Crispy Oven Baked Chicken {Any Cut}

Let's not talk about the fact that it's been just over 2 months since our last  post. Ahhh!  Life has been busy for both Leesh and I.  I didn't just have a baby, but I have some excuses, but I won't bore you with them.

Anyhow, let's cook!  I spotted this recipe on pinterest a while back, made a few tweaks, made it for dinner tonight, and am posting it tonight.....that's how good we thought it was.  I had to share!

You can use this coating for the chicken on any cut of chicken. We chose legs, which take a bit longer time to bake, but they were OH.SO.TASTY!  I served them with Whole Wheat Dinner Muffins (if you haven't tried these yet you've got to, no yeast and seriously as yummy as a fresh roll), and a green salad with feta, dried cranberries, and Italian dressing. Yum-o! 

This was so easy to throw together and gave me time to clean the kitchen and make muffins and salad while the chicken baked.  It was perfect. You dip the chicken in an egg/milk mixture and coat it in a mixture of crushed corn flakes, Parmesan cheese, garlic powder, pepper, and Bon Appetite seasoning salt (by McCormick).  The bon appetite was the tweak I made, the original recipe called for a ranch seasoning packet. 

Let's bake some chicken!

 

Crispy Oven Baked  Chicken {Any Cut}
Printable Version

Ingredients:

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8 boneless skinless chicken breasts, sliced into strips - {I used 8 chicken legs}

1 cup crushed corn flakes

¾ cup Parmesan cheese, grated

½ teaspoon garlic powder

½ teaspoon black pepper

1 ¼  teaspoon bon appetite seasoning salt (McCormick brand) OR 1 package hidden valley dry ranch dressing mix

1 cup milk

1 egg

Directions:

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Pre-heat the oven to 350 degrees. Line a 13×9 inch baking dish with aluminum foil and spray with spray grease (easier clean up).  In a shallow dish combine crushed corn flakes, parmesan cheese, garlic powder, black pepper, and  bon appetite seasoning salg (McCormick) OR dry ranch dressing mix. In a small bowl beat together eggs and milk.

Dip each chicken strip into the egg/milk mixture and then roll in the crushed corn flakes/ranch dressing mixture. Repeat until all chicken strips are well coated.

Place onto a greased baking sheet and bake uncovered for 30 minutes or until the chicken is cooked through (the internal temperature has reached 165 degrees). If doing legs/drumsticks bake for 50-60 minutes or until internal temperature is 185 degrees, and cover for at least 30 minutes of the baking to avoid over browning.  

(Makes 6 Servings)

Recipe Source: Blogchef.net via pinterest

 

Heart-Shaped Pan Cookie {Giant Valentine Cookie}

My mom.  I wonder how many of my posts start out like that.  Obviously she has heavily influenced my cooking and baking.  Anyway....my mom used to bake up lots of these giant cookies for friends, neighbors, and my dad every year for Valentine's day.  It was a such a fun tradition and how could you not love someone who made such a cute, delectable treat for you?  So when I saw a heart-shaped pan at Ross last weekend, I had to have it for obvious reasons.  

I'm not sure if I'll ever grow out of making Valentines for my friends.  I guess it makes me still feel like I'm in 3rd grade, which I kind of miss some days.  Something about this holiday just gets me in the baking/crafty mood.  Last year I was in Utah for Valentines Day and my mom and sister and I made these fun little chocolate boxes.  Last week, the little man and I stapled together this fun heart garland.  Last night, when I asked little man to come help me make dinner, he started crying and said, "No.  I make cookies right now mommy."   I don't really like when he pulls out the right now on me, but I had to laugh because I don't know that many 2-year-olds that are so insistent on making cookies regularly.  This little man is a cookie monster just like his mama.  While our chicken was in the oven, we whipped up one of these babies.  It was fun and nostalgic and the little man tasted the cookie dough a few too many times to give this one away, so we kept it.  And we've been eating it all day.  

