Tuesday, August 31, 2010

Browned. Butter. Pizzzzookie (Need I Say More?)

Browned Butter Chocolate Pecan Pizzookie
Are you acquainted with The Pizzookie? Or are you giving me/your monitor a funny look right now? You're in good company if you are. When I offered P a pizzookie, his initial response was a raised eyebrow and "what is that? sounds dirty..." Well one bite was all it took to make him a believer (plus it's hard to maintain a smirk when your mouth is full of cookie dough ^_^).

Messy Bite
I think of pizzookies as cookies on steroids. You simply start with almost any cookie dough, press it into some oven-safe dishes, bake just long enough to set the edges, then hit 'em with the best vanilla ice cream ya got. It sounds simple enough, but when you experience your first mouthful of warm n' gooey meets cool n' creamy, it's like arriving in a brave new (cookie) world. The take-home message is: If you like cookies, ice cream and all that's good on this green earth, you need some pizookie in your life. XD

Browned is Better 8)
And while we're aiming for the ultimate cookie experience, let's talk butter. No ordinary "room temperature" butter will do for the true cookie connoisseur. What we want, need is warm, aromatic browned butter. Despite being a self-proclaimed "foodie" for years, I'd somehow missed this amazing ingredient! Never imagining that a few minutes of stove time could give my cookies such complex, nutty flavor. Trust you me, I'll be playing with this butter in all sorts of sweet and salty dishes going forward. With gratitude for inspiring me to discover a new ingredient, I'm sending these pizzookies over to Elissa of 17 and Baking, our lovely host, for the browned butter edition of Sugar High Fridays.

Ready for a Close-up
Browned Butter Chocolate Chunk Pecan Pizzookie [Printable Recipe]
Adapted from the amazing blog The Little Red House
Makes 6 to 8 pizzookies or about 24 regular cookies

XIAOLU'S NOTES: Not that it's rocket science =D, but it never hurts to have some visual guidelines when you're cooking with precious buttah in a new way. Elise over at Simply Recipes has a nifty tutorial for browning butter with lotsa purdy photos.

1 1/2 cup all purpose flour
1/4 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp salt
3/4 cup brown sugar [or white sugar plus 1 tsp molasses]
1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, cut into 8 slices
1 large egg, room temperature
1 tsp pure vanilla extract
3/4 cup chocolate chips or 4.5 ounce bar, chopped
1/3 cup pecans, lightly toasted and roughly chopped

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Mix flour, baking soda, and salt together in a medium bowl and set aside.

Heat a pan on medium heat. Add butter slices and melt in pan. Stir continuously. Butter will foam up. After foam subsides, small brown flecks will start to appear in bottom of pan. Continue stirring, until butter has reached a nice brown color, and nutty aroma. Remove from heat at this point. Don't heat it any more or it may burn.

Add browned butter and sugar to your stand mixer bowl. Mix well. Add in egg and vanilla, and mix them in thoroughly. Slowly stir in the flour mixture. Finally, add and evenly distribute the chocolate chips by mixing.

Scoop dough into individual ramekins. Sprinkle some pecans on top (they get toasty in the oven!). Bake for 8-10 minutes. Your pizzookies are ready when the edges are cooked, but the center is still gooey. Top with vanilla ice cream and gobble it up!

If you want to make these as normal cookies, just roll them into 1" balls and bake about 10-13 minutes until the edges are just set.

81 comments:

  1. Oh my goodness! I had never heard of this before but the mere description made my mouth water. Sounds and looks Yum Yum Yummoo :-)

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  2. Umm.. Wow! So divine!! Your pictures are beautiful and this recipe sounds so indulgent.. Yum!! Thanks for dropping in over a veggie num num :)

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  3. I can't believe I've never heard of this!!
    I'll be making these next week fo'shizookie!

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  4. no. you. DON'T!!!!! mmmm sounds delicious!

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  5. Ok, these are going on my "NEED TO BAKE ASAP!!!!!" list. I've only recently discovered the wonders of browned/burnt butter and these would be the perfect way of consuming it in gratifyingly large amounts!

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  6. OMG those are devilishly tempting! I adore browned butter.

    Cheers,

    Rosa

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  7. LOL I admit I was puzzled when I read pizzookie but I think it sounds genius! :D

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  8. OMG - need I say more?! But really - what a great recipe... I've seen cookies, I've seen skillet cookies - you've just taken the whole cookie idea to a new level.

