For as long as I can remember, I've coveted those heavy cast iron deep dish skillets.  It seems crazy since 1. we could go out and buy one at any time and 2. I never told anyone I wanted one so no one ever purchased it for me.  But then, I was in Marshall's with my mom and wouldn't you know it, they had a Lodge Cast Iron deep dish 9-inch skillet.  Just like I'd always wanted.

Let's backtrack for a minute though - am I the only woman that goes into Marshall's and heads straight for the back where the housewares section is?  Please tell me I'm not.  Who cares about clothes?  Pots and pans fit anytime!  Anyway, back to my beloved skillet.  Mom encouraged me to buy it even though it weighed 100 pounds and I had to carry it on the train and then all the way home.  But since she encouraged me, of course I did it.

I knew I wanted to make something special with my skillet.  Something exciting; something John would take notice of and say "WOW".  And so, I made a skookie.  A cookie in my skillet.  I didn't want to make a regular chocolate chip cookie though.  It was my coveted cast iron pan, the one I had dreamt about for years.  I needed to go big.  And the milk chocolate caramel version of the skookie was born!

Milk Chocolate & Caramel Skookie (adapted from here)
Serves:  8 (1 9-inch cookie)
6 ounces butter, softened
1/2 cup sugar
3/4 cup brown sugar
1 egg
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
2 cups flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 1/2 cups milk chocolate chips
1 1/2 cups caramel chips

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.  Cream together butter, sugar, and brown sugar in a large bowl until fluffy.  Add the egg and vanilla extract and beat well.  Add the flour and baking soda and beat on low until just combined.  Stir in the milk chocolate chips and caramel chips.  Pour the mixture into the cast-iron skillet (mine didn't need to be greased beforehand) and spread it out evenly.

Bake for 20-30 minutes until the edges are a dark golden and the top is a light golden brown.  The skookie will continue to cook in the pan even after it is out of the oven so it is better to undercook it than overcook it.  Slice and serve warm or at room temperature.  And, if you're anything like me, you're going to need some ice cream on top!