Heart-Shaped Pan Cookie {Giant Valentine Cookie}
Printable Version

Ingredients:

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1 cup plus 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup (1 stick) butter, softened
1/2 cup packed brown sugar
1/3 cup granulated sugar
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 large egg
1 ½ - 1 ¾ cups semi-sweet chocolate chips, divided

Directions:

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Preheat oven to 375 (350 If using a dark, glass, or nonstick pan).  Grease and wax paper-line 8 1/2 or 9-inch heart-shaped pan (or use a round or square pan if that’s what you’ve got).   
Combine flour, baking soda and salt in small bowl. Beat butter, brown sugar, granulated sugar and vanilla extract in large mixer bowl until creamy. Beat in egg. Gradually beat in flour mixture. Stir in 1 cup morsels; spread into prepared pan.
Bake for 18-22 minutes or until golden brown. Remove from oven and leaving a border around the cookie, immediately sprinkle remaining chocolate chips in a heart shape.  Allow chocolate chips to get shiny and melty for 2-3 minutes before spreading over cookie.  (The back of a spoon worked great for my spreader)  Add any fun or festive sprinkles, if desired, while chocolate is melted.  Allow cookie to cool and chocolate topping to set up before removing from pan (this will take several hours).  

Notes:

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If you are worried about getting your cookie out of the pan or need to use the pan again before the chocolate is completely set up then follow the original recipe directions for cooling and the chocolate chip topping:
Let cool in pan for 10 minutes; remove to wire rack to cool completely.  Microwave remaining morsels in small, microwave-safe bowl on MEDIUM-HIGH (70%) power for 1 minute; stir. Morsels may retain some of their shape. If necessary, microwave at additional 10- to 15-second intervals, stirring until melted; spread over cookie.

This would also be super cute with these valentine morsels in the dough. Toll house used to make a raspberry semi-sweet swirled morsel that it is really tasty with as well. Maybe they are just seasonal or something, but I haven't seen them lately.  

Recipe Source:

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My mom, via Better Homes and Gardens Magazine, February 1995. Also available here.

Skookie Cheesecake

Last week I introduced you to one of our favorite desserts....Skookies. And then this week shared with you another favorite, Lion House Cheesecake {New York Style}. My husband recently had a birthday and was really trying hard to decide between a Skookie or a Cheesecake for his birthday dessert, when I decided I could combine the two into what we now call Skookie Cheesecake. I think it's one of my best inventions yet!  I'd seen recipes for Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Cheesecake, but to him that wasn't going to hit the spot. He wanted a Skookie and cheesecake, and this dessert satisfied both those wants! I don't usually feel like a wife-of-the-year, but after this I kinda did!

I didn't think baking a cookie on top of the cheesecake was a good idea, so instead of that, I baked a Giant Cookie and the Cheesecake (minus the topping) separately and combined them! It turned out lovely!  My mathmatical skills of the cookie dough spreading to a 10 inch circle were just about 1/2 inch off, so we cut the cookie a little (and gobbled up those scraps), and it fit the cheesecake just perfectly!  I also added whipped cream around the outer edge of each slice of Skookie Cheesecake, and then topped it with ice cream to truly make it Skookie style!  That's my kind of cheesecake!  It was pretty rich, a little slice was plenty to satisfy!  

I thought this was a fun and a bit fancy dessert to share just in time for Valentines Day! I'm thinking it would satisfy just about any cheesecake-loving sweetheart!  

Happy February! 

Just a note: This recipe looks super long, but it's basically the Lion House Cheesecake recipe (minus the sour cream topping), and a Giant Cookie. I just re-worded a few things from both recipes so that it made sense for this particular confection! 

 

Skookie Cheesecake

Printable Version
Serves 8-12
Ingredients:

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For the Cheesecake:
Crust:
    1 ½ cups finely crushed graham cracker crumbs
    3 tablespoons white sugar
    6 tablespoons butter, melted
Filling:
    3 (8 ounce) packages cream cheese, softened
    1 cup white sugar
    3 eggs
    ¾ teaspoon vanilla
    2 teaspoons lemon juice

Directions:

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Preheat oven to 300 degrees F.

