COOK THIS: A Cookie Pie!

I suppose technically this should be called BAKE THIS since it is - in fact - a giant cookie the size of a pie. A COOKIE PIE. YOU GUYS! WOO! 

But seriously, the combination of the rainy cold weather in SF as of late and my being at the beginning of a new relationship motivated  me into some baking experimentation the other night and the result was both easy and soft, tasty and deeeelicious. It's difficult to be cold and unhappy and not super stoked you chose me as your girlfirend when one is presented with a cookie the size of one's face. 

The best part of this recipe for me is that you can literally add ANYTHING (well, anything within reason, whatever that means for you) into the batter so you can make different kinds of cookies. As you can see from the photo above, I was being wussy and put in ONE pretzel but the possibilities are really endless here. Swirl in some peanut butter! Leftover Halloween candy? PUT IN THE COOKIE. 

Here's the recipe (originally found over here). I know I really need to up my food photography game but usually when I make something I am just too excited and hangry to bother with lighting and all that non sense. You try to photograph a cookie pie properly before half of it ends up shoved in your mouth hole. I wish you best of luck with that, friends. 

COOKIE PIE!!! 

Ingredients:

1/2 cup unsalted butter (1 stick), melted 
1 large egg
3/4 cup light brown sugar, packed
1/4 cup granulated sugar
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
1 1/3 cups all-purpose flour
pinch salt, optional and to taste
semi-sweet chocolate chips
m&ms in any kind or colors you want
anything else you want to add! 

Directions: 

1. Preheat oven to 350F and spray a 9-inch pie dish with cooking spray
2. Melt your butter, either in a microwave or on a stovetop (which I did because I don't own a microwave... yep)
3. Pour the butter into a mixing bowl (wait until it cools a bit because otherwise your egg may scramble and... that's gross) and then the egg, sugars, vanilla, and whisk until smooth
4. Add the flour, salt, and stir 
5. Stir in the chocolate chips.
6. Add about 1/4 cup candy and stir to combine; reserve remainder.
7. Pour the batter into prepared pie dish, smoothing the top lightly with a spatula.
8. Evenly add the remaining M&Ms and whatever other candy to the top of the batter, pushing them down slightly to anchor.
9. Bake for about 24 to 26 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out mostly clean, or with a few moist crumbs, but no batter.  If your pie has risen in the center, it will deflate as it cools. Allow pie to cool in dish for at least 30 minutes before slicing and serving (I wish you luck with this last step because I definitely failed).