Ingredient: dark chocolate chips

It’s pizookie time!

For this recipe, I wanted to merge one of my favorite ice cream flavors from my childhood— the glorious combination of dark chocolate, chopped nuts, and marshmallows—a.k.a. rocky road, infuse it with all-natural ingredients, and transform all that deliciousness into one giant protein-powered pizookie!

You can call it a cookie skillet, a skillet cookie, a cookie pizza, a pizookie, call it whatever you want—just know that after you bask in all of its ooey gooey magnificence, and devour it like the cookie monster, you’ll call it the best, damn Rocky Road dish you’ve ever had!

So without further adieu….

Enter….my Rocky Road Protein Pizookie!!

72% cacao dark chocolate, chopped hazelnuts, vegan marshmallows, cinnamon, amaretto, banana, almond butter—-a mesmerizing combination of flavors all rolled up into one humungous skillet cookie!!

YOW-ZA!!

This pizookie is not only ultra delicious, but it’s loaded with protein, antioxidants, and fiber!

I try to make it a point to NEVER use refined flours, granulated/cane sugar, or butter in my recipe batters, and instead use “healthier,” more natural substitutes.

So here’s how this protein pizookie differs from a regular pizookie….

1)Almond flour replaces all-purpose flour.  Almond flour is loaded with fiber, nutrients, protein—-something all purpose flour does NOT provide.  Almond flour is also WAAAY lower in carbs— 1/4 cup of your average almond flour contains 5gcarbs, 3g fiber, while 1/4 cup all purpose flour contains about 22g carbs, and less than 1g of fiber.  

2) Monk fruit sweetener replaces white sugar.  This sweetener is the juice collected from the monk fruit, and it is similar in appearance to regular table sugar.  The main difference—it’s about 200 times sweeter than sugar, but with zero calories, and zero carbs.  You can sub it in at a 1:1 ratio for regular sugar.

I personally love this stuff!  And I use it in most of my “sweet” recipes ever since I found out about it.  More detailed information about monk fruit can be found here.

3) NO butter used!  For decades, butter has been known to be detrimental to your overall health because of its high saturated fat and calorie content.  It seems to be making a comeback of late, as current research may suggest otherwise (Dr. Axe has a great article on the benefits of grass-fed butter, check it out here), but there’s no denying that its high fat content may not be that good for you.

So instead of butter, I added some tablespoons of almond butter into the batter.   The “healthy” fats and oils from the almond butter gives the pizookie added moisture and chewiness.  You don’t really taste the added almond butter, but it’s a fantastic substitution for butter, and you get some added nutrition to boot.

4) Boosted with whey protein powder.  Typical pizookies consist mostly of sugar, butter, flour, and no protein powder.  But this pizookie, believe it or not, contains more protein powder than actual flour, and what’s even more amazing—-it’s just as rich, just as moist, and just as, if not, more flavorful than a regular pizookie!

OK, here are the nutritional benefits of the main ingredients in this protein pizookie…

Dark chocolate has been shown to contain high amounts of antioxidants, polyphenols, and flavonoids—all of which are believed to help fight cancer, fight free radical damage, and fight disease.   Certain research has shown dark chocolate to maybe help improve brain function, boost memory, and enhance focus.  Studies have found flavonols in dark chocolate may help improve blood circulation to the heart and may help lower blood pressure.

Hazelnuts are fully-loaded with vitamins, minerals, antioxidants— and they are known to be one of the most nutritious out of all the nuts found in the world.  Studies have shown that regular consumption may help to fight off cancer, help preventheart disease, protect the brain from degeneration, and its high Vitamin E content helps keep the hair and skin healthy.

Bananas are packed with potassium, a very important nutrient which has been shown to help support the body’s circulatory system, help move oxygen throughout our cells, and helps to lower high blood pressure.  Bananas are high in fiber, which helps to keep our digestive system running smoothly and helps to remove toxins.  

Almonds, which are basically ground up to create almond flour, are a nutritional powerhouse that are good sources of protein, fiber, vitamin E, riboflavin, magnesium, manganese, calcium.  They contain a special kind of vitamin E called gamma-tocopherol—studies show this antioxidant to be a powerful cancer fighter.  Their high fiber content helps aid digestion, and studies have shown that certain components in almonds provide probiotic benefits within the digestive tract.

Here’s what you’ll need for this Rocky Road Protein Pizookie…

Some quick notes before you get started…

**Although this pizookie does contain a bunch of nutritious ingredients, the addition of the marshmallows increase the carb and sugar content pretty significantly.  Limit or subtract this to your liking.

-You can sub in applesauce in place of the large banana.

–Don’t overmix the batter!  This will give you a dry, tough pizookie!  Just mix the dry into the wet ingredients until everything becomes incorporated, then fold in the chopped hazelnuts and chocolate chips.

–Add or subtract as much hazelnuts, chocolate chips, or marshmallows you want in your pizookie—up to you!  I like to mix half into the batter, and the other half I’ll add on top before I put it in the oven.

-All ovens are different, but generally, check the pizookie at about the 17 minute mark.  Shake the skillet around and see if the batter jiggles.  If there is still a bit of a jiggle, and slightly wet in the center, give it just a bit more time—let it bake for about 1 more minute, and check it again.  You may need to do this multiple times.  The sweet spot is to remove it from the oven just before it is actually done, with a gooey center.   Use a toothpick down the center, if you’re still not sure.