Prepare crust: To crush graham crackers place in a ziplock bag and roll with a rolling pin, or blend/food process in blender or food processor.  Thoroughly mix graham cracker crumbs, sugar, and melted butter. Press firmly onto bottom and sides of a 9 or 10 inch springform pan (or pie pan if you don’t have a springform pan; set aside while preparing filling. I like to press it down by placing my hand it a plastic bag so I don’t get the butter all over me.

Filling: In a large mixing bowl (or stand mixer bowl, like BOSCH), beat (with BOSCH whips or hand mixer) cream cheese until smooth; add sugar a little at a time. Add eggs, one at a time, beating after each addition. Mix in vanilla and combine thoroughly. Pour into crust; fill to within half an inch of top to allow room for topping. Bake 55 to 60 minutes, until set or when the pan is gently moved, the center does not move. Cool completely. Refrigerate until ready to serve. Refrigerate for 24 hours before serving for best taste!  
A few tips:
-Make sure your cream cheese really is softened to room temperature or it’s hard to get a smooth cheesecake with no lumps. Let it sit out for 4-6 hours in the foil packaging on the counter.  

-You don’t want to over whip the cream cheese mixture. You want it smooth, but if you over whip it will have lots of bubbles in it.  

-To let cheesecake cool, just turn the oven off and open the door, this way it doesn’t cool as quickly as on the counter and is less likely to crack on the top.  Make sure you don’t have any small children or animals that will touch the oven! :)

-If you use a springform pan, consider wrapping the bottom and up the sides with aluminum foil. Some springform pans don’t have a tight seal when done up and the grease from the crust will leak through into your oven. You could also just place a cookie sheet or something underneath for a mess free bake job.  

Ingredients:

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For the Giant Cookie:
½ cup white sugar
½ cup packed light brown sugar
½ cup butter, melted and cooled
1 egg
½ teaspoon soda
½ teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon vanilla
1 ½ cup flour
½ cup chocolate chips

Directions:

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Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

In a medium-sized bowl, cream together the brown sugar, white sugar, and butter. Add the egg and vanilla and mix to combined. In a separate bowl, combine soda, salt, and flour and mix well.  Add the dry ingredients to the creamed mixture and mix to incorporate.  Then stir in the chocolate chips.

Line a large (11x17 inch) cookie sheet with foil. Using about ¾ of the cookie dough, press the cookie into a circle and place in the center of the cookie sheet. I press my cookie into a 7-8-inch circle, about ¼ to ½ inch thick. When it bakes, it spreads to about 10-10 ½ inches. Make one other cookie with the remaining ¼ of the dough, or freeze for a fresh baked cookie for later!

If desired, top the cookie with M&M’s or any other candies or garnishes. Bake for 12-16 minutes until the cookie is lightly golden brown. When it’s done baking, place the cookie sheet on a wire rack and let the cookie cool completely on the pan - this helps it stabilize and set so it can be easily lifted off the pan. Once cool, gently use the foil to lift the cookie off the pan to a cutting board. Measure your pan and the cookie, if it's too big then place the cookie on a cutting board and cut around the edges until it will fit inside your springform pan. Place cookie on top of cheesecake up to 3 hours before serving.  If the cookie is a little too small use whipped cream to fill in around the edges and make pretty!  

Slice to serve and top with vanilla ice cream for your truly Skookie style Skookie Cheesecake! Enjoy!

Recipe Sources: Skookie Cheesecake - A Leesh & Lu's Recipe Box Original.  Lion House Cheeseacake is from LDS Living Magazine. And the Giant Cookie recipe comes from Mel's Kitchen Cafe. 

Lion House Cheesecake {New York Style}

I love {<3} cheesecake, it’s one of my favorite desserts. This recipe would be awesome for your sweetheart if you're in the mood for making them a special treat.  Cheesecake is something I would request for a birthday treat, it’s something I want as part of Thanksgiving, it’s also something my dad and husband would request for Father’s day or their birthdays. In my family, it’s pretty much loved all around and accepted and devoured at any family function or holiday festivity. 

I know making a baked cheesecake scares a lot of people away from making, but really, they aren't very complicated, especially this simple New York Style cheesecake. Some of the fancier flavored cheesecakes seem like more work (but usually it's just more ingredients and swirling in flavors, etc), but this baby, is easy-peasy!