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  9. I'm not going to lie. I've never heard of these before. But after one look, I'm a believer. Now hand over the browned butter and no one will get hurt.

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  10. I've never heard of this before! Looks so mouth watering.

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  11. I am so happy you enjoyed your pizookie experience:) they really are the BEST!!

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  12. Fantastic! I just saw these pictures yesterday on Flickr and really wanted the recipe to be up but it wasn't yet. I wake up and decide to refresh the screen and then BAM there it is.
    Great start to a great day.
    From the pictures I'd thought you'd managed to use the cookie to seal in the ice cream. It still sounds wonderful all the same.

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  13. I saw your photo on Food Gawker and it immediately caught my attention, it is so perfect! The Pizzookie is so mouthwatering looking, I didn't know what it was. But wow that looks like a great treat. Thanks for sharing the recipe and tips on links.

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  14. Oh sweet browned butter, how you make cookies so much better. Seriously..this looks ri-dic-u-lous! I have never heard of a pizzookie, but I may just have to bust one out today...Awesome!

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  15. This is a new one on me....but not for long. Man, does that look delish!

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  16. I have not heard of this either. Intially, I thought it would be something pizza + cookie. Looks like it is not. But cookie and ice-cream, yes I like them :)

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  17. I will definitely be making this in the near future!
    And this is going to be the best SHF round up ever, just think of all the amazing brown butter recipe possibilities!

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  18. Yum! I love how it stays a little sunken in the center - makes its own bowl for the scoop of ice cream. : )

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  19. Somehow everything tastes even more delicious using browned butter. Yours no exception, look really tempting!

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  20. I am drooling!! Looks really good.. by the way, I love your first shot!

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  21. Wow, I never heard of this...is sure looks delicious, specially topped with ice cream...SO SO yummie!

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  22. The method to making these is brilliant! I love how they're just baked long enough to set the edges...I can imagine that amazing gooey interior! As if it could get any better, it's made with browned butter!! Love.

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  23. Thanks for the nice comments, everyone! I really had no idea that pizzookies were unknown to so many of you. Glad I was able to make the introduction =D.

    Prerna - Thx! Trust me, the taste is even better than can be described.

    Trudy - You are too sweet! And I've been a longtime silent subscriber of your lovely blog and am glad I've decided to speak up.

    Chanel1 - you are too cute ;).

    Michelle - thanks, girl!

    Jess - hehe. glad i'm not the only one who's new to browned butter.

    Rosa - I adore it now too, clearly!

    Lorraine - I agree it's genius! I hope whoever came up with it first is very rich now :).

    Brittany - :).

    Trissa - I've actually been wanting to try skillet cookies, too. I like the cuteness of single servings though lol.

    Joanne - hahah here ya go, babe. the browned buttah's all yours.

    Anncoo - thank you!

    sheena - thx for stopping by and of course for the mind-blowing recipe.

    Pro-Portional - I can't think of a better reason to blog than to perk up someone's day. Thanks for telling me :).

    Spicie Foodie - my pleasure.

    Elizabeth - please bust away. these are worth it, trust me.

    Barbara - glad you like it :).

    tigerfish - as you thought, it is meant to be pizza+cookie and it can be baked in a larger dish. But I think the smaller oval dishes make the name less obvious, though it's still just as tasty.

    Brilynn - I am super excited for the roundup too!

    Michelle - girl, you make a great point. I like that too.

    elra - thanks!

    mycookinghut - photography praise from you means a lot to me. thank you!


    Juliana - glad I introduced this to you :).

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  24. I had no idea about this delicious P word until now, and boy do they look gorgeous or what?!! Thanks for introducing this to us.

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  25. thanks for introducing me to this wonderful baked treat. looks delicious!!!

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  26. Glad to know that I'm in a good company. I raised my eyebrows right away the moment I read the title.

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  27. Oh my i have never heard of these, but i am saving this recipe. Awesome! Nice blog!

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  28. This recipe is going to be very dangerous. I can tell. Do you think I'll wake the family up if I go into the kitchen and start baking, right now at 12:30 AM? Would it matter?

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  29. Oh My Goodness - WHAT! Genius, fricken genius! I don't know if normal cookies will satisfy me now that I've heard about pizzookies :D

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  30. While I haven't made one myself, I'm in awe of the pizzookie's greatness. It sounds like the perfect ratio of crisp edge to gooey center to me!