-The toothpick test: Insert a toothpick down the center of the batter—For a gooey pizookie, the toothpick should come out with slightly to no wet batter, but some crumbs would be OK.  If the toothpick comes out very clean, you’ve overbaked the pizookie and it’ll be too dry!  After a couple of tries, you’ll get the feel for it, and you’ll know exactly when.

–Better to slightly under-bake, than to over-bake!  Remember, the pizookie will still continue to bake in that smoking hot skillet even when taken out of the oven.

-After taking them out of the oven, let the pizookie rest for about 5 minutes before digging in!  It’ll be very tempting to gobble them up at this point, but this time will let them bake a bit more—–aww, what the hell, just dig right in!  It’s best fresh out of the oven!

-If you need to save some for later, put the leftovers into an airtight container and store it in the fridge.  Best if eaten within 3 days.  Enjoy!

If you like this recipe, then you’ll wanna try my…

• Dark Chocolate Raspberry Apple Protein Pizookie
• Dark Chocolate Blackberry S’mores Protein Bars
• Peanut Butter S’mores Protein Waffles

Alright then, let’s get to it!!

Print Recipe

Rocky Road Protein Pizookie

A skillet cookie gushing with dark chocolate, hazelnuts, vegan marshmallows, cinnamon, almond butter...naturally sweetened with monk fruit and banana...a deliciously, decadent treat that’s high in protein and packed with nutrients!!

Prep Time

15 minutes

Cook Time

17-24 minutes

Servings

slices

Ingredients

Batter:

• 1/2 cup almond flour
• 2 scoops chocolate whey protein powder
• 2 1/3 tbsp cacao powder
• 2 tsp cinnamon
• 2 tbsp monk fruit sweetener
• 1 tsp baking powder
• pinch salt
• 2 whole eggs
• 1 large banana
• 2 tsp almond extract
• 2 tbsp almond butter (or peanut butter)
• 1/2 cup chopped hazelnuts
• 1/2 cup dark chocolate chips
• 1/2 cup vegan marshmallows

Garnish:

• chopped hazelnuts
• 3-4 dark chocolate squares (70% cacao or higher bar)
• almond butter drizzle

Prep Time 15 minutes Cook Time 17-24 minutes Servings slices Ingredients Batter: 1/2 cup almond flour 2 scoops chocolate whey protein powder 2 1/3 tbsp cacao powder 2 tsp cinnamon 2 tbsp monk fruit sweetener 1 tsp baking powder pinch salt 2 whole eggs 1 large banana 2 tsp almond extract 2 tbsp almond butter (or peanut butter) 1/2 cup chopped hazelnuts 1/2 cup dark chocolate chips 1/2 cup vegan marshmallows Garnish: chopped hazelnuts 3-4 dark chocolate squares (70% cacao or higher bar) almond butter drizzle

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 350.
2. Add dry ingredients (powders) to bowl. Mix well. Add wet ingredients to separate bowl. Mix well. Gradually add dry ingredients to wet ingredients bowl, mixing thoroughly. Fold in chopped hazelnuts, dark chocolate chips, and vegan marshmallows.
3. Grease an 8" cast iron skillet with olive oil. Pour batter onto skillet. Add more chocolate chips, marshmallows on top if desired.
4. Bake in oven for about 17-24 minutes, until toothpick inserted into the center comes out with slightly to no wet batter.
5. Remove from oven. Let cool for a few minutes. Meanwhile, melt dark chocolate squares in microwave, using 30 second intervals, stirring in between, until melted.
6. Add chopped hazelnuts on top. Drizzle melted dark chocolate, almond butter. Serve immediately right from the skillet!

Recipe Notes

You can sub in applesauce in place of the large banana.

–Don’t overmix the batter!

-Add or subtract as much hazelnuts, chocolate chips, or marshmallows you want in your pizookie---up to you!

-All ovens are different, but generally, check the pizookie at about the 17 minute mark.  Shake the skillet around and see if the batter jiggles.  If there is still a bit of a jiggle, and slightly wet in the center, give it just a bit more time—let it bake for about 1 more minute, and check it again.  You may need to do this multiple times.  The sweet spot is to remove it from the oven just before it is actually done, with a gooey center.   Use a toothpick down the center, if you’re still not sure.

-The toothpick test: Insert a toothpick down the center of the batter—For a gooey pizookie, the toothpick should come out with slightly to no wet batter, but some crumbs would be OK.  If the toothpick comes out very clean, you’ve overbaked the pizookie and it'll be too dry!  After a couple of tries, you’ll get the feel for it, and you’ll know exactly when.

–Better to slightly under-bake, than to over-bake!  Remember, the pizookie will still continue to bake in that smoking hot skillet even when taken out of the oven.

-If you need to save some for later, put the leftovers into an airtight container and store it in the fridge.  Best if eaten within 3 days.  Enjoy!

Did you try this recipe?  How did it work out for you?  Any questions about my method?  I would love to hear from you!  Sound off in the comments section below or use the social media links above or throughout the blog.  Thanks guys!!

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