If baking a cheesecake really scares you, these no-bake Cheesecake Cups might suite you better!

I looked up what New York Style cheeseckae meant on wikipedia, and it basically means it has cream or sour cream used in it. Which this particular recipe does. This recipe has a sweetened sour-cream topping, and I love it, because it gives the cheesecake a smooth-all-the-same-color topping. Sometimes you might get a little crack or different browning spots on the cheesecake top, but the sour cream topping not only tastes a.m.a.z.i.n.g., it can hide any little flaws you might have.

 

 

Lion House Cheesecake {New York Style}

Printable Version
Ingredients:

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Crust:
    1 ½ cups finely crushed graham cracker crumbs
    3 tablespoons white sugar
    6 tablespoons butter, melted
Filling:
    3 (8 ounce) packages cream cheese, softened
    1 cup white sugar
    3 eggs
    ¾ teaspoon vanilla
    2 teaspoons lemon juice
Topping:
    2 cups sour cream
    3 tablespoons white sugar
    ½ teaspoon vanilla

Directions:

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Preheat oven to 300 degrees F.

Prepare crust: To crush graham crackers place in a ziplock bag and roll with a rolling pin, or blend/food process in blender or food processor.  Thoroughly mix graham cracker crumbs, sugar, and melted butter. Press firmly onto bottom and sides of a 9 or 10 inch springform pan (or pie pan if you don’t have a springform pan; set aside while preparing filling. I like to press it down by placing my hand it a plastic bag so I don’t get the butter all over me.

Filling: In a large mixing bowl (or stand mixer bowl, like BOSCH), beat (with BOSCH whips or hand mixer) cream cheese until smooth; add sugar a little at a time. Add eggs, one at a time, beating after each addition. Mix in vanilla and combine thoroughly. Pour into crust; fill to within half an inch of top to allow room for topping. Bake 55 to 60 minutes, until set or when the pan is gently moved, the center does not move.

When cheesecake is almost finished baking, beat sour cream with a wire whisk; add sugar and vanilla and mix well. Pour over cake and smooth out; and bake an additional 10 minutes. Cool completely. Refrigerate until ready to serve. Top with desired fruit topping or serve plain. Makes about 8 servings.  (Best to refrigerate for 24 hours before serving!)

A few tips:
-Make sure your cream cheese really is softened to room temperature or it’s hard to get a smooth cheesecake with no lumps. Let it sit out for 4-6 hours in the foil packaging on the counter.  

-You don’t want to over whip the cream cheese mixture. You want it smooth, but if you over whip it will have lots of bubbles in it.  

-To let cheesecake cool, just turn the oven off and open the door, this way it doesn’t cool as quickly as on the counter and is less likely to crack on the top.  Make sure you don’t have any small children or animals that will touch the oven! :)

-If you use a springform pan, consider wrapping the bottom and up the sides with aluminum foil. Some springform pans don’t have a tight seal when done up and the grease from the crust will leak through into your oven. You could also just place a cookie sheet or something underneath for a mess free bake job.  

Recipe Source: Lion House Recipes, LDS Living Magazine

For the topping: 
I use any berry (strawberr, raspberry, blueberry, blackberry, or a mixture of those) I'm in the mood for with this recipe.

Berry topping recipe:
1 1/2 cups berries (raspberries or strawberries work great), smashed slightly
1/2 cup sugar
1/4-2/3 cup water
1 Tbsp cornstarch

In saucepan combine sugar and cornstarch, mix until the cornstarch is evenly mixed into the sugar. Add water and smashed berries. Turn heat on stove to medium-low. Heat thru and let it bubble and thicken. If it gets thicker than you want add a little more water (1/2 Tbsp at a time).

