Gluten-Free Skillet Cookie: Pizookie

Gluten-free skillet cookie - aka pizookie! A thick chocolate chip cookie baked in a cast-iron skillet until the edge is golden brown and crisp and the center is oh-so gooey. Customize to your heart's content. Serve it straight from the warm skillet with scoops of vanilla ice cream and a handful of spoons, scooped into individual bowls, or cooled slightly and sliced into pie wedges. 

This post is sponsored by Andronico's Community Markets, a year-long partner of Snixy Kitchen, but the opinions are all my own.

We jump from my husband's birthday one weekend right into Father's Day the next (and our anniversary the next!). Food is my love language and this gluten-free skillet cookie is a love letter to my husband. Perhaps you've got a father in your life that would also get heart eyes for a gooey thick chocolate chip cookie baked up in a skillet until the edges are golden brown and crisp? A pa pizookie, if you will.

For Lucas's gluten-free pizookie variation, I've optionally added salted peanuts and tucked in spoonfuls of peanut butter so the entire thing tastes like a warm melty peanut butter cup. Serve it warm topped with scoops of vanilla ice cream and a handful of spoons for the whole family, or scoop/slice it into individual serving bowls for a gathering with friends. Or give dad one giant spoon and let him have at it. 

I created this gluten-free skillet cookie recipe as part of my year-long partnership with Andronico's Community Market in honor of Father's Day. Each month, I'll share a new recipe that features some of the unique and specialty ingredients found at Andronico's. Here are all the recipes so far!

Gluten-Free Skillet Cookie v Gluten-Free Pizookie?

Save for a catchy name, there is no difference between a skillet cookie and a pizookie. Call it either or both, I won't stop you. Pizza shape + cookie flavor? Pizookie. Heck, call it a giant chocolate chip cookie or a cookie pie for all I care. 

Whatever you call it, we're talking a thick chocolate chip cookie baked in a cast-iron skillet until the edge is golden brown and crisp and the center is oh-so gooey. For optimum results, serve it warm with scoops of vanilla ice cream.

A skillet cookie is characteristically different than a blondie in that it's served warm and not typically sliced up into squares like blondies. It's often scooped up with spoons right there at the table, though read below for all the ways to serve this skillet cookie, including an option to let it cool and slice it like a pie. 

Andronico's: Ingredients for Skillet Cookie

All of the ingredients for this skillet cookie come from my local Bay Area Andronico's Community Market. They carry a wide range of specialty ingredients, as well as all your everyday grocery staples and organic produce. I love that I can get everything I need for my gluten-free baking recipes in one place - from specialty flours and organic sugars to pantry staples. They've also got the most epic bulk section, which is where I loaded up on the peanuts (and possibly some snacks to tide me over until cookie time...). It's the perfect place to get some custom cookie add-ins.

Ingredients you need for gluten-free skillet cookies:

• Bob's Red Mill superfine blanched almond flour
• Bob's Red Mill tapioca flour
• Bob's Red Mill gluten-free oat flour
• Baking soda & salt
• Unsalted butter
• Organic dark brown sugar & cane sugar
• Large egg
• Vanilla extract
• Guittard baking chocolate wafers
• Optional: toasted salted peanut, creamy peanut butter, flaky salt, and vanilla ice cream

Tips for the best gooey gluten-free skillet cookie

A skillet cookie should hold its structure when cooled, but be ultra gooey in the center when warm. Nothing dry or crumbly. Here are my tips for the best gluten-free skillet cookie.

• Use organic dark brown sugar.  Organic dark brown sugar has a higher molasses content than conventional brown sugar, adding moisture and more robust flavor to your cookie. More molasses means a more gooey cookie center. If you sub in conventional dark brown sugar, you will need to adjust the baking time lower so as not to dry out your cookie. The same goes for subbing in organic light brown sugar. I use O Organics dark brown sugar from Andronico's.
• Use high-quality chocolate bars or wafers. While there are times that call for chocolate chips, for this recipe, grab the chocolate bars or baking wafers. Unlike chocolate chips that hold their structure, chopped chocolate or wafers melt throughout the skillet cookie, leading to a more gooey, more chocolatey cookie. I use Guittard Bittersweet Baking wafers, coarsely chopped.
• Take care not to overbake. When it comes to skillet cookies, err on the side of underbaked. The edges should feel crisp and firm when gently touched, but the center should feel very soft.
• Brown the butter in the skillet. Melting and cooking the butter until it browns imparts a deeper nutty complexity to the skillet cookie. This step should not be skipped. Bonus, it also coats the skillet in a layer of butter, helping to crisp up the edges as it bakes. 

How long to bake a cookie in a skillet?

