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A pizookie recipe turns cookie dough into one giant, warm, gooey deep-dish cookie baked right in a pan, then topped with ice cream while it’s still hot. The name is a mashup of pizza and cookie, made famous by the BJ’s restaurant chain. Press the dough into an 8-inch pan and bake at 325F for 16 to 18 minutes, then load it up.
I’ll be real with you: the first time I made this at home, I could not believe I had been paying restaurant prices for something this easy. It’s a warm cookie the size of a small pizza, half-melted vanilla-ish ice cream sliding into every crack, and a couple of spoons fighting over the middle. That’s the whole experience.
It is also the ultimate low-effort crowd dessert. You aren’t scooping individual cookies or babysitting a timer, you press dough into one pan, bake, and pile on toppings. Invite people over, because this thing is meant to be shared straight out of the pan.
For another pan dessert that feeds a crowd without much effort, these Gooey Brookies with Brownie Mix and Cookie Dough combine a fudge brownie layer and a chocolate chip cookie layer in one 9×9 pan.
What makes this pizookie so good
The whole point is the temperature contrast. The cookie comes out with crisp edges and a molten, underbaked center, and the second you drop cold ice cream on top you get that hot-and-cold, gooey-and-creamy thing that a plain cookie just can’t touch.
Because it bakes as one thick slab, the middle stays extra soft and spoonable instead of setting up like a normal cookie. Add chocolate and caramel syrup, a cloud of whipped cream, and a cherry, and it looks like a full sundae built on a cookie base.
Why is it called a pizookie?
A pizookie is called a pizookie because the name smashes together “pizza” and “cookie,” a nod to the fact that it’s a big round cookie baked and served in a pan like a personal pizza. The dessert was popularized by BJ’s Restaurant & Brewhouse, who trademarked the Pizookie name and built a cult following around it. You can see the lineup on BJ’s official Pizookie page. Making your own just means you get to pick the cookie dough and the toppings.
Is it cheaper to make a pizookie at home?
Yes, by a lot. A single pizookie at the restaurant runs around the price of a tub of cookie dough and a pint of ice cream, and at home that same money makes several. Using a lighter ice cream like Halo Top also trims the calories without killing the vibe. If you love a quick single-serve version of this kind of thing, my 2-ingredient Oreo mug cake covers the same warm-dessert mood in a couple minutes.
Tips for making this pizookie recipe
1. Match the dough to your pan
You want about a half inch of cookie dough across the bottom of the pan. For an 8-inch pan that is roughly half a standard tub of dough. Too thin and it bakes through into a normal cookie, too thick and the center stays raw batter.
2. Pull it early on purpose
Bake until the edges are set and lightly browned but the center still looks soft and slightly underdone, around 16 to 18 minutes. The carryover heat keeps cooking it, and that gooey middle is the entire reason to make a pizookie instead of cookies.
3. Top it hot, serve it fast
Add the ice cream the moment it comes out so it starts to melt into the cookie. This isn’t a make-ahead dessert, it’s a right-now dessert, so have your toppings ready before it leaves the oven.
4. Use a pan you can serve in
A cast iron skillet or a sturdy ceramic or metal baking pan works great, because you serve the pizookie right in it. No transferring, no cutting, just spoons.
5. Make it your own
Chocolate chip is the classic, but sugar cookie, brownie batter, or a swirl of two doughs all work. Swap in whatever ice cream you love, and go wild on the syrups.
Storage and leftovers
A pizookie is best the minute it is made, warm and gooey with melting ice cream, so it doesn’t really store the way a batch of cookies does. That is part of why this pizookie recipe is built for sharing.
If you do have leftovers (scrape off any melted ice cream first), cover the cooled cookie and keep it at room temperature for up to 2 days. Re-warm a portion in the microwave for 15 to 20 seconds to bring back the gooey center, then add fresh ice cream. For another shareable, pan-baked sweet, try my Dubai chocolate brownies.
Equipment
Ingredients
- cookie dough (enough to cover the bottom of your pan about 1/2 inch deep)
- 3 scoops Halo Top Chocolate ice cream
- chocolate syrup, to taste
- caramel syrup, to taste
- whipped cream, to taste
- 1 maraschino cherry
Ingredient notes: store-bought cookie dough keeps this a truly 5-minute-prep dessert, but any homemade dough works too. Any ice cream flavor is fair game, I like chocolate Halo Top for a lighter scoop that still melts nicely. And for the ice cream on top, my vanilla ice cream with olive oil and salt is a fun grown-up upgrade.
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 325F.
- Press the cookie dough into an 8-inch pan, covering the bottom in an even layer about 1/2 inch thick.
- Bake for 16 to 18 minutes, until the edges are set and lightly browned but the center still looks soft.
- Remove from the oven and immediately top with scoops of Halo Top chocolate ice cream.
- Drizzle with chocolate syrup and caramel syrup, add whipped cream, and finish with the maraschino cherry.
- Serve right in the pan with a couple of spoons and dig in while it is warm.
If you make this pizookie recipe, I would love for you to leave a star rating on the recipe card below and drop a comment telling me which cookie dough and toppings you went with. It really helps other readers (and makes my day).
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Pizookie
- Total Time: 23
- Yield: 1 large pizookie (serves 4) 1x
Description
An easy pizookie recipe: one giant, warm, gooey deep-dish chocolate chip cookie baked in a pan and topped with ice cream, chocolate and caramel syrup, whipped cream, and a cherry. A shareable BJ’s-style dessert you can make at home.
Ingredients
- cookie dough (enough to cover the bottom of your pan about 1/2 inch deep)
- 3 scoops Halo Top Chocolate ice cream
- chocolate syrup, to taste
- caramel syrup, to taste
- whipped cream, to taste
- 1 maraschino cherry
Equipment
Get Recipe Ingredients
Instructions
- Preheat. Preheat the oven to 325F.
- Press the dough. Press the cookie dough into an 8-inch pan in an even layer about 1/2 inch thick.
- Bake. Bake for 16 to 18 minutes, until the edges are set and lightly browned but the center still looks soft.
- Top it hot. Remove from the oven and immediately add scoops of Halo Top chocolate ice cream.
- Finish. Drizzle with chocolate and caramel syrup, add whipped cream, and top with the cherry.
- Serve. Serve right in the pan with spoons while warm.
Notes
- Aim for about 1/2 inch of dough so the center stays gooey, roughly half a standard tub for an 8-inch pan.
- Pull it while the middle still looks slightly underbaked, it sets as it cools.
- Top it the second it leaves the oven so the ice cream melts into the cookie.
- Use an oven-safe pan you can serve straight from, like cast iron or ceramic.
- Swap in any cookie dough or ice cream flavor you like.
- Best eaten fresh, but leftovers re-warm well for 15 to 20 seconds in the microwave.
- Prep Time: 5
- Cook Time: 18
- Category: Dessert
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: American
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1/4 pizookie
- Calories: 450 kcal
- Sugar: 38g
- Sodium: 260mg
- Fat: 22g
- Saturated Fat: 11g
- Unsaturated Fat: 9g
- Trans Fat: 0g
- Carbohydrates: 60g
- Fiber: 2g
- Protein: 5g
- Cholesterol: 30mg