Browned Butter and Chocolate Chunk Skillet Cookie

I’m back with another browned butter recipe, everyone and I’m a little bit proud of it. Some days, you just need to shove a bunch of cookie dough into a skillet, bake it for a few minutes, and then eat it with a spoon straight from the pan. Honestly, I feel like that would be a great activity for most days.

I developed this recipe a few months back as part of a recipe development project with Beyond Good Chocolate and realized recently that I never shared it with you guys on the blog! Forgive my oversight! This is a really great, back pocket, I need dessert right now but it’s 8 o’clock at night and I don’t have the energy to bake anything too involved, type of recipe. (Side note: When Martin and I first got married, Chik-fil-A cookies were our go-to. Then we moved on to mug cakes and now we’ve graduated onto the more-refined skillet cookie. Good marriages need easy desserts.)

This recipe could not be easier or more versatile. If you feel like adding nuts, go for it. White chocolate chips, have at it. Making it oatmeal raisin, I wouldn’t, but you do you! Whatever your adventure, make sure you eat it warm with lots of ice cream!

Browned Butter and Dark Chocolate Chunk Skillet Cookie

makes one 10” cast iron skillet

Ingredients

1 1/2 cups (220 g) all purpose flour

1/2 tsp baking powder

1/4 tsp baking soda

3/4 tsp kosher salt

1/2 cup (113 g) unsalted butter

3/4 cup (160 g) brown sugar

1 egg

1/2 tsp Beyond Good Madagascar Vanilla Extract

200 g Beyond Good Pure Dark Chocolate, chopped 

flaky salt for finishing

Procedure 

1. Preheat oven to 350° F.

2. Place butter in a small saucepan and cook over medium heat, swirling occasionally, for 8-10 minutes, until butter is foamy and fragrant with little brown flecks throughout. When the butter is browned and nutty smelling, remove it from the heat and pour it into a large heat-proof bowl. Let cool while you assemble the rest of the ingredients.

3. In medium sized bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.

4. Add the brown sugar to the butter and whisk until well-combined. Add the egg and vanilla and continue whisking until the mixture becomes smooth and homogenous.

5. Use a rubber spatula to fold the dry ingredients into the butter and sugar mixture, mixing until just combined and no flour streaks remain. Fold in 3/4 of the chopped dark chocolate.

6. Pour the cookie dough into a 10” cast iron skillet and use your hands to press it into an even layer. Sprinkle the remaining chocolate evenly over the top of the cookie. Bake the cookie for 17-19 minutes, until the edges are golden brown. Remove from the oven, sprinkle with flaky salt and serve warm.

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Browned Butter and Spelt Cinnamon Buns

Did you know that the first weekend in October is Cinnamon Bun Day in Sweden? They celebrate by eating cinnamon buns and often those cute little Swedish dough twists are brought into workplaces and given to friends all over the country. This sounds like the most wonderful holiday and I’m ready to move to Sweden where I can live among my kind of people.

I discovered this because one of Martin’s players is from Sweden and this kind man brought IKEA cinnamon buns to work for everyone to celebrate. It was a Sunday afternoon and I got a text from Martin that said “Did you know it’s Cinnamon Bun Day in Sweden?! We should make some tonight!” Side note: When Martin says “we” should make something, he mostly means I should make something so that he can eat something, but in all fairness, he washes dishes for me so I can’t complain. Anyway, it was already 4 pm and I am not a night baker, but I felt moved by the holiday and decided to go for it. I adapted one of my brioche recipes and made these sweet little buns. We baked off a few that night (for testing purposes, of course) and I let the rest do a little overnight proof in the fridge. Friends, they were beautiful. Their little Circus-bakery-esque twists were filled with cinnamon and tahini and cardamom. They were fluffy and pillowy and I brushed them with a honey cinnamon syrup and all was right with the world.

We may not have a National Cinnamon Bun Day (or maybe we do, there are so many food holidays, I can’t keep it straight), but December feels like unofficial Cinnamon Bun season which gives us permission to eat cinnamon-swirled dough of all shapes and sizes well into January.