Giant Cookie

I came across this recipe a few years ago, and when I was watching my 2 nephews one day, I thought, they would think I was so cool if I let them make a giant cookie. What kid doesn't love something that is extra big or extra tiny!  It was a hit! I let them help me mix the dough and add the chocolate chips. I happened to have some M&M's in my pantry and we topped the giant cookie with those and some sprinkles too! We cut the cookie like a pizza and they each had a few wedges! It was a hit to say the least.  Since then, I've made this Giant Cookie on a few other occasions, and I'm kicking myself that I don't do it more, cause they are so good and are such fun too!  This week I made one for my daughter's friend, it was her birthday, and we wrapped the cookie up and put a cute little birthday tag on it! She thought it was pretty neat (my daughter and her friend)! 

This recipe is extremely adaptable, it's a basic and yummy chocolate chip cookie recipe, but you could add any flavor of chocolate chips or candy pieces [i.e. M&M's, Reese's Pieces, sprinkles, chopped up candy bars, etc.] This recipe yield is 1 giant cookie, but even if you half the recipe the cookies are still giant enough to be cooler than your average sized cookie, I've done it both ways and it turns out great either way!

So what are you waiting for?!?!?! Pin this, bookmark this, and make it for your kids friends for their birthdays, as a congratulations to a graduate or other achievement, for your sweetheart for Valentines Day, etc. The options are endless!

Enjoy a Giant Cookie today! :) Or any day!

Great for gifts!

 

Giant  Cookie

Printable Version
Ingredients:

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½ cup white sugar
½ cup packed light brown sugar
½ cup butter, melted and cooled
1 egg
½ teaspoon soda
½ teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon vanilla
1 ½ cup flour
½ cup chocolate chips

Directions:

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Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

In a medium-sized bowl, cream together the brown sugar, white sugar, and butter. Add the egg and vanilla and mix to combined. In a separate bowl, combine soda, salt, and flour and mix well.  Add the dry ingredients to the creamed mixture and mix to incorporate.  Then stir in the chocolate chips.

Line a large (11x17 inch) cookie sheet with foil. Press the cookie into a circle and place in the center of the cookie sheet. I press my cookie into a 8-inch circle, about ¼ to ½ inch thick. When it bakes, it spreads to about 10 ½ to 11 inches

If desired, top the cookie with M&M’s or any other candies or garnishes. Bake for 12-16 minutes until the cookie is lightly golden brown. When it’s done baking, place the cookie sheet on a wire rack and let the cookie cool completely on the pan - this helps it stabilize and set so it can be easily lifted off the pan. Once cool, gently use the foil to lift the cookie off the pan.

Makes one giant cookie!

Recipe Source: Mel's Kitchen Cafe

 My nephews enjoying the one we made together!

Cajun Chicken Pasta

I'm always looking for fast, easy, cheap, and yummy dinners.  I think this may be a new go-to for us.  My mother-in-law made it for us last time we were in Utah for a visit, only she used shrimp instead of chicken.  It was delicious and came together so quickly!  I thought I'd share it here just in time for Mardi Gras (which is February 12th this year).  Jeff spent a few years of his childhood in Lousiana, so at our house we use that as an excuse to celebrate Mardi Gras and eat yummy Cajun food.  So, if you need an excuse to make this, use Mardi Gras and you can thank me later.  

Cajun Chicken Pasta

Printable Version

Ingredients:

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For the blackened chicken:
4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
1 teaspoon paprika
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
1/4 teaspoon ground white pepper
1/4 teaspoon onion powder

For the sauce:
1- 14.5 ounce can crushed tomatoes
2-3 teaspoons cajun/creole seasoning (some brands are spicier than others, so season gradually and taste as you go)
1- 15 ounce jar alfredo sauce (or make your own. This is my favorite--just use half of a batch.)
salt and pepper to taste

1/2 pound linguini, or other pasta, cooked and drained

Directions:

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Preheat oven to 350. Heat a cast iron skillet or grill pan over high heat for 5 minutes until it is smoking hot.
Mix together the paprika, salt, cayenne, cumin, thyme, white pepper, and onion powder. Oil the chicken breasts with cooking spray on both sides, then coat the chicken breasts evenly with the spice mixture.

