The Skillet Cookie

by Cara on February 14, 2012

We came across Rebecca’s Blog, “The Cherry On Top” and just HAD to share her post about the Skillet Baked Chocolate Chip Cookie, a recipe she got from Martha Stewart Living. But we didn’t stop there – curiosity got the better of us, and we decided to test it out. Our VP, Cara Pearson, tested out the recipe for her husband’s birthday…read below for her story!

 

I know this may sound funny but even though I am surrounded by baking all day long, I still LOVE to bake at home. The joy of baking was not something that was handed down to me from my mom or grandmother, it began when I had my first little girl. As a toddler, Lily became very interested in the kitchen and the process of cooking. When we baked cookies together for the first time, I loved watching her smile as she moved her hands through the flour, giggle as we cracked eggs together, oooh and awww as it became a ball of gooey cookie dough and then sit directly in front of the oven until the timer went off. Till this day I am not sure if it is the process of making the desserts, licking the spoon or anxiously awaiting the final product that she loves the most, but I know for sure that she LOVES to bake too. Now that there are three of us (including her little sister Mila) it has become quite cozy in our kitchen as they wiggle around while standing on chairs trying to get in the best position for their turn to measure. I like to tell people that baking with kids is good parenting because they learn how to count, it is a great lesson in patience, and it takes team work; but the fact is, having fresh baked goods in the house ROCKS.

This is why when Emily posted about the Skillet Cookie on our Facebook page the other day, I just could not resist. A cookie cake baked in a skillet? The girls would love that. Better yet their Daddy’s, James’, birthday was coming up and we were planning a fun family night at home for the occasion. We put on our aprons, they climbed up on the chairs and we got to baking. The dough came together in no time but the best part was squishing the dough down into the skillet with our hands. We put it in to bake when we sat down to dinner and once we were finished it was cookie time! The skillet kept the cookie warm as we cut up a slice and paired it with plain ol’ vanilla ice cream. It was thick and gooey, perfect.

Here are a few tips when following the below recipe:

  1. You can add peanut butter cups chopped up for an extra layer of flavor.
  2. Don’t let the dough in the skillet sit out of the fridge for too long before baking
  3. Watch the baking time – our skillet was done in 32 minutes and could have probably come out before (since we like the gooey middle part).
  4. Enjoy!!

 

Skillet-Baked Chocolate Chip Cookie

What You Need:

  • 2 cups all-purpose flour
  • 1 teaspoon baking soda
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 3/4 cup (1 1/2 sticks, 12 tablespoons) unsalted butter, at room temperature
  • 1/2 cup sugar
  • 3/4 cup packed light brown sugar
  • 1 large egg, at room temperature
  • 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
  • 1 1/2 cups (about 9 oz) semisweet chocolate chips (or a mix of milk chocolate and semi sweet chips)

What You Need to Do:

Preheat oven to 350 F.

In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda, and salt.  In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream the butter and sugars until the mixture is light and fluffy, about 2-3 minutes.  Add the egg and vanilla extract, mixing until well incorporated.  With the mixer on low speed, add the flour mixture and beat just until combined.  Finally, add the chocolate chips and mix to distribute.

Transfer the dough to a 10-inch ovenproof (e.g. cast-iron) skillet, and press to flatten in an even layer on the bottom of the pan.  Bake until the edges of the cookie are brown and the top is golden, about 40-45 minutes.  Don’t overbake; it will continue to cook a few minutes out of the oven. If using a smaller or larger skillet, adjust cooking time accordingly. Transfer to a wire rack to cool slightly before serving.

 

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Santa Cruz and the Ely Family

by Emily on January 20, 2012

Emily’s day is the fifth in our series A Perfect Day in Santa Cruz.

