One Skillet "Cowboy" Cookie

I think it's probably a fair call to say this recipe was a FAIL for me.  But then again, can you really say that something that at least resembles and tastes like a chocolate chip cookie is a failure?  Exactly.

I saw a recipe for a one-skillet chocolate chip cookie.  The seeming ease of it all was too much to resist.  I call mine a "Cowboy" Cookie, because preparing it in a cast-iron skillet reminds me of the cowboy biscuits you encounter on trail rides, roundup breakfasts, etc.  If you have no idea what I'm referring to, well, you're not from Texas, and just disregard. :)

 One-Skillet "Cowboy" Cookie
recipe adapted from here

 Ingredients

• 1 stick (8 tablespoons) unsalted butter
• 1/2 cup granulated sugar
• 1/2 cup light brown sugar
• 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
• 1 egg
• 1 1/2 cups unbleached all-purpose flour *I substituted whole wheat
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Melt butter in a cast iron skillet set over medium-low heat. Stir in sugars and vanilla and remove from heat. Let rest until pan is warm, but no longer very hot, about 5 minutes.

2. Crack an egg into the butter and sugar mixture*, and whisk it well into the mixture. Place flour, baking soda, and salt on top, and very carefully stir into the mixture until smooth and well-mixed. Stir in chocolate chips. Place in the oven for 15 minutes, or until starting to turn golden on the top and around the edges, but soft in the center.

Easy enough, right? 

Here's why I say mine was a bit of a fail:  mine was very dry and crumbly. 
Can you tell?

 I think I can attribute this to two possible things:

1)  The butter here in Brazil is sold in a 500 g block, roughly two of our sticks.  However, instead of converting the stick-to-gram ratio exactly, I "guesstimated" on a stick of butter, and it may have been a little short.

2)  I used whole wheat flour.  I know, I know...it's a chocolate chip cookie for Lawd's sake, but I just sort of go on autopilot about substituting whole wheat for processed white - to increase the fiber in a baked good.  You know, for my kids... ;)  Anyway, it certainly made the cookie "grittier," and possibly drier to boot.

*Another Tip*

Although the recipe tells you to let the skillet cool a bit before adding the egg, I suggest tempering the egg by letting it sit atop your warm stove before putting it in the batter.  I had bits of cooked egg floating in my batter because the skillet/batter were still too warm for the egg.  Boo.

Next time, I'll stick to the original recipe, and see what happens.  Really, though, with a big glass of milk, does this look so bad?