MENU DESCRIPTION: “We start with a worm, chewy bar layered with chocolate chips, walnuts and coconut. Topped with vanilla ice cream and drizzled with hot fudge and caramel.” One thing that makes this dessert special is the way it comes to your table sizzling in a cast-iron skillet just like fajitas. The chocolate chip cookie and graham cracker crust “pie” sits in a hot skillet on top of bubbling cinnamon butter. It’s topped with a scoop of vanilla ice cream, and then finished with walnuts, chocolate and caramel syrup. If you’re a cloning perfectionist and want to present this dessert exactly like they do at the restaurant, you’ll need a small skillet for each serving. Small cast-iron skillets are the best, but any 6 or 8-inch frying pan will do fine. You just have to be sure your pan is good and hot to get that authentic Chili’s “sizzle” when you lay in the goodies. If you’ve got a big crew to feed and don’t have enough
skillets for each serving, you can add the cinnamon butter to individual serving plates, microwave the plates until the
butter melts, then build each serving on the warm plates. It may not have the sizzle of the real thing, but it’ll still taste like paradise.

MAKES 9 DESSERTS.

INGREDIENTS

COOKIE LAYER:

• 1 cup all-purpose flour
• ½ teaspoon baking soda
• ¼ teaspoon baking powder
• ½ cup butter, softened (1 stick)
• ⅓ cup granulated sugar
• 1 egg
• 1 tablespoon milk
• ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
• ½ cup shredded coconut

CRUST LAYER:

• 6 tablespoons butter (¾ stick)
• ¼ cup sugar
• 1 ½ cups graham cracker crumbs
• 1 ¼ cups semi-sweet chocolate chips
• ½ cup chopped walnuts

CINNAMON BUTTER:

• ½ cup butter, softened (1 stick)
• 3 tablespoons granulated sugar
• 1 ½ teaspoons ground cinnamon

TOPPING:

• 9 scoops vanilla ice cream
• chocolate syrup
• caramel syrup
• 6 tablespoons chopped walnuts

INSTRUCTIONS

1. Preheat the oven to 325 degrees.
2. Combine the flour, baking soda and baking powder in a medium bowl.
3. In a separate large bowl, beat together the butter and sugar with an electric mixer. Continue beating for about 30 seconds or until mixture turns lighter in color. Add the egg, milk, and vanilla and beat until smooth.
4. Slowly mix the dry mixture into the wet mixture. Beat until combined and then mix in the coconut flakes. Set this cookie dough aside for now.
5. Melt 6 tablespoons of butter in a medium bowl in the microwave on high for about 30 seconds. Add the sugar and stir well for 30 seconds. Add the graham cracker crumbs and stir. Press this mixture into the bottom of a 9×9-inch baking dish or pan.
6. Sprinkle the cup of chocolate chips evenly over the graham cracker crust.
7. Press the cookie dough into the dish, covering the chocolate chips. Use flour on your fingers to keep the soft dough from sticking.
8. Sprinkle the chopped walnuts over the dough. Use your fingers to press the nuts into the dough.
9. Bake for 40 to 45 minutes or until the edges of the “pie” become light brown.
10. Prepare the cinnamon butter by creaming together the butter, sugar and cinnamon in a small bowl with an electric mixer on high speed.
11. When you are ready to make your dessert, heat up a small skillet over medium heat. When the skillet is hot, remove it from the heat then add about 1 tablespoon of the cinnamon butter to the pan. It should quickly melt and sizzle. Slice the “pie” into 9 pieces and place one into the hot skillet. If the “pie” has cooled, you can reheat each slice by zapping it in the microwave for 30 to 40 seconds.
12. Place a scoop of ice cream on top of the “pie.” Drizzle chocolate and caramel syrup over the dessert and then sprinkle about 2 teaspoons of chopped walnuts over the top. Repeat for the remaining ingredients and serve sizzling in the skillet.