a little extra time in the oven and try to flatten the frozen dough a little, otherwise it's too thick and the outer edges get too brown while the inside is uncooked.).

Step 1: Form the cookie dough into balls and freeze on a sheet tray, then transfer to a storage container and keep frozen

Step 2: When ready to make a pizookie, take the frozen dough ball and place in a ramekin- depending on the size of your ramekin you may need 1 1/2 to 2 cookie dough balls. Sprinkle a little Fleur de Sel on top.

Step 3: Place ramekin in a 350 F degree oven for 20-25 minutes, or until top is brown and center is still gooey.

Step 4: Serve warm with your favorite ice cream flavor or top with fresh whip cream.

I have tweaked the Chocolate Chip Cookie Perfection recipe to make it pizookie-friendly. Recipe is after the jump:

Chocolate Chip Pizookie

Adapted from Chocolate Chip Cookie Perfection

Makes about 12-15 ramekins of pizookie's

Ingredients

2 Cups minus 2 Tbs. of cake flour (8 ½ oz.)

1 2/3 Cups bread flour (8 ½ oz.)

1¼ tsp. baking soda

1½ tsp. baking powder

1½ tsp. coarse salt

2½ sticks (1¼ cups) unsalted butter

1¼ cups (10 oz.) light brown sugar

1 cup plus 2 tablespoons (8 oz.) granulated sugar

2 large eggs

3 tsp. natural vanilla extract

1¼ lbs. (3 cups) of bittersweet chocolate chips or disks 

Sea Salt

Directions

1. Sift both of the flours, baking soda, baking powder and salt into a bowl and set aside.

2. Using a mixer fitted with paddle attachment, cream butter and sugars together until light and fluffy, about 5 minutes. Add vanilla and eggs, one at a time, mixing well after each addition.

3. Reduce speed to low, add dry ingredients and mix until just combined, 5 to 10 seconds. Drop chocolate pieces in and incorporate them without breaking them. 

4. Scoop 3 ½ -ounce mounds of dough (the size of generous golf balls) onto a parchment lined baking sheet. Once all the dough is scooped out, place the whole sheet tray in the freezer, until each ball of dough is frozen completely. Place the balls of dough into an airtight container.

5. When ready to bake the pizookie's, preheat the oven to 350° F and place a ball of frozen dough into each ramekin (depending on the size of ramekin you may need more dough to fill it- so if you have a larger ramekin it may need two balls of dough and you should account for more baking time if this is the case). 

6. Sprinkle lightly with sea salt and bake until golden brown, but still soft and gooey in the center, 20 to 25 minutes. Immediately top with ice cream or whip cream and enjoy!

* Dough may be used in batches and should last, in an air-tight container, in the freezer for 2-3 months.