The smell of breakfast sausage from El Salchichero carries on the waves of the summer sunlight that warms the side of my face as I continue to slip in and out of sleep. It drifts in from the kitchen where an English breakfast of traditional breakfast sausage and fried tomatoes are being prepared to perfection by my loving husband, Tucker. In my sleepy haze, I vaguely hear the subtle popping of the eggs he’s cooking in the sausage fat, then a quick mechanical “click” indicating the toast is done telling me breakfast is almost ready. I turn over, tempted out of bed by the anticipation of a deliciously scrumptious feast that has me salivating uncontrollably, and it’s at that moment I see Tucker bringing me breakfast in bed, a glass of orange juice on the side to wash away my hunger.

As I outstretch my arms to push my back up against the headboard and sit up, I hear a faint groan that sounds strangely like Tucker’s “I’m still asleep…is it really time to get up already?” groan. I wipe the sleep from my eyes with a balled up right fist, and I realize I’d been dreaming! Tucker really WAS still asleep, and really DID let out his “I’m still asleep…is it really time to get up?” groan. The rustling of the sheets wakes Oliver, our 1 year old King Spaniel Terrier, who then proceeds to lick us to death, or until one of us finally slides into our slippers to take care of his morning business…so romantic.

Oh well, it’s coming up on Valentine’s Day so honey, if you’re reading this, take that as a not so subtle hint of how you could make my day extra special! :)

Realistically, I suppose my perfect day would start with a fresh raspberry Danish from  Verve to be washed down with one of their hot mocha lattes. Living in downtown Santa Cruz  makes this short 10 minute jaunt a nice bit of early morning exercise (my English heritage shows through here I suppose with morning strolls and dreams of traditional English breakfasts), and as we walk back towards the boardwalk with our hot coffees in hand, Tucker explains to me the reason behind the morning’s beautiful pink streaked sunrise.

Along the way, Oliver works frantically to sniff at every passing tree, bush, lamppost, etc. before we pull him along again. Our destination is typically Its Beach on the Westside where Oliver loves to socialize with all the other doggies, but today we decide to loop back around and head home, grab a few snacks (yes, those snacks include our favorite Pacific Cookie Company cookies – Almond Joe, and Dr. Midnight), and take a drive north on Highway 1 towards Davenport, where we stop at a beach alongside the road to go tide-pooling.

Oliver leads the way to the sand, tugging his leash taunt as we cross the Highway, begging us to let him free. Not a second after we concede to his wishes does he take advantage of the opportunity to bolt away. With outstretched legs he carries himself as fast as he can to the shoreline where the water wets his feet and he comes frolicking back to us. The look on his face is pure happiness for me. We continue this way for an hour or two, as he follows us into the whitewater then onto the rocks and out into the seagrass. His curiosity gets the better of him and he misjudges the depth of a hole in the sand. But victory is his, as he doggie paddles for a moment to regain his footing, and he makes it out! We continue on in this fashion for sometime more before the afternoon winds begin to breeze through, making us realize we have all but missed lunch!

We head towards home, and stop for a late “to-go” lunch at Zoccoli’s for delicious “make-your-own” sandwiches. At home, we bathe Oliver and spend some time just the two of us at Bookshop Santa Cruz where Tucker and I buy each other a book to read. Romantically cliché, yes, But it gets better. From there we finish the night at Vino Prima on the Santa Cruz Wharf, our hands down favorite-of-all-time wine bar, and enjoy a couple glasses of local wines in good company (if you’ve never been, tell Larry, Stacey, or Craig I sent you!). The sunset there is the best in town – stunningly captivating – and dinner at Olitas is catered to you…what more could you ask for?

If you’ve never visited Santa Cruz before, I suggest putting it on the bucket list – especially if you’re a foodie. Downtown is a good place to start – just make sure to stop by our retail store (1203 Pacific Ave.) and grab a cookie for dessert!


