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Brown Butter Espresso Cookie Skillets

Prep Time 30 minutes
Cook Time 18 minutes
Rest Time 10 minutes
Total Time 1 hour
Servings: 4 4-inch cast iron skillets
Course: Dessert
Cuisine: American

Ingredients
  

Espresso Crème Anglaise
  • 90 g heavy cream ⅓ cup + 1 Tbsp
  • 1½ –2 tsp instant espresso powder
  • 15 g brown sugar 1 Tbsp
  • 1 large egg yolk
  • Pinch fine sea salt
Brown Butter Espresso Cookie Dough
  • 113 g unsalted butter ½ cup, to brown
  • 120 g brown sugar ½ cup packed
  • 50 g granulated sugar ¼ cup
  • 1 large egg
  • 1 large egg yolk
  • 1½ –2 tsp instant espresso powder
  • 1 tsp vanilla extract
  • ½ tsp fine sea salt
  • ½ tsp baking soda
  • 165 g all-purpose flour 1¼ cups
  • 60 g mini semi-sweet chocolate chips ⅓ cup
  • 40 g semi-sweet chocolate chunks ¼ cup
For Serving
  • Ice cream any flavor (I used espresso chocolate chip gelato)
  • Monin Sea Salt Caramel Toffee Sauce
  • Flaky salt

Equipment

  • Digital kitchen scale
  • Small saucepan-
  • Mixing bowl
  • Whisk
  • Rubber spatula
  • Ramekins
  • 4 (4-inch) mini cast iron skillets
  • 3 Tbsp cookie scoop

Method
 

Make the Espresso Crème Anglaise
  1. In a small saucepan whisk together heavy cream (90 g / ⅓ cup + 1 Tbsp), espresso powder (1½–2 tsp), brown sugar (15 g / 1 Tbsp), egg yolk (1), and a pinch of salt.
  2. Place over low heat, stirring constantly.
  3. Cook until the mixture lightly coats the back of a spoon, about 170–175°F (77–80°C).
  4. Remove immediately from heat and transfer to a container.
  5. Refrigerate until thickened but still spoonable.
  6. The espresso crème anglaise can be made up to 1 day ahead.
Brown the Butter
  1. Add unsalted butter (113 g / ½ cup) to a small saucepan over medium heat.
  2. Cook until the butter foams and the milk solids turn deep golden brown and nutty.
  3. Transfer to a mixing bowl.
  4. You will lose water during browning and end up with about 93 g browned butter, which is perfect for this recipe.
  5. Browned butter can be made 1 day ahead. Re-melt until liquid before using.
Make the Cookie Dough
  1. Whisk brown sugar (120 g / ½ cup) and granulated sugar (50 g / ¼ cup) into the warm browned butter until glossy.
  2. Whisk in egg (1), egg yolk (1), espresso powder (1½–2 tsp), and vanilla extract (1 tsp) until emulsified.
  3. Add fine salt (½ tsp) and baking soda (½ tsp) and whisk briefly.
  4. Fold in all-purpose flour (165 g / 1¼ cups) until just combined.
  5. Stir in mini chocolate chips (60 g / ⅓ cup) and chocolate chunks (40 g / ¼ cup).
  6. Reserve a small handful of both the chocolate chips and chunks for topping before baking.
Assemble the Skillets
  1. Preheat oven to 350°F (175°C).
  2. Drizzle a small amount of avocado oil into each 4-inch mini cast iron skillet and wipe to lightly coat.
  3. Use a 3 Tbsp cookie scoop to add dough to each skillet. Press about two-thirds of the dough evenly into the bottom.
  4. Spoon teaspoon-sized blobs of espresso crème anglaise over the dough. The anglaise will be loose rather than firm.
  5. Scatter the remaining cookie dough loosely over the top.
  6. Sprinkle the reserved chocolate chips and chocolate chunks over each skillet.
Bake
  1. Bake at 350°F (175°C) for 17–18 minutes, until:
  2. edges are set, centers are glossy and slightly jiggly
  3. Do not overbake.
Serve
  1. Let the skillets rest 10 minutes.
Top with:
  1. scoops of ice cream (espresso chocolate chip gelato is incredible here), a drizzle of Monin Sea Salt Caramel Toffee Sauce, and flaky salt.
  2. Serve warm.

Notes

  • Recipe is designed for four 4-inch mini cast iron skillets.
  • You can alternatively bake the dough in one 8–9 inch skillet. Bake time will increase slightly.

Make Ahead (Dinner Parties)

You can fully assemble the skillets up to 24 hours in advance.
  1. Prepare the dough and espresso crème anglaise.
  2. Assemble the skillets completely (including the chocolate topping).
  3. Cover and refrigerate.
Before baking, let the skillets sit at room temperature for about 30 minutes, then bake as directed.
This is a great option for dinner parties because you can place the skillets in the oven right before dessert and serve them warm with ice cream.

Storage

Refrigerator:
Store leftover cookie skillets covered in the refrigerator for up to 2 days.
To Reheat:
Warm in a 300°F (150°C) oven for 8–10 minutes, or until the center softens again. Top with fresh ice cream before serving.