BJ’s Chocolate Chunk Pizookie Ingredients

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The Pizookie—a portmanteau of “Pizza” and “Cookie”—is the legendary flagship dessert of BJ’s Restaurant & Brewhouse. It is essentially a thick, gooey, underbaked deep-dish cookie served hot in a skillet, topped with melting vanilla bean ice cream.

The secret to the “authentic” Pizookie texture isn’t just the ingredients; it’s the baking vessel and the timing. You want a crispy, caramelized edge with a center that is so soft it requires a spoon.

The “Deep-Dish” Secret

Traditional cookies are designed to hold their shape on a flat sheet. A Pizookie, however, relies on the walls of a cast-iron skillet or cake pan to allow for a higher moisture content. By using a higher ratio of brown sugar to white sugar, we ensure a chewy, toffee-like interior that never gets “cakey.”

Recipe: The Copycat BJ’s Chocolate Chunk Pizookie

Ingredients

  • 1 cup Unsalted Butter (softened to room temperature).
  • 1 cup Light Brown Sugar (packed).
  • 1/2 cup Granulated White Sugar.
  • 2 Large Eggs.
  • 1 tbsp Pure Vanilla Extract.
  • 2 ½ cups All-Purpose Flour.
  • 1 tsp Baking Soda.
  • 1/2 tsp Salt.
  • 1 ½ cups Semi-Sweet Chocolate Chunks (Chunks are better than chips for those “pools” of melted chocolate).

Step-by-Step Instructions

1. The Creaming Process

Preheat your oven to 350°F (175°C). In a large bowl, cream together the softened butter, brown sugar, and white sugar until the mixture is light and fluffy (about 2–3 minutes).

2. The Liquids

Add the eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition. Stir in the vanilla extract. The mixture should look like a thick, pale caramel.

3. The Dry Ingredients

In a separate bowl, whisk the flour, baking soda, and salt. Slowly add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients. Mix until just combined—overmixing will make the cookie tough instead of gooey. Fold in the chocolate chunks.

4. The “Skillet” Setup

Lightly grease a 6-inch or 8-inch cast-iron skillet (or a round cake pan). Press the dough into the pan so it is about 1 inch thick. You don’t want it too thin, or it will turn into a regular crispy cookie.

5. The “Underbake” (Crucial)

Bake for 15–20 minutes.

  • The Goal: The edges should be golden brown and pulling away from the sides, but the center should still look slightly “wet” and underdone. It will firm up slightly as it sits.

Pizookie vs. Standard Cookie

FeatureThe PizookieStandard Cookie
Bake TimeShort (for “gooey” center)Full (for structure)
TextureMolten/SoftCrisp/Chewy
Serving TempScathing HotRoom Temperature
Essential Topping2-3 scoops Vanilla Ice CreamOptional Milk

3 Tricks for the Ultimate Pizookie

  • The “Cold Start” Topping: Do not let the skillet cool! Add the vanilla ice cream the second it comes out of the oven. The bottom of the ice cream should melt into a “sauce” that mixes with the warm cookie dough.
  • The Chocolate Variety: Use a mix of milk chocolate and dark chocolate chunks ($60\%$ cacao). The dark chocolate cuts through the sugar of the dough for a more “grown-up” flavor.
  • Brown the Butter: For an extra layer of flavor, melt the butter in a pan until it turns amber and smells nutty before mixing it with the sugars. This creates a “Salted Caramel” undertone.

The Verdict: The Pizookie is meant to be shared. Place the skillet in the center of the table with a few spoons and watch it disappear in under two minutes. It is the ultimate comfort food “recipe” for a movie night or a celebration.

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