In practical information, I have lots of notes on this recipe regarding proofing, chilling, and shaping. There are many options to help you work this recipe into your schedule, so be sure to read the notes at the bottom. There are also step-by-step shaping instructions down there, too! And as always, feel free to leave a comment if you have any questions. I love talking baking with friends. :)

Browned Butter and Spelt Cinnamon Buns

makes 12 rolls

Ingredients

for the brioche

100 g (about 1/2 cup) milk

100 g (about 1/2 cup) buttermilk

14 g (3 tsp) active dry yeast

400 g all purpose flour

130 g spelt flour

60 g granulated sugar

1 tsp kosher salt

3 eggs, at room temperature

113 g (1/2 cup) butter

for the filling

4 tbsp unsalted butter, softened

10 g tahini, well-stirred

135 g (2/3 cup) brown sugar

2 tsp ground cinnamon

1/2 tsp ground cardamom

pinch of salt

for the honey syrup

1/2 cup water

170 g (1/2 cup) honey

3 cinnamon sticks

egg wash

demerara sugar

Procedure 

to make the honey syrup: 

1. In a small saucepan, stir together water and honey. Add cinnamon sticks and bring to a boil. When the mixture is boiling, remove from heat and let cool completely. Strain out cinnamon sticks and set aside.

   You will have a decent amount of syrup leftover- we love to use this in coffee in the mornings.

to make the filling:

1. Combine butter and tahini in a medium bowl and stir together until smooth. Add brown sugar, cinnamon, cardamom, and salt and mix well until a paste forms. Set aside.

to make the brioche 

1. Place butter in a small saucepan over medium heat. Cook, swirling occasionally, for 6-7 minutes until butter is fragrant and foamy and small brown bits are beginning to appear at the bottom of the saucepan. Remove from heat and immediately transfer butter to a clean bowl to stop cooking. Set aside and let cool completely.

2. Combine milk and buttermilk in a glass measuring cup and heat in the microwave for 30-45 seconds, until just warm to the touch. Add yeast to the warm milk and stir gently. Let rest for about 5 minutes, until yeast is foamy and dissolved.

3. While the yeast is proofing, combine all purpose flour, spelt flour, sugar, and salt in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the dough hook attachment. Mix briefly, about 20 seconds, just to combine.

4. In a small bowl, lightly beat eggs. Create a small well in the center of the dry ingredients, then pour in milk/yeast mixture, along with the beaten eggs and the cooled browned butter.. Knead, beginning on low speed and gradually increasing to medium for 2-3 minutes until everything is combined and hydrated and no flour bits remain. Once a dough begins to form, increase your mixer speed to medium-high and knead for 6–8 minutes more, until a smooth, elastic dough has formed.

5. Scrape down the sides of the bowl and gently press dough into a ball. Cover with plastic wrap and let proof for 1 hour in a warm space, until dough is doubled in size.

6. When the dough has completed it’s first proof, gently punch it down, re-cover it, and place it in the refrigerator to chill for at least one hour, or up to 12 (see notes below for more instruction on overnight proofing).

7. When the dough has finished chilling, turn it out onto a lightly-floured work surface. Roll the dough out into a rectangle about 13x16” in size and about 1/4” thick.

8. Filling and shaping: Use a small offset spatula to smear the filling mixture in an even layer over the surface of the dough, reaching all the way to the edges. Fold the dough into thirds, as if you were folding a letter (see pictures below) and then cut the dough into 1” strips. Twist each strip into a knot and place onto a parchment-lined baking sheet, leaving at least 2” in between each bun. Cover the baking sheet with plastic wrap and let proof again for 45 minutes, until buns are puffy.

9. When you’re ready to bake, preheat the oven to 375° F. Brush each bun with egg wash and then sprinkle with a bit of Demerara sugar. Bake for 22-25 minutes until buns are deeply golden brown. Immediately brush hot buns with honey syrup and enjoy!

Notes:

Options for chilling/proofing

As with any yeasted dough, refrigeration helps to slow down fermentation and allows for more flavor development. With enriched doughs, it also helps to make the dough easier to handle because it gives the butter a chance to cool down and return to a more solid state. 

-For the quickest buns, follow the instructions exactly as they are written in the recipe above by proofing the dough for an hour at room temperature, then transferring it to the refrigerator to proof for another hour before rolling, shaping, final proofing (shaped), and baking. 

