I tried making Rachel DeVaux's Cookie Skillet

As someone who loves eating healthfully but also has the biggest sweet tooth, discovering this cookie skillet by RD, CPT, PES, Rachel DeVaux was life-changing, to say the least. Rachel is known for making drool-worthy healthy food that she then shares to her Instagram. Though all her treats look delicious, she is probably best known for her Cashew Chocolate Chip Cookie Skillet. This skillet is made with whole ingredients, is gluten free, dairy free, grain free, and made without any refined sugar. Unbelievably intrigued, I got to baking. Found below is the recipe and my take at the infamous cookie skillet:

CASHEW CHOCOLATE CHIP COOKIE SKILLET

Prep Time 8 minutes

Cook Time 22 minutes

Total Time 30 minutes

Servings 2-4 

Ingredients:

-1 egg (or sub flax egg)

-3 tbsp maple syrup (or sub honey)

-1/4 cup melted coconut oil

-1/3 cup creamy cashew butter (or sub any nut or seed butter)

-1 tsp vanilla extract

-1 tbsp unsweetened almond milk

-1 cup almond flour (Bob's Red Mill finely ground almond flour works BEST!)

-1/4 cup collagen peptides (completely optional. I use Vital Proteins. They dissolve right away in the batter)

-1/4 tsp baking soda

-1/2 tsp cinnamon

-1/2-3/4 dark chocolate bar

-1/4 tsp sea salt 

-8-9 inch cast iron skillet or baking dish, cake tin, or loaf tin

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 325 degrees F

2. Whisk egg* in a large bowl then pour in maple syrup, melted coconut oil, cashew butter, vanilla and almond milk to whisk again.

3. *If using a flax egg, mix 1 tbsp ground flaxseeds with 3 tbsp water and let sit for 5 minutes before adding to recipe in place of egg.

4. Stir in almond flour, baking soda, cinnamon and some of the sea salt. Fold in chocolate chunks, leaving several chocolate chunks aside.

5. Very lightly spray an 8 or 9-inch iron skillet (13-inch if doubling the recipe) with coconut oil, then pour batter into the base and spread out evenly using a silicone spatula. Place the last several pieces of chocolate over the top, sprinkle sea salt, then place in the oven for 19 minutes on the center rack. Turn the oven on broil and cook 1-1 1/2 additional minutes. **keep a close eye on it because it can burn quickly!

Truthfully, this was one of the easiest recipes I've ever made and the cleanup was hassle-free. All of the ingredients are added to the same bowl which is honestly a luxury when it comes to cleaning. Not a single one of the ingredients was difficult to find either. In fact, I discovered that the majority of what was required for the recipe I already had in my pantry at home. As someone who does not consider her baking skills to be at the level of any Master Chef, I appreciated the "beginner friendly" aspect of this recipe greatly. 

More than satisfied with the actual creation of this recipe and the cleanup, I was so eager to see if the taste was of satisfaction as well. I will say that this skillet may not beat a traditional chocolate chip cookie, considering it eliminates the butter and sugar, but it certainly can stand its ground. The sea salt on top was the perfect way to harmonize the rest of the ingredients and enhance their natural flavors. It tastes healthy, sweet, and unlike the standard chocolate chip cookie, it is guilt free. What could be better? 

If you are looking to change up your diet and make some healthy swaps, this treat may just be what you need to satisfy your sweet tooth.