Bake the skillet cookie for just 20-22 minutes. The edges should feel crisp and golden brown, while the center is just barely baked. When in doubt, err on the side of underbaked for the ultimate gooey cookie center. 

Gluten-Free Skillet Cookie Add-Ins

With a classic chocolate chip cookie flavor, this skillet cookie is infinitely customizable. Customize it to your heart's content, just like I did here with peanut butter globs and salted peanuts. Here's some inspiration:

• Peanut butter and salted peanuts: Fold in roasted salted peanuts along with the chopped chocolate. Hide spoonfuls of peanut butter between two layers of the cookie dough. 
• Chopped toasted pecans, walnuts, almonds, or hazelnuts. 
• White Chocolate, Butterscotch Chips
• Cocoa powder: Sub out the oat flour for cocoa powder
• Chopped candy bars, M&Ms, or peanut butter cups
• Tahini: Whisk together 3 tablespoons of tahini with 1 tablespoon of honey until just combined. Take care not to overmix, as that may cause it to seize. Spoon dollops of this honey tahini between two layers of cookie dough, just like with the peanut butter. 
• Spices: cinnamon, cardamom, ginger, or nutmeg 
• Drizzle with caramel or chocolate sauce

You could also easily customize the skillet into quarters with different flavors! Divide the dough into four, carefully kneading in different add-ins to each, then press each part into one quadrant of your skillet. 

Can I make this skillet cookie dairy-free?

Yes, you can make this skillet cookie dairy-free! Sub in plant butter or refined coconut oil 1 to 1 for the butter, melting it in the skillet, but not browning it.

Serving a Gluten-Free Skillet Cookie

There are many ways to serve this gluten-free skillet cookie. Unless I'm eating this with my family, I don't really want to share my dessert with everyone digging in with their spoons family-style to one big melty cookie. However you do it, don't skip the ice cream. 

• Straight from the warm skillet and a handful of spoons for the whole family.
• Scooped warm into individual serving bowls
• Cooled slightly for ~15 minutes and sliced into wedges like a pie

How to store and reheat a Gluten-Free Skillet Cookie

Slice and store any leftover skillet cookie in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 3 days. Refrigerate any leftovers that touched ice cream. I would recommend slicing out areas that didn't get covered in melty ice cream and storing those separately as the parts with ice cream will be soggier as leftovers (though delicious, I can attest). 

Cooled to room temperature, this skillet cookie tastes just like chocolate chip cookie bars. If you want it warm and gooey, reheat in the skillet in the oven at 300°F for 5-7 minutes until just warm.

Gluten-Free Pizookie FAQ

How to make it without a cast-iron skillet?

No skillet, no problem! You can use any oven-proof 9 or 10-inch skillet or cake pan or an 8x8 baking pan. If using a baking pan, brown the butter in a saucepan and brush a small amount on the pan before pouring the browned butter over the sugar.

This skillet cookie is not fussy, though. If you don't have any of these pans, you can use anything in the 8 to 11-inch range and adjust the baking time accordingly. For a smaller pan, you'll need to add a couple of minutes to the bake time, and for a larger pan, start checking for doneness around 16 minutes. 

Can you make a skillet cookie on the stovetop?

Unfortunately no.  The bottom of the skillet cookie will burn before it cooks through. 

Can you make this skillet cookie dough in advance?

Yes! I always keep gluten-free cookie dough in my freezer for emergencies. Store the cookie dough for this recipe in an airtight bag or container in the fridge for up to a week or the freezer for up to 6 months. Let it sit out to soften on the counter just enough that you're able to press it into the pan. If baking from the fridge or freezer, you will need to add 2-4 minutes to your bake time. 

Help! My skillet cookie is dry and crumbly!

If your skillet cookie isn't gooey there are a few likely culprits. It's possible it was baked too long (or too hot if your oven temperature is off). Remember: err on the side of underbaked. 

If you used different brands of flours than the ones listed here, that can also make a huge difference. Each brand of flour is ground to different coarseness and thus soaks up. moisture differently. Results will vary from different brands. 

If you did not use organic dark brown sugar, your cookies will be less moist. If using conventional brown sugar or organic light brown sugar, adjust the baking time to less and leave out a tablespoon of oat flour.

