Get ready for a “best-of-both-worlds” dessert…that can be made right in the skillet for easy prep, easy cleanup and crazy-delicious eating.
Yield: 12slices
Prep Time: 5 minutesmins
Cook Time: 20 minutesmins
Total Time: 25 minutesmins
Ingredients
1cupsmooth peanut butter
⅓cupplus 1 tablespoon maple syrup or honey
2large eggs, lightly beaten
1teaspoonvanilla extract
¼cupalmond flour*
½teaspoonbaking soda
¼teaspoonfine salt, with optional coarse salt for sprinkling over the top
½cupsemisweet chocolate chips
Ingredient Details to Know
*I use almond flour for this recipe, but a variety of flours will work well. Check the notes section below for the full list if you prefer an alternative flour.
Instructions
Preheat oven to 350°.
Liberally mist a 10-inch skillet with oil spray (or pour 2 teaspoons oil on the skillet and spread around with a paper towel to coat the bottom and side) and warm over low heat. Add peanut butter and stir with a rubber spatula until melty and smooth (it’ll happen pretty fast). Stir in maple syrup until well blended. Shut off the heat and let cool for about 10 minutes (so eggs don’t cook, and the chocolate chips don’t melt when you add them).
Once cooled, mix in the eggs and vanilla, and stir until smooth. Lastly, blend in the flour, baking soda and salt. Smooth out the batter evenly on the bottom of the skillet with your spatula. Stir in ⅔ of the chocolate chips and add the remaining on top in a decorative fashion. Sprinkle on optional coarse sea salt over the top.
Transfer to the oven and bake for 17 to 20 minutes, taking it out on the shorter end if you like a gooier cookie and leaving it in for the full time if you like a firmer, chewier cookie. (If using a smaller baking dish or skillet, you may want to leave in for 1 to 2 more minutes since it’ll be thicker.)
The middle will be very soft when you first take it out. Let it cool for at least 30 minutes to allow the middle to set. It will still be super soft and indulgent! Cut into quarters, then slice each quarter into thirds.
Notes
Flour options • I tested a variety of flours for this recipe and all of them worked seamlessly. I prefer almond flour, but you can also use all-purpose flour, white whole wheat, standard whole wheat and whole wheat pastry flour. A 1:1 gluten-free flour (like King Arthur’s and Bob’s Red Mill) and oat flour will also work. • I tested this using ¼ cup rolled oats instead of a powdered flour, and it worked well too, although the consistency will be less fluffy and a bit more dense.• I did not test cassava flour but it should work, if that’s a flour you’d like to use. • Protein powder + almond flour: We tested a version using 1/4 cup plain, unsweetened whey protein powder + 2 tbsp. almond flour in place of the full amount of almond flour—and kept everything else the same. It turned out great! Just be sure to whisk the protein powder, almond flour, baking soda, and salt together first before adding them to the peanut butter, maple syrup, egg, and vanilla mixture.Prep ahead • You can make this dessert ahead of time. Stash the skillet with the batter covered in the fridge for a few hours or overnight. Don’t leave it longer than that because the baking soda may become less active over time. Let the skillet sit at room temperature for 15 to 20 minutes before placing in the oven to bake.Storage instructions • You can leave the cookie on the counter, tightly covered with foil, for up to 2 days. Or store in the fridge, covered well, for up to 5 days. You can also freeze individual slices for up to 3 months. • When ready to reheat, warm cookie in oven at 300˚ for 5-10 minutes for crispy edges and soft center, or heat in the microwave in 10-second intervals until warm—it will be softer, more like a lava cake.
Nutrition information is calculated using a leading industry software. That being said, brands can vary, and there may be slight fluctuations in the numbers.