Hi AnnaMarie, I’m so sorry this happened! It sounds like the dough might have over spread or the fat separated, which can happen for a few tricky reasons even for experienced bakers. Here are a few things that might have gone wrong. If the butter was too soft (almost melted) rather than just softened to room temperature, the dough loses its structure immediately in the heat. This often causes that dropped look where the cookie goes flat and oily instead of holding its deep dish shape.
Over working the dough can develop the gluten too much or aerate the butter, leading to a strange, non cookie texture that can sink or burn more easily. To Prevent this, once you add the flour, make sure to mix just until the streaks disappear. If you used a skillet larger than 9 inches, the dough would be too thin. This would cause it to bake much faster than the 25–30 minutes recommended, leading to the burnt appearance. It’s super important to leave that 1 inch border when spreading the Nutella. If the Nutella reaches the edges of the pan, it creates a boiling effect that prevents the dough from sealing, often causing the middle to drop and the sugar in the Nutella to burn against the hot skillet. If the dough feels very soft after you’ve assembled it in the skillet, try popping the whole pan in the fridge for 15–20 minutes before it goes into the oven. This chills the fats and helps the cookie hold its deep dish height while it bakes, Hope all this helps Xx

Ahahahaha Nina! I’m so thrilled to hear it was thoroughly enjoyed. That’s definitely one of the possible downsides, but honestly, how sweet is that?

Hi Valeria,

Yes, you can freeze the dough from your recipe and bake it later! Here’s how to do it:

Prepare the Dough: Follow your recipe up to the point of assembling the cookie layers (before baking).

Form the Dough: You can either freeze the entire assembled dough in the skillet or divide it into individual portions.

Wrap Properly: If freezing the whole skillet, wrap it tightly in plastic wrap and then in aluminum foil to prevent freezer burn. If portioning, scoop out dough balls, place them on a baking sheet, and freeze for a couple of hours before transferring them to an airtight container or freezer bag.

Label: Label the package with the date and the instructions for baking.

Baking Instructions: When you’re ready to bake, you can either thaw the dough in the fridge overnight or bake directly from frozen. If baking from frozen, you may need to add a couple of extra minutes to the baking time.

Following these steps will help maintain the quality of the cookie dough for future baking! Enjoy your cookies!