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Christmas Elves, Hard at Work

by Emily on December 8, 2011

Well – Christmas is certainly here! And if you’ve ever visited our wholesale location for a good deal on day-old cookies, you might have seen a few employees hard at work with their festive hats! This morning, Judy (our Sales Manager, and newest employee) gave me a red and white striped hat to wear. Little did she know that Felipe, our Production Manager who has been here for MANY years, always dons his festive hats for each holiday, whether it’s Christmas, or St. Patrick’s Day, or Thanksgiving – yes Thanksgiving…he had a turkey hat!

So when Judy offered me the red and white striped hat, I had to challenge him to a hat duel. Well, he won – because after I showed off my new hat to him, he came back with ANOTHER hat…a reindeer hat in place of his usual elf hat with ears. I smell the likes of a continuous challenge between him and I, and I can’t wait to see what we come up with next!

A few of our Christmas Elves - Samuel, Emily (myself), and Felipe

 

 

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Turkey and Gravy and Stuffing, Oh My!

by Emily on November 22, 2011

Although the summer season is my favorite time of year, nothing tops that holiday feeling. There is something magical about the days just before Thanksgiving that has me anxiously waiting in anticipation for Christmas. Whether it is the crisp fall air, or the store fronts painted with bright orange pumpkins and pilgrim turkeys that are quickly washed away and repainted with abnormally large snowflakes, red and gold ornaments, and snow dusted pine trees, I begin to remember the joys of the holiday season.

Of course it all starts with Thanksgiving, which growing up was a HUGE ordeal between the cousins and aunt and uncles and grandparents from both sides of my family. I specifically remember the horrid smell of boiling chicken bones the day before Thanksgiving when my mom would make an enormous pot of chicken stock (seriously enormous – she would make enough to last her into next year, then freeze it) just to make the gravy everyone raved about. It was not until I had my first taste of canned gravy that I came to appreciate how deliciously wonderful it was!

In an attempt to escape the smell I would play outside all day, trying not to get too annoyed with how “static-y” my hair became from the crisp, dry fall air. And when I did finally get annoyed with how “static-y” my hair became, I resorted to hanging out in the garage with my dad, helping to fix up the blue and white Valvoline go-cart “race car” that he brought out for all the kids (and grownups) to drive on special occasions.

As for food….I remember it all:  My Aunt Laura’s addicting 7-layer bean dip that tended to fill me up before the feasting even began, my Auntie Ann’s infamous baked sweet potatoes drizzled with butter and brown sugar that simply fell apart in my mouth (and do not forget her freshly homemade cranberry sauce!), my mother’s English trifle that I later came to understand was a huge hit with the adults (she put extra Sherry in for them), etc…but the best part was getting to see the whole family – a slightly dysfunctional family, but one that loved each other regardless.

I think the toughest part about Thanksgiving for me this year will be missing my family since I will be spending it with my husband’s side. But this got me thinking about something someone very close once told me: “You can choose your friends, but you can’t choose your family.” In reflecting on the things this year has brought upon me whilst keeping in mind that which I have to be thankful for, I realized I have nothing to gripe about. Although I will not be spending Thanksgiving with my family, I am fortunate to have wonderful in-laws with whom I get along with fantastically!! I am definitely blessed to have such fun-loving people in my life.

In fact, I am excited to start our own traditions: be it a family touch football game in the backyard to get our appetites going, or a rowdy game inside watching the San Francisco 49ers versus the Baltimore Ravens; or, replicating my Auntie Yvonne’s pumpkin pie, or coming up with my own recipe; there is no telling what this Thanksgiving will bring!

This holiday season, we hope you enjoy that extra time with family and friends as well. And when it is all said and done…after Mom’s famous holiday ham, Aunt Edna’s delicious green bean and almond salad, or the deep friend turkey your Papa Joe decided to cook with his new deep fryer…we hope you take some time for yourself with a cookie (or two) to reflect on all that this year has brought and for everything you have to be thankful for.

Thank again for being loyal Pacific Cookie fans. We truly wish you the happiest holiday season!

Oh, and P.S. – I  got a new dog! I’m the proud Mama of Oliver, a 1-year old Terrier x King Spaniel.

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