More Gluten-Free Cookies Baked in Pans:

• Gluten-Free Blondies
• Ultimate Gluten-Free Brownies
• Gluten-Free Fruit Pizza
• Flourless Chocolate Chunk Almond Butter Cookie Bars
• Gluten-Free Cardamom White Chocolate Blondies with Grapefruit Frosting
• Gluten-Free White Chocolate Matcha Brownies with Tahini Swirl

Recipe

Gluten-Free Skillet Cookie: Pizookie

yields: 8 -10 servings, one 10-inch cookie

prep time: 10 minutes mins

cook time: 20 minutes mins

total time: 30 minutes mins

Super gooey gluten-free skillet cookie - aka pizookie! A thick chocolate chip cookie baked in a cast-iron skillet until the edge is golden brown and crisp and the center is oh-so gooey. Customize to your heart's content. Serve it straight from the warm skillet with scoops of vanilla ice cream and a handful of spoons, scooped into individual bowls, or cooled slightly and sliced into pie wedges. 

5 from 3 reviews

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Ingredients

• ▢ 1¼ cups (140 g) Bob's Red Mill super-fine blanched almond flour
• ▢ 1 cup (112 g) Bob's Red Mill tapioca flour
• ▢ ¼ cup + 2 tablespoons (40 g) Bob's Red Mill gluten-free oat flour
• ▢ ½ teaspoon baking soda
• ▢ ½ teaspoon kosher salt
• ▢ ½ cup unsalted butter
• ▢ ¾ cup (150 g) dark brown sugar, preferably organic
• ▢ ¼ cup (51 g) granulated sugar
• ▢ 1 large egg, room temperature
• ▢ 1½ teaspoons pure vanilla extract
• ▢ 5 oz bittersweet chocolate baking bars or wafers, chopped and divided, ~¾ - 1 cup
• ▢ Optional: ½ cup roasted salted peanuts, divided
• ▢ Optional: 2 tablespoons creamy peanut butter
• ▢ Optional: vanilla ice cream, for serving

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INSTRUCTIONS

• Preheat oven to 350°F.
• In a medium bowl, sift together almond flour, tapioca flour, oat flour, baking soda, and salt. Set aside.
• Place the sugars in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment or a large mixing bowl with a hand mixer or whisk and wooden spoon.
• Brown the butter in a 10-inch cast-iron skillet (see note for pan and butter substitutions). Melt the butter over medium heat. First the butter will foams and then quickly brown. Take care not to burn the butter. Quickly pour the butter over the sugars in the mixing bowl. Mix and let sit for about 2 minutes to cool.
• Add the egg and vanilla and mix very well, 2-3 minutes.
• Reduce speed to low and gradually mix in the sifted flours, mixing until just combined.
• Mix in 3½ ounces (~½ cup) of the chopped chocolate and, if using, ¼ cup of the peanuts, until evenly dispersed, reserving the remaining chocolate and peanuts for on top.
• If adding peanut butter, press ½ of the cookie dough into the bottom of the skillet. dollop spoonfuls of peanut butter evenly over the top. Scoop spoonfuls of the remaining cookie dough over top of the peanut butter, pressing until smooth. It's okay if some of the peanut butter peeks through!
• Top with reserved chopped chocolate and peanuts (if using) and bake for 20-22 minutes, until the edges are golden brown and firm to the touch and the center is just baked but very soft and gooey. When in doubt, err on the side of underbaked for the ultimate gooey cookie center. 
• Serve warm with scoops of vanilla ice cream. Serve with a handful of spoons straight from the warm skillet, or scooped warm into individual serving bowls, or cooled slightly for ~15 minutes and sliced into wedges like a pie.

Notes

Dairy-Free

Sub in plant butter or refined coconut oil 1 to 1 for the butter, melting it in the skillet, but not browning it.

Cast-Iron Skillet Substitution

Use any oven-proof 9 or 10-inch skillet or cake pan or an 8x8 baking
pan. If using a baking pan, brown the butter in a saucepan and brush a small
amount on the pan before pouring the browned butter over the sugar.

This skillet cookie is not fussy, though. If you don't have any of these
pans, you can use anything in the 8 to 11-inch range and adjust the baking time
accordingly. For a smaller pan, you'll need to add a couple of minutes to the
bake-time, and for a larger pan, start checking for doneness around 16
minutes. 

Storing and Reheating

Slice and store any leftover skillet cookie in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 3 days. Store any portion that got ice cream on it in the fridge. Reheat in a 300°F oven for 5-7 minutes.

Nutrition

Calories: 481kcal | Carbohydrates: 57g | Protein: 7g | Fat: 27g | Saturated Fat: 13g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 3g | Trans Fat: 0.5g | Cholesterol: 51mg | Sodium: 249mg | Potassium: 176mg | Fiber: 3g | Sugar: 33g | Vitamin A: 386IU | Vitamin C: 0.1mg | Calcium: 117mg | Iron: 2mg

This nutritional information has been automatically calculated, and as such, may be incomplete or inaccurate. Please reference the specific ingredients you use for the most accurate nutritional information.