Giant Chocolate Chip Cookie in a Cast Iron Skillet

I was brainstorming what to make for Grant for Father's Day and kept coming back to the good old standby of chocolate chip cookies. There's hardly anything he likes more than those.  But I wanted to jazz them up a bit, make it something out of the ordinary.  Then I saw this recipe on foodgawker and thought it would be pretty fun to make, not to mention faster than all those cookie trays.  Plus, there's always the option of decorating it with frosting, which could only make it better!  

He was delighted, as were the children.  It tasted great, even though I think I overbaked it a tiny bit.  The original recipe said to bake it for 40-45 minutes, but when I checked it at 35 minutes, it was definitely done.  So check early, always check early!  Ovens are not created equal.  

I made a basic buttercream frosting for decorating, using a stick of butter creamed with 2 cups of powdered sugar, a teaspoon of vanilla, a Tablespoon or two of milk, and added a couple of Tablespoons of cocoa powder to part of it to make chocolate frosting.  I did have frosting left over, which nobody complained about eating on graham crackers.  

If you don't have a need for decoration, this would be fabulous served warm from the oven with ice cream and hot fudge or caramel sauce.....ummm, I'm getting hungry just thinking about it.  

Recipe: (from The Cutting Edge of Ordinary)

2 cups all purpose flour

1 t. baking soda

1/2 t. salt

3/4 cup (1-1/2 sticks) unsalted butter, softened

1/2 c. granulated sugar

3/4 c. brown sugar, packed

1 large egg

2 t. vanilla extract

1-1/2 c. chocolate chips (I used 1 bag Nestle mint chocolate chips.

Preheat oven to 350°.

In a medium bowl,  whisk together flour, baking soda, and salt; set aside. In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream butter and sugars until mixture is light and fluffy, about 2 minutes. Add egg and vanilla; mix until they are fully incorporated. Add flour mixture, and beat until just combined. Stir in chocolate chips.

Transfer dough to a 10-inch ovenproof skillet (I greased with a little coconut oil), and press to flatten, covering bottom of pan. Bake until edges are brown and top is golden, 30-35 minutes. Don't overbake; it will continue to cook a few minutes out of the oven. Transfer to a wire rack to cool in pan, 15 to 20 minutes. Cut into wedges.