Place the chicken in the hot pan, and cook for 1 minute. Turn, and cook 1 minute on other side.  Transfer skillet to oven and bake in the preheated oven until no longer pink in the center and the juices run clear, about 5-10 minutes depending on the thickness.  When the internal temperature of the chicken reaches 165, remove chicken breasts from skillet and allow to rest for 5-10 minutes before slicing.  While chicken is resting, cook your pasta and prepare sauce.  

In a medium saucepan, combine crushed tomatoes, alfredo sauce, and cajun/creole seasoning. Heat over med-low, until hot and bubbly.  Slice chicken and serve with sauce over hot pasta.  .  

Notes:

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The chicken is a bit spicy, if you want to reduce the spiciness, cut back on the cayenne pepper.
This is also really yummy using shrimp instead of chicken.  
If you have leftover chicken and sauce--use them on a pizza! :)

Recipe Source: My mother-in-law Karen, and allrecipes

Skookies {Favorite Cookie in a Skillet}

I have a series of recipes I want to share with you leading up to Valentines Day.  I don't know how you like to spend Valentines Day, but we boycotted going out to eat after year one of being together for Valentines. The wait was insanely long, and the food wasn't worth the wait [that could have been our choice of restaurant, but nonetheless we've been staying home and making a extra fancy meal and dessert the last several years].

But before I keep blabbing, let me just tell you about a Skookie, in case you've never had one.  First off you'll want to use your favorite cookie dough. We hold partial to using a classic chocolate chip [this one is one of my favorites] or oatmeal chocolate chip cookie recipe.  But I've seen them done with brownie batter, and other cookies doughs, such as white chocolate macadamia nut.  Check our our Recipe Index for other cookie recipes.  Choose your favorite cookie dough recipe - bake it in a Skookie skillet and top it with ice cream. I can't recommend anything but vanilla ice cream.  The cookie bakes about the same amount of time as your recipe calls for. You eat it fresh out of the oven [out of the skillet] topped with a big scoop of vanilla ice cream.  We tend to keep adding ice cream as we go. There is something about hot fresh cookies that makes you need the cold vanilla to tone down the sweetness. Sounds crazy, I know!  Anyhow....

The Skookie is near the top of my husband's favorite dessert list. And since we've started a year-long no dessert/candy deal, back in October, with the exception of birthday's and Thanksgiving [oh, and we just added a new rule, that we can have it once a month] choosing a dessert is a big deal around here! Like, HUGE! We just recently celebrated my husbands birthday and he was trying to decide between cheesecake and skookies.  So naturally, I'll be sharing my favorite cheesecake recipe later this week too, and then I'll share a new creation I made in his honor to satisfy his need for Skookies and cheesecake!  So get excited, cause it's pretty exciting! :)

Do you spend Valentines at home for a nice meal or out?  Share your thoughts and ideas for making your Valentines a special night! 

And a side note about skookies:
I know that most people probably don't have these cookie skillets in the stash of kitchen gadgets, but these became really big in Utah a few years ago [my sister got 4 sets - 8 skookie pans]. The Utah based company Camp Chef, designed some of these mini cookie skillets and called them Skookie Cast Iron Skillets.  I've seen them at Bed Bath & Beyond, and obviously you can order them online directly from Camp Chef. I don't have any brilliant ideas for making these without them, but if you do, please share! Another reason I assume they became so popular in Utah was because of Firehouse Pizzeria. On their menu they used to have "Ph'zookies" - which was this same idea. Anyways, they are delicious! 

Skookies {Favorite Cookie in a Skillet}

Printable Version
Ingredients:

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Your favorite cookie dough (chocolate chip, oatmeal chocolate chip, or white macadamia nut

dough are the ones I’d recommend)

Skookie pans
Vanilla ice cream
Toppings [chopped nuts, caramel sauce, chocolate sauce, etc]

Directions:

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Mix up your favorite cookie dough and place it in the cookie skillet, leave about 2 inches for spread, you don’t want it to overflow the skillet.  Bake according to recipe instructions and check for doneness. You’ll want the cookie to be lightly browned.  

When finished baking, top with your favorite vanilla ice cream and any additional desired toppings!

Enjoy!

Recipe Source: Idea from the Skookie pan box - adapted with my favorite cookie doughs.