-You can also proof the dough for an hour on the countertop and then transfer the the dough to the refrigerator overnight (or 12-18 hours). After a long chill, let the dough rest at room temperature for 30 minutes-1 hour (just to take the chill off) before rolling, filling and shaping, following steps 8 and 9 in the recipe as written above. This method gives the dough the longest bulk fermentation and will allow for the most flavor development. 

-Finally, a third option is to follow the above recipe through the shaping and filling. After creating your buns, you can cover the sheet tray well with plastic wrap and refrigerate them shaped overnight. Allow the dough to proof at room temperature for closer to 2 hours before baking (so that dough can come to room temperature and then complete that 45 minute proof), before brushing and baking. 

Shaping

turn dough out onto floured surface

roll out into a rectangle

smear surface of the dough with filling

fold bottom third of dough up towards the center

fold the top third of the dough down like you are closing a letter

cut dough into 1" strips

wrap each strip around your fingers and tie into a knot

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My Favorite Thanksgiving Recipes

Forget the turkey and stuffing! Leave the mashed potatoes to someone else! I’m sharing some of my very favorite appetizers, breads, desserts, and cocktails to add a creative touch to your Thanksgiving dinner. These are perfect if you’re searching for a dish to bring to a friend’s house or just looking for something fun to bake at home.

Appetizers

a fall mediterranean snacking board

holiday charcuterie board how-to

What is a holiday celebration without a good charcuterie board? Simple and stunning, they are always a crowd-pleaser whether you’re sharing with friends or just having dinner for one.

Fall Mediterranean Snacking Board: The best part of this board is the dips. So. Many. Dips. Paired with pita for scooping, a few fun cheeses, and fruit to round the whole thing out.

A Holiday Charcuterie Board How-To: A step-by-step guide (map included) for building your own, very classic charcuterie and cheese plate with lots of tips on how to customize and make it your very own.

Breads

focaccia

my favorite everyday challah

spiced scallion semolina bread

briolata: sicilian-style sausage bread

Focaccia: I will never ever get tired of telling you to make focaccia. This is the easiest (and most delicious) bread in the world. Stir it together before you go to bed, wake up, stretch it out, let it rest, and bake it. That’s it.

My Everyday Challah: Challah is a great complement to any meal and the fun braiding is sure to impress everyone at your table. It can be made in one day, can be topped with all sorts of fun things, and is exceptionally delicious leftover, toasted with lots of butter.

Spiced Scallion Semolina Bread: This is also a same-day bread, filled with caramelized scallions and toasted spices. Leave the stuffing at home and bring this bread instead.

Briolata: There is nothing that says “holidays” to me like Briolata. It is the most famous family recipe and it’s been a part of every family gathering I can remember. A thick, Italian bread dough is filled with roasted garlic, Italian sausage, and lots of freshly-cracked black pepper.

Desserts

roasted squash pie

buckwheat and black plum crumble

french apple torte

hawaij snickerdoodles

Roasted Squash Pie with Brown Sugar Cinnamon Bavarian Cream and Candied Pecans: This is the fancy version of your traditional pumpkin pie. Roasted squash subbed for pumpkin, a cinnamon-y Bavarian cream takes the place of whipped cream, and the whole thing gets topped with candied pecans. If you want to show off your baking skills, this one is for you!

Buckwheat and Black Plum Crumble: This is your very easy, very high reward Thanksgiving dessert. Make a big batch of crumble topping and sub the plums for any fruit you have laying around. Bake the whole thing until bubbly and serve with lots of vanilla ice cream.

French Apple Torte: If you aren’t interested in pie, may I persuade you with cake. This torte is very light, very easy, and the apples on top give it a very fancy feel. 10/10 would recommend.

Hawaij Snickerdoodles: These are for those people who put their Christmas tree up on November 1st. The Hawaij spice has a very autumnal feel that can easily transition into Christmas if that feels like you. And cookies are always a crowd pleaser.

Drinks

pomegranate sage french 75

lavender hot chocolate

Pomegranate Sage French 75: This cocktail has bright, fruity flavors, earthy herbal components, gin, and Champagne. What more do we need? It’s a drink that can take from Thanksgiving all the way into the New Year.

Lavender Hot Chocolate: My favorite hot chocolate is thick and rich, made on the stove top with lots of homemade whipped cream. This one has lavender buds steeped into it for a fun and floral flavor and feels like being wrapped in a big warm blanket.