Soft, warm, and perfectly doughy in the middle, this Brown Butter Maple Walnut Pizookie is loaded with toasted walnuts and melty pockets of chocolate!
I just ADORE this time of year. To me, there’s no better time than the transition between summer and fall. There’s still plenty of sunshine, but you also get those lovely cool breezes. Not to mention, you’re surrounded by beauty as the leaves begin to change. Fall is hands-down the most beautiful and comforting season of all.
Speaking of comfort, I think I have the perfect comfort food to tantalize those tastebuds…
Why You’ll Love This Brown Butter Maple Walnut Pizookie
Beast of a Cookie: This deep-dish cookie is basically a chocolate chip cookie on steroids. It’s monstrously large, brimming with chocolate chips AND walnuts, and it’s perfectly thick and doughy in the middle. In fact, it reminds me so much of the iconic chocolate chip walnut cookies from NYC’s Levain Bakery.
Brown Butter + Maple = Heaven: The combination of these two fall flavors is pure ecstasy. The nuttiness of the brown butter pairs flawlessly with the warm sweetness of maple syrup. This sweet and salty combo is what creates the perfect balance of flavors in this cookie.
Super Simple to Make: The cookie dough takes about 20 minutes to whip up, and the whole thing is baked in one cast iron skillet. That means no tedious dough ball rolling–yay!
Important Ingredients
Butter: I used salted butter for this recipe. I’ve found that the salt just intensifies the flavor of the butter as it’s browning, making that nutty caramelized flavor much more noticeable.
Pure Maple Syrup: Try to avoid anything that says “pancake syrup” as that is nothing like real maple syrup. The pure stuff is so much better, and there’s really no substitute for the all-natural sweetness that it provides.
Walnuts: To enhance the flavor of the walnuts, I toast them BEFORE mixing them into the dough. As with all nuts, walnuts haven’t met their full flavor potential until they’ve been gently toasted, allowing their natural oils to release. They also get nice and crispy, providing an added crunch to the pizookie. You can either toast them on a large baking sheet in a 350ºF preheated oven for 8-10 minutes, or you can toast them in a dry skillet until lightly-browned.
Semi-Sweet Chocolate Chips: Semi-sweet chocolate has the perfect balance of sweet and slightly bitter, providing a better depth of flavor as well as a sharper contrast with the brown buttery dough.
Greek Yogurt or Sour Cream: This isn’t a typical ingredient in cookie dough. However, I read that the sour cream/yogurt’s acidity activates the baking soda as it bakes. This ensures that the pizookie remains moist and chewy for days and creates a softer texture.
Tried and True Tips
NEVER Leave the Butter: When browning the butter, watch it CLOSELY. If left unattended, the butter can brown unevenly and potentially burn. That’s why it’s crucial to keep an eye on your butter and stir it constantly. Also, resist the urge to turn the heat up to high. Keeping the heat at medium to medium-low will ensure even browning and prevent burning.
Add Sugars Immediately: Once the butter is perfectly browned, immediately take it off the heat and stir in both sugars. You don’t want the residual heat from the pan to continue cooking the butter, causing it to burn. Adding the sugars immediately stops the cooking process by cooling it down.
Avoid Over-Baking: Pizookies are meant to be extra doughy and slightly underbaked in the middle. The edges should be slightly puffed, and the whole surface of the pizookie should look evenly browned and shiny. Mine took exactly 37 minutes to bake. Keep in mind that the residual heat from the cast iron skillet will continue to cook the pizookie as it cools.
Add Extra Chocolate on Top: I always add more chocolate chips to the tops of my cookies/pizookies right after they come out of the oven. The heat from the pizookie softens them, creating those melty pockets of chocolate throughout.
Allow it to Cool: Although you’ll be tempted to dive straight into the melty ooey gooey goodness of this pizookie, I highly recommend you give it at least 45 minutes to cool. Not only will you be rewarded with cleaner slices, but they’ll still be PLENTY warm and ooey gooey. TRUST ME.
Top with Ice Cream: Just like a warm slice of apple pie, a pizookie isn’t complete without a cool and creamy scoop of ice cream on top. Vanilla bean is usually my favorite, but you’re welcome to choose any flavor your heart desires. I also like to give the ice cream a little time to melt into the hot and doughy crevices as well as down the sides.
Brown Butter Maple Walnut Pizookie
Ingredients
- 3 ½ cups all-purpose flour
- 2 ¼ teaspoons baking soda
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ¾ cup salted butter
- 1 ½ cups brown sugar
- ⅓ cup granulated sugar
- ⅓ cup maple syrup
- 3 tablespoons Greek yogurt or sour cream
- 2 eggs
- 1 ½ teaspoons vanilla
- 1 cup chopped toasted walnuts
- 1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350ºF and grease a 10-inch cast iron skillet with nonstick cooking spray or butter.
- Whisk the flour, baking soda, and salt together in a medium bowl; set aside.
- In a medium saucepan, melt the butter over medium-low heat. As the butter melts, it’ll start to foam, then turn a clear golden color. Continue to stir the butter, scraping up any browned specks from the bottom of the pan as it starts to brown. It should have a nutty aroma.
- Once browned and nutty, remove from the heat and immediately stir in both sugars. Add the maple syrup, Greek yogurt, eggs, and vanilla, whisking vigorously until batter is smooth and silky. Switch to a wooden spoon and stir in the dry ingredients; batter will be thick. Fold in the walnuts and chocolate chips*.
- Press dough evenly into the skillet, and bake in the oven for 35-40 minutes, or until the edges are lightly browned and the center is set. To avoid, over-browning, I recommend tenting a piece of aluminum foil over the pizookie after it's been in the oven for 20 minutes.
- Allow to cool for at least 45 minutes. Slice and serve with a scoop of ice cream, if desired.