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  31. Ahhhh I saw this on Tastespotting on almost died it looked so good. Amazing!!!

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  32. Oh my goodness, this looks amazing. I'd never heard of pizzookie... it's like molten lava cake, but in cookie form, which just makes it better. I can't wait to try this. Thank you for the genius idea!!!

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  33. Yum! A big cookie cake! :) Pizzookie sounds so much cuter though. :)

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  34. I have never heard of pizookie before, but I know I love it already!
    Gorgeous!

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  35. Faith - I love that about them too :).

    Soma - Haha thx girl!

    LimeCake - My pleasure.

    Indonesia Eats - yea I really thought more people had heard about them, especially the food bloggers. well I'm glad I got to spread the joy.

    Delishhh - Hope you get to try it and love it as much as I do :).

    Elle - Don't worry about them. This is worth waking up for ;p.

    Agnes - That is one downside of these. Normal cookies just seem plain after pizzookies hehe.

    Hannah - the ratio is definitely great. even more so probably if you use a vegan cookie dough without eggs. I baked these 2 minutes longer to try to be a bit safer in light of the salmonella egg recalls.

    Koko - Thx!

    Kerry - mmm molten lava cake. I may just have to attempt that next!

    janet - haha I'll take it by any name as long as it gets in my mouth.

    Patricia - =D.

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  36. this is masterful! i'm certainly up for any excuse to increase the portion size of my cookie. it makes the addition of ice cream more obvious and forgivable too. :)

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  37. HAHAHAHA I love it!! Pizzaookie!!! Sounds divine!!

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  38. Amazing. The flavour sounds so delicious. I think I would end up scoffing the lot in one sitting!

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  39. Wow!! Stunning picture. Love the dark background. I haven't heard of pizzzzookie!! What a great find. Now i know what to bake next :)

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  40. OMG! I love browned butter! Writing them has already make me salivate!

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  41. I have actually known what a Pizzookie is for several years now because a local pizzaria serves them and they are my family's favorite dessert. Yours look incredible and even better than our good old "stand by". I will certainly be trying this version soon! http://ambitionskitchen.blogspot.com

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  42. OOo, I think I actually gasped when I was the pictures on your blog. The pizzzzookie sounds and looks incredible.
    I love brown butter too. Eric Kayser's matcha tea tart uses it, and its one of my favorite recipes ever.

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  43. I thought at first that it was a cross between pizza and cookie... haha. It's a cute name and your creation is equally cute and beautiful.

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  44. absolutely love your styling here with the contrasting blue fabric backgrounds and the decorative stone, and of course the pizzookie loos amazing!

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  45. Great shots. I especially love the second photo. This looks wonderful!

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  46. grace - yes, the ice cream is in fact crucial and i admit i added even more after the photo ;p.

    the dainty baker - glad you like!

    Julia - trust me, it was hard to stop at one...

    Ellie - thanks and glad i got to introduce it to ya.

    Angie - =D.

    Kelli - yay! I was starting to think that this treat was a VA thing.

    Indie.Tea - aw thanks girl! that matcha tart sounds divine.

    noobcook - the "pizz(a)" is really just cause it's bigger than a normal cookie and flat I think. it is a catchy name though, yea?

    Ravenous Couple - thank you! I've been trying to do more styling even though my natural photography style leans toward simplicity.

    El - that's one of my favorite shots from this session too. thank you!

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  47. looks reedeeeeculously tasty! gorgeous pictures as always :) im loving all your props

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  48. Aw, stunning picture. It's very intriguing to me. Thanks for the idea of baking yummy dessert in this spring.

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  49. OMG! *jumps around* This is fantastic! And your props/photos ... droolworthy!

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  50. This look amazing!! I'm a sucker for warm and gooey desserts.

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  51. I can't say I've ever heard of a pizookie but I CAN say that I want one in front of me right now! These look amazing! Cookies and ice cream? Heaven.

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  52. Something totally unheard of... I like the second photo. I want to dig in... For now I'm just going to follow you.

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  53. Sala - Thanks! I'm finally able to think about and use the props I have now that I found a room with better lighting.

    Christine - Thank you much :).

    Ju - So glad you enjoy them.

    fussykitchen - we have that in common!

    smalltownoven - yes, they are a mighty duo aren't they?

    Spoon and Chopsticks - thanks for your comment and for subscribing!

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  54. Oh Xiaolu, thank you SO much for introducing me to these. It looks absolutely wonderful. Yumm!

