It's a Bunny Skillet Cookie with a surprise inside! NUTELLA hazelnut spread.
Mix this easy to make cast iron skillet cookie with the kids. They’ll love making little bunnies with candy coated chocolates…hazelnut Nutella spread inside is an ooey gooey surprise. It’s easy and fun!
Of course, this skillet cookie is packed with chocolate chips in the bottom and top layers…with hazelnut spread in the middle. What a delicious combination – and the kiddos will love it.
What make this easy for the kids to mix is that you don’t need an electric mixer for this recipe. All you need to do is supervise and handle the hot skillet. Have the kiddos measure and whisk the dry ingredients into a mixing bowl. Stir in the wet. (Have an adult melt the butter in the microwave.) Then form two large hamburger shaped patties.
Now, this is where you, the adult, come in while the kiddos watch. Place one cookie patty in the hot cast iron skillet and spread some hazelnut spread in the middle. Lay the other patty on top. Press around the edges with the back of a spoon to seal the hazelnut spread inside while it bakes, and you’re ready to bake. Use hot pads or heat safe gloves to transfer the hot skillet to the oven. It’s that easy!
Cool the cookie and lift it out of the skillet onto a plate. Then let the kids take over the decorating. M&M bunnies, sprinkles, more chips, more hazelnut spread…and whatever else your kiddos can think of.
This cast iron skillet cookie serves 3-6 kiddos, depending on how large you slice it.
Prepare your cast iron skillet:
-Cut a circle of parchment paper to fit the bottom of the cast iron skillet, leaving long paper “handles” on two sides to make it easy to lift out after it has baked and cooled a bit.
-Before you place the parchment paper into the skillet, preheat the skillet in the 350F degrees oven for about 20 minutes. When you’re ready to place the cookie dough in the skillet and bake, place the parchment paper in the bottom of the pan. (You can always skip the heating of the skillet pan, just bake it a few minutes longer using a room temp skillet.)
Preheat your oven to 350F degrees
Gather up your Ingredients:
¼ C Sugar
¼ C Brown sugar
2 t Vanilla extract
¼ C Butter, melted
1 Egg yolk
½ C Flour
¼ t Baking soda
¼ t Salt
½ C Chocolate chips, semi-sweet
½ C Hazelnuts, rough chopped, optional
Nutella Filling Ingredients:
¼ C Nutella hazelnut filling, slightly heaped
Decorations Ingredients:
½ C Pastel M&Ms, some for snacking
Make and Bake:
-Preheat your cast iron skillet (without the parchment paper in it) for 10 minutes so it can heat up while you’re making the cookie dough. (You can always skip the heating of the skillet pan, just bake it a few minutes longer using a room temp skillet.)
-In a mixing bowl, whisk the sugar, brown sugar together.
-Have an adult melt the butter in microwave, using a microwave safe bowl. Let it cool just a bit. Add and stir the melted butter in with the sugar mixture until completely combined.
-Stir in the egg yolk, whisking to combine completely.
-Sift in the flour, baking soda and salt, then stir with a spatula or wooden spoon to combine well.
-Add the chocolate chips and, stirring to distribute evenly.
-Make sure the parchment paper fits in the skillet.
-With half the cookie dough, press it into a hamburger shaped patty and press it into the skillet from side to side. (Have an adult do this step if you have preheated the skillet – it will be HOT!)
-With an offset spatula or the back of a spoon, spread the Nutella spread (I like a little more than a quarter cup of the spread) on the bottom cookie dough, leaving about ½”-1” of space all around the outside edge of the dough…being careful with the hot skillet.
-Form the other half of the cookie dough into a flat patty to fit over the top of the hazelnut spread, making sure the edges of the patty reach out to the edge of the skillet.
-With the back of a spoon, lightly pressing the edges of the top patty to seal the filling between the two cookie layers. Be careful if you are using a hot skillet.
-Place the cast iron skillet in the oven and bake your cookie at 350F degrees for 18-22 minutes. Bake it a couple minutes more if you are baking in a room temp cast iron skillet.
-Have an adult take the hot skillet cookie carefully out of the oven and allow to cool on a rack for 5-10 minutes. Heat safe mitts work well here.
-Let the skillet and the cookie cool enough so an adult can lift the cookie out of the pan by holding the parchment handles. Place it on a plate. Now it’s all set for the kiddos to do their decorating magic.
-If you like, spread more Nutella spread or frosting over the top from edge to edge.
-Then place M&Ms on edge to mimic bunny ears, with one M&M, flat, below each pair of ears to mimic a head. I recommend having extra M&Ms on hand for the kids since not all of the candies will make it past their mouths onto the cookie.
-Cut or break the cookie apart and share it with the kiddos. The Nutella spread may still be warm, so test it to make sure it’s okay for little hands to hold it.
-A scoop of your favorite vanilla bean ice cream on top with a little chocolate sauce drizzled over all makes this an even more fun dessert to share with your besties. Let the kids add more M&Ms or other sprinkles on this special dessert.
Storage:
-I don’t think you’ll have any problem with storing this skillet cookie since the kids will want to dig in right away. If you have anything left of this small skillet cookie, you can store it in an airtight container for up to 5 days at room temperature.
-Store the cookie in the refrigerator in an airtight container for up to 7 days.
-Freeze the cookie for up to a month when you wrap it tightly in plastic wrap and then in a sealable plastic bag or other airtight container. Let it thaw overnight in the refrigerator or on the counter for an hour or so.
-Freeze the unbaked dough: I like to make and store the unbaked cookie dough ahead of time in the freezer for up to a month. That way, when kids arrive you have a nice little project for them to work on. To freeze, I wrap the unbaked dough in plastic wrap, then in a sealable plastic bag or other airtight container. In fact, I have been known to mix up 6 or 7 different flavors of skillet cookie dough and freeze them individually. You never know when you'll be in a pinch for something quick to make and bake for a family celebration or another event. Be sure to label all packages, noting baking time and temp plus the type of cookie. This has been invaluable to me, saving me time opening up my computer or searching in my cookie file. To bake, first thaw the dough, still wrapped, overnight in the refrigerator or let it sit out at room temperature for an hour. Then bake it according to the directions above.
These cast iron skillet cookies are so easy to mix, form, freeze, bake and decorate. It’s a wonder why I haven’t done them much before. Right now I have 5 different cast iron skillet dough recipes in my freezer...chocolate chip, sugar, peanut butter, chocolate chip chocolate dough and snickerdoodle. They are all ready to bake and to get ready for more blog photos. These skillet cookies are a delicious shortcut to wonderful oversized cookies that you can gift, share or savor over a cup of coffee. Whoever you share your cast iron skillet cookie with, “Bake your own Memories!”