This right here is complete cookie heaven; a soft and chewy Chocolate Chip Skillet Cookie baked in a cast iron pan and served warm with ice cream on top. No rolling or chilling the dough makes this a quick and easy dessert and it's always a crowd pleaser.
I love taking a traditional dessert like chocolate chip cookies and adding a little twist that makes it even easier to bake (like cooking it in a skillet). I did something similar when I took this chocolate cake recipe and turned it into a mug cake, and turned my favorite sugar cookies into bars.
On nights when my sweet tooth kicks in (ok, who am I kidding, that happens every night) one of my FAVORITE easy dessert recipes is this skillet cookie.
What I LOVE about this recipe:
- Bake it in any oven-safe pan. If you don't have a cast iron skillet, no problem. The cookie dough can be baked in a regular oven-safe skillet (they just wont have the same crisp exterior that the cast iron pan bakes).
- EASY! No scooping, no rolling out 2 dozen cookies, and no waiting to bake multiple batches. Just one giant cookie, that you can dig right into or cut into wedges and serve. How easy is that?
- Crispy and chewy. The heavy cast iron skillet bakes the cookies into total “crispy on the outside, soft on the inside” perfection.
How to Make a Skillet Cookie:
1. Make the cookie dough.
2. Press dough into a cast iron skillet. You could also use a regular, oven-safe skillet if you don't own a cast iron.
3. Bake at 325 degrees F.
4. Serve. If you ordered a skillet cookie from a restaurant they would bring it out in the skillet, with ice cream scoops on top, and spoons for everyone to dig in! If you're not comfortable all digging into the same pan, you can cut the cookie and serve individual portions with ice cream on top (and a swirl of chocolate or caramel sauce, if you're feeling really fancy). You may never go back to plain chocolate chip cookies ever again!
Adaptations:
Mini skillet cookie: Use a smaller, oven-safe pan or ramekins to make mini skillet cookies. Reduce the bake time.
Vary the chips: Substitute white chocolate or butterscotch chocolate chips. I like to add a little milk chocolate AND semi-sweet chocolate chips to my cookie dough. Sometimes I'll add them in different sizes too, like mini chocolate chips or chocolate chunks.
Add nuts. Add chopped walnuts or pecans.
Blondie skillet cookies: Use my triple chip blondie cookie dough.
Peanut butter skillet cookies Add a big spoonful of peanut butter into your cookie dough or make peanut butter cooke dough.
Chocolate skillet cookies. Use my chocolate cookie dough.
MAKE AHEAD AND FREEZING INSTRUCTIONS:
To make ahead: The cookie dough can be made ahead and stored in the refrigerator for 1-2 days or frozen for 2-3 months.
To freeze: Allow the skillet cookie to cool completely and slice into wedges. Store wedges in air-tight freezer container for 2-3 months.
Consider trying these popular desserts:
- German Chocolate Cake
- Snickerdoodles Bars
- Mississippi Mud Brownies
- Chocolate Mousse Cheesecake
- Mrs. Fields Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies
- Apple Crisp
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Recipe
Chocolate Chip Skillet Cookie
Ingredients
- 12 Tablespoons butter 1 ½ sticks melted and cooled until warm (170 g)
- 1 cup light brown sugar (200 g)
- 1/2 cup granulated sugar (100 g)
- 1 large egg
- 1 egg yolk
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract (10 ml)
- 2 cups + 2 Tablespoons all-purpose flour (255 g)
- 1/2 teaspoon baking soda (2.5 g)
- 1/2 teaspoon salt (3 g)
- 1 1/2 cups semi-sweet chocolate chips (I use half semi-sweet and milk chocolate (255 g)
Instructions
- Heat oven to 325 degrees F.
- Add butter to a microwave safe bowl and microwave for about 45 seconds, or until most of it has melted. Allow it to cool for a few minutes.
- Add melted butter, granulated sugar and brown sugar to a medium bowl and beat with an electric mixer until well blended.
- Add the egg, egg yolk, and vanilla and mix until combined.
- Stir in the flour, baking soda, and salt, just until combined. Gently stir in the chocolate chips.
- Press the cookie dough into a 10’’ or 12’’ cast iron skillet (or a regular, oven-safe skillet would work).
- Bake for 28-35 minutes or until it looks just barely golden. Don’t over-bake it, especially since it will continue to cook in the hot skillet when you take it out of the oven.
- Allow to cool in the skillet for at least 20-30 minutes before cutting.
- Slice cookie into pieces and serve warm with a scoop of vanilla ice cream, if desired.
Notes
- Mini skillet cookie: Use a smaller, oven-safe pan or ramekins to make mini skillet cookies. Reduce the bake time.
- Vary the chips: Substitute white chocolate or butterscotch chocolate chips. I like to add a little milk chocolate AND semi-sweet chocolate chips to my cookie dough. Sometimes I'll add them in different sizes too, like mini chocolate chips or chocolate chunks.
- Add nuts. Add chopped walnuts or pecans.
- Blondie skillet cookies: Use my triple chip blondie cookie dough.
- Peanut butter skillet cookies Add a big spoonful of peanut butter into your cookie dough or make peanut butter cooke dough.
- Chocolate skillet cookies. Use my chocolate cookie dough.
Nutrition
*I originally shared this recipe August 2017. Updated February 2020 with process photos and adaptation ideas.
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Have you tried this recipe?!
RATE and COMMENT below! I would love to hear your experience.
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Used Swerve for the sugars, King Arthur measure for measure gluten-free flour, Lily’s sugar free chocolate chips, and two whole eggs. Cooked for 28 minutes. Good taste but a little difficult to get out of the skillet even when cool.
The best skillet cookies and so easy to make! I have made it many times and it’s always perfect! Thanks 😊
Well, this was a lovely surprise! My oldest of 4 was talking about a big cookie his friend had in his lunch today and I just knew I had to make one for him and all his little friends. The life of a mother! LOL. But really, this cookie is simply perfection! I didn’t think it was going to turn out this well. I thank God for sending me in the right direction and having Him show me this recipe because I just know no one other than Him could have shown me such a heavenly dessert. Lauren, I truly believe you are an angel. LOL. Even little Jocelyn, my three-year-old, ate it right up! And I truly can’t get her to eat anything. #momlife I truly recommend this recipe. It is a godsend (really!). And Arthur, my husband, told me my job was no longer to be a wife to him but instead to make this cookie all day long. LOL.
#momof4 #momlife #god #christian #jesuslovesyou #livelovelaugh
Have a good day folks! I wish I could give this 20 stars! LOL
Absolutely perfect as written?!
Easy and delicious!
Easy and delicious- thanks for the recipe!
This is such a great dessert!
This my second time making this recipe I tweaked it by using browned butter and coffee to enhance the flavor. We love this recipe my husband declared the world’s best cookie recipe it’s so good it can bring about world peace
Hi! I’ve never baked in a cast iron. Do I have to worry about the dough sticking to the pan at all? How should I “season” the pan if I am worried about sticking?
You definitely want to season your cast iron pan before cooking in it. There’s a pretty good tutorial here https://www.seriouseats.com/how-to-season-cast-iron-pans-skillets-cookware
We loved the flavor and texture of this recipe, but it stuck to the skillet really badly. We made it twice; the second time I even oiled the skillet first and it still stuck. I’m using enameled cast iron. Do you have any recommendations?
You shouldn’t need to oil the pan but you can try next time to see if it helps!