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  55. Waw!! These individual portioned desserts look magnificent!! Waw!! Really fantastic presented too!

    MMMMMMMMM,...!!!!

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  56. I've heard of pizookies but never tried them or made them myself. Yours are gorgeous and I love those little dishes you used.

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  57. Gosh, I have never heard of these but your photos are stunning! I am sold! Love the concrete background! Er... That's concrete, right?

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  58. Avanika - you're welcome :).

    Sophie - thx, girl!

    eatme_delicious - glad you like them!

    Shirley - actually, it's an old aluminum pan that I just grabbed it at the last minute when I wanted to try different backgrounds.

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  59. Man, you make me want to run out to Williams-Sonoma just to get some of those tiny ramekins. They're so cute. And what a good use for them!

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  60. OMG! This looks AMAZING! So making this!

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  61. Just spotted this via The Kitchn. Looks delicious! Bookmarked!

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  62. Thanks, Caralyn, Kate, and Sarah! I'm so delighted The Kitchn chose to feature this in a post. Hope you guys love it as much as I did XD.

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  63. This is a new one on me....but not for long! :)
    What a fabulous dessert!

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  64. Little late on getting to a comment but I can NOT wait to try these! The pictures are makin me water at the mouth! Thanks for sharing this!

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  65. I have never heard of these - it looks amazing. I cannot wait to try.

    I am fairly new to all of this and I so appreciate you visiting my blog. Please come anytime!

    Susan www.ugogrrl.com

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  66. Wow - amazing. Pizzookie is our favorite dessert, but you've taken it to a whole new level. Love it!

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  67. Yummm.... this is like the Pizza Hut cookie dough dessert but a million times better!

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  68. WOW! I can't believe I've never heard of these before! This is definitely the next thing I bake. Thanks for the recipe.

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  69. Oh yum!!! Must.add.this.to.my.baking.list. :)I've never heard of Pizzzokie.

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  70. makes me want to make some right now... but it is 1130 pm and time for bed.:( maybe in the morning! :)

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  71. i just found your blog over at recipe girls! my dad said asians don't bake, well I'm asian and I bake, you're asian, and you bake, this just proved him wrong LOL

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  72. Haha I'm glad we'll defying the trend, Connie. Thanks for visiting!

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  73. If one doesn't have ramekins, could you just bake it in a 9x13 pan? I ate at a dessert place that served these in pie tins. It was a huge portion. Could be shared by several people--so yummy!

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  74. Hi Erin! Yes, you could definitely bake in a larger pan, though in that case they'd pretty much be underdone blondies ;p. Just bake a few minutes longer if it looks like they need it. Enjoy!

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  75. just found this recipe through pinterest (yay!). just made them and you're not kidding--browning the butter makes ALL the difference in the world! they are sitting in 6 1-cup ramekins right now and i'll put them in oven while we're having dinner. question - it seems like a small amount of dough spread out between 6 ramekins. will they rise a bit during baking? thanks for this fabulous recipe-can't wait to take a bite!

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  76. Hi Nancy! Thanks for your comment, and yes, browning butter makes an incredible difference =D. The pizzookies will rise some during baking, but they're also not meant to be very thick. Just a little thicker than your average cookie. Hope you enjoyed it!

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  77. oh. my. gosh. they were incredible! perfect ending to my dinner party last night!! and they were the perfect size. thanks again!!

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  78. I just made these tonight. I am a huge chocolate chip cookie fan, they're my favorite dessert. This was also the first time I've ever browned butter. Can I just say- Oh my gosh. They were so yummy- my new favorite cookie. I think these are all I'll make from now on. :)

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  79. just made this and it was INCREDIBLE and incredibly easy! Even a dessert novice like me could handle it! will be a repeat offender in my belly! :)

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  80. Let me just say on its own this is the best chocolate chip cookie recipe I've made! I decided to attempt making browned butter for the first time (that tutorial link was a wonderful guide!) & made this recipe for my boyfriend & his visiting brother because there's a restaurant where we used to live that makes pizookie. This was even BETTER! Thank you for making me the hero of the night :) You might like my family's recipe for cream cheese gems!

    Cheers,
    Heather @ Find That Warm Fuzzy Feeling

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I love hearing from you all! Please leave me a message if you have questions, advice, or just to let me know you stopped by. Your feedback is always very much appreciated. Thanks! <3 Xiaolu