barbeque skillet cookie left overs

How to Make a Barbecue Skillet Cookie – Barbecookie!

Feel like a dessert after a barbecue but don’t know anything that seems fitting? Good thing we’ve got a solution for you: how better to end your barbecue than with a dessert made on the barbecue? Introducing the barbecookie, a cookie made on the barbecue, even better, made on the remaining heat of the barbecue (that is if you’re using coals). When you’re out camping or don’t have an oven, a barbecue is a great way to make your warm sweet dessert after all those savoury bites (but if you’re at home, feel free to eat with home made ice cream…).

Before making a barbecookie, I never really saw the point of making one huge cookie (except for the fact it’s less work). It’s a lot harder to share and in an oven it isn’t too much trouble to just make a lot of smaller cookies. However, a skillet cookie does make sense to make when barbecueing. It’s more or less the only way to bake a decent cookie, image trying to place a lot of small cookies on the barbecue using some parchment paper. The parchment paper will probably catch fire at some point.

The only things you need are a barbecue proof skillet (cast iron for instance), a barbecue and your favorite cookie dough. At the end of this post you can find the recipe, but before that we’ll dive into the science of baking cookies, on a barbecue!

How to bake cookies on a barbecue

The big difference between baking cookies on a barbecue versus an oven is the source of heat. When baking cookies in an oven the air around the cookie will have warmed up and heat will come into the cookie from both the top as well as the bottom.

However, when baking cookies on a barbecue, the air around the cookie will not be as warm as in the oven. Especially at the top the air might well be only slightly warmer than the surrounding air. The heat from the bottom on the other hand is quite intense. That makes baking a cookie on a barbecue and balance between burning the bottom before having fully baked the top!

Managing heat

If the cookie would be baked on a very hot barbecue the bottom of the cookie will cook fast. What’s more, browning and burning reactions such as the Maillard reaction and caramelization will proceed quite fast at the bottom! However, since the heat has to travel through the cookie to reach the top, the top will take a lot longer to heat and bake through. Since there is no top heating, it simply takes a while. Thus, a high heat will most likely burn the bottom before the top has had the time to heat fully.

If the cookie is heated more slowly on the other hand, browning and caramelization don’t go as fast on the bottom. That will give the heat time to travel through the cookie and cook the top as well! So we want only a moderate heat of your barbecue. Since we don’t have any sort of a thermometer on our barbecue, that’s a little bit of a guess and gut feel.

baking a cookie on a barbecue, with lid
Baking a cookie on the barbecue, with the lid on top. No need to use the ‘official’ lid of your barbecue, any large lid will work.

Perfect for the end of a barbecue

Since we want a moderate heat for a slightly longer period of time to fully bake the cookie well, it’s best to do the cookie at the end of the barbecue, when you’ve got some remaining heat in those coals. At this point you won’t need the excessive heat anymore, and the barbecue can cool down slowly while the cookie is baking.

The higher heat at the start will give the skillet enough opportunity to heat up and the lower heat over time will give the top to cook slowly, without the bottom being so hot anymore and burning!

Covering up the cookie

It is possible to bake a cookie on the barbecue without a lid. However, since all the heat will literally have to travel all the way through the skillet and cookie it will take a long time to bake. Better is to somewhat cover up the cookie. The preferred method is to place a lid on top. That way evaporating moisture (read here what happens when baking cookies) has a chance to escape while the heat around the cookie is well kept within. If you don’t have a lid aluminium foil is another option, try to let moisture escape through the sides in that case. Using aluminium foil will give a slightly more dense and moist cookie.

Structure of a barbecookie

The main characteristic of this barbecookie is its structure: it’s super crispy and nice and brown at the bottom whereas the top tends to be soft still and more on the chewy side. In other words, everyone will like the cookie (or at least part of it) no matter what type of cookie person you are.

Want a softer cookie still? Cover the cookie with aluminium foil to keep in the moisture.

Want a crispier cookie? Best is to reduce the amount of dough you put in the pan. A thin cookie will crisp up far more easily (and bake faster)!

Of course, you can also make the cookie soft or more crispy by adjusting the recipe a little, as we discussed when talking about the role of flour, butter and sugar or leavening agent in cookies,

barbecookie with fresh fruits

Barbecue skillet chocolate cookie recipe

You don’t need a special cookie for a barbecue skillet cookie. A conventional cookie recipe will work just fine. I used a recipe from Sally’s baking addiction as a start and modified it. Feel free to simplify the recipe (you can leave out the extracts for instance).

barbecue skillet chocolate cookie

Barbecue skillet cookie

Yield: 8 - 12 portions
Prep Time: 15 minutes
Cook Time: 45 minutes
Total Time: 1 hour

Makes enough for a 1-1,5cm thick cookie on a 20-22cm diameter skillet.

Ingredients

  • 115g butter
  • 150g sugar (see below for suggestions)
  • pinch of salt
  • 1 egg
  • 250g flour
  • 1,5 tsp baking powder
  • 30 ml of milk (or other liquid, see below)

Sugar choice

  • You can split the sugars in various ways: for instance 110g granulated sugar with 40g brown sugar
  • Or all granulated sugar (150g)
  • Or take 75g granulated sugar, 40g brown sugar and 35g coarse sugar (this will make a very crumbly sugar since the coarse sugar will break it apart)

Liquid choice

  • Try using some orange juice, or most other watery liquids.

Flavourings

  • Vanilla, orange or lemon zest extracts for that extra punch of flavour.
  • 40g chocolate chips (or as many as you like)
  • Some coarse sugar for an extra crunch

Instructions

  1. Ensure the barbecue has been lighted
  2. Mix the butter and sugars. Add the egg and optional extracts.
  3. Fold in the flour, baking soda and salt.
  4. Add the liquid of your choice, if the dough is already very wet, you don't have to add all. It shouldn't become too soft.
  5. Add the optional flavourings such as chocolate chips or zest.
  6. Take a barbecue proof skillet (approx. 20cm diameter), e.g. a skillet from Lodge. If the barbecue isn't that warm anymore, quickly pre-heat the skillet on your stove. A skillet may take a while to heat up and that way the cookie baking goes a lot faster.
  7. Since the cookie contains plenty butter you generally don't have to add any butter or fat on forehand.
  8. Fill the skillet with the mixture, press it down evenly.
  9. Place the skillet on top of the barbecue. The barbecue shouldn't be super hot anymore, it should be cooling down slowly. Best to place a lid on top.
  10. The cookie should release from the bottom pretty easily. It's tricky to see when it's ready, as soon as the top is cooked you know the center isn't raw anymore. Keep on smelling so you don't burn the cookie! If you can, gently lift the cookie at regular intervals to inspect the bottom, however, this may be tricky. 45-60 min is a regular cooking period, if you're using a smaller portion or a larger pan it will be quicker.

Want something else? Have a go at a chocolate cookie or red velvet and be sure to buy a cocoa powder you like.

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