Skillet Chocolate Chip Cookie

This skillet chocolate chip cookie recipe yields crispy edges and a gooey center. Add scoops of melting ice cream, and you have perfection.

Ingredients

To make a skillet chocolate chip cookie, you'll need the following ingredients. Refer to the recipe card for the full list of ingredients and measurements.

Unsalted butter: Rich flavor and tenderness are why butter is essential. I recommend using unsalted butter for precision and repeatability. You control how much salt goes into the skillet cookie.

Sugar: This recipe calls for light brown sugar and cane sugar. A mixture of the two balances the flavor, texture, and spread. Light brown sugar has molasses, which adds more moisture to your skillet cookie. Cane sugar adds a clean sweetness and helps with browning. You can substitute cane sugar with granulated sugar at a 1:1 ratio.

Eggs: Eggs give the skillet cookie structure. I recommend bringing your eggs to room temperature. This will allow them to mix better into the creamed butter.

Vanilla extract: Use pure vanilla extract, not flavoring. The extract comes from real vanilla beans, giving the cookie a complex, deep, and warm flavor. It accentuates the chocolate and is essential for a good skillet cookie.

All-purpose flour: It's my go-to flour for the right balance of chewiness and crispiness in cookies. It won't be too cakey or dense.

Baking soda: It helps your cookie rise and fill the skillet. Baking soda helps you achieve that crisp edge and chewy center. Measure it carefully because too much will cause a soapy taste or become too crumbly.

Salt: A little salt does the cookie good. It enhances the flavors and balances the ingredients. You'll use kosher salt for the dough, and flaky salt for the topping.

Semi-sweet chocolate chips: These have the perfect balance of cocoa flavor and sweetness. Semi-sweet gives your cookie a nice chocolate flavor. You can also substitute it with chocolate chunks, dark chocolate, or milk chocolate.

How to Make a Chocolate Chip Skillet Cookie

The following are the steps and process images to make a skillet chocolate chip cookie. Refer to the recipe card for the complete set of instructions.

1. Mix flour, baking soda, and salt. In a medium bowl, mix the dry ingredients. During this step, be sure to measure the flour correctly. Use a kitchen scale for precision, or spoon the flour into a measuring cup for dry ingredients and level it with a knife. Mix the baking soda and salt into the flour until they’re evenly combined.

2. Cream butter and sugars. I use a stand mixer with a paddle attachment to cream the butter, light brown sugar, and cane sugar. I use a medium to high speed to beat the butter and sugars for about 2 minutes to get a smooth texture.

3. Add eggs and vanilla extract. Once the butter and sugar mixture is well-beaten, I add the egg, egg yolk, and vanilla extract. I use a medium speed to combine these ingredients. I also give the mixer a few quick breaks as I scrape down the sides of the bowl.

4. Add dry ingredient mixture. Take the dry ingredient mixture and add it slowly to the bowl. Now, you'll mix until just combined.

5. Fold in chocolate chips. This is one of the best parts, after eating it, of course. Fold in the chocolate chips. I like to use 1 cup of semi-sweet chocolate chips, but feel free to adjust the amount. After adding them, mix until they're evenly distributed throughout the cookie dough. It'll become thick and soft.

6. Spread batter onto the skillet. On a prepared skillet, spread the batter evenly. Be sure to press it evenly to the edges. I use a 10-inch enameled cast-iron skillet. You can use a traditional cast-iron or any oven-safe skillet.

7. Bake for 22-25 minutes. This is the most challenging step, waiting for it to bake. It'll take between 22 and 25 minutes for your skillet cookie to bake at 350℉. It took my oven 24 minutes.

Once the edges are golden brown and a toothpick comes out clean from the center, it's ready. When you take it out of the oven, top it with flaky salt. Then, let it cool for at least 10 minutes before adding vanilla ice cream and serving.

Variations and Substitutions

An oversized cookie baked in a skillet is the foundation. While this recipe calls for chocolate chips and vanilla ice cream, the possibilities are endless. The following are variations to try and ideas for substituting ingredients.

Use different add-ins. What you mix in will change the flavor profile. Are you feeling saltier or sweeter? Try mixing in butterscotch, peanut butter, chopped nuts, crushed pretzels, chips, candies, or mini marshmallows.

Add whipped cream. Lighten the topping with whipped cream. You can also make it richer and add texture by topping the ice cream with whipped cream.

Make it gluten-free. You can substitute all-purpose flour with gluten-free flour at a 1:1 ratio.

Top it off with fruit. For a warm, fruity topping, add fruit compote or fresh berries. You can also make a fruit pizza skillet cookie by using sweet cream cheese frosting. Then, top it off with strawberries, kiwi, blueberries, and any other fruit you prefer.

Make a s'mores skillet cookie. Sitting around a campfire, telling stories, and eating s'mores. There's nothing like it. Bring that feeling home by adding marshmallows once it's done baking. Then, bake the cookie for an extra 5 minutes. Remove it from the oven and place graham cracker pieces on top.

Drizzle caramel sauce or hot fudge. Both are excellent options to make the cookie more decadent.

Serving Suggestions

It's meant to be served family-style, right from the skillet. Once it's done baking, remove it from the oven, sprinkle flaky salt, and let it rest for 10 minutes. It's going to be hard to resist, but give it a bit of time for the center to set.

After 10 minutes, top it with several scoops of vanilla ice cream. Be generous with the ice cream. While vanilla is the classic flavor, you can also use chocolate, mint chocolate chip, or salted caramel.

If you don't plan to share the skillet with everyone, divide the cookie into slices or scoop it out after it rests. Then, top each piece with ice cream as you serve it.

I love baking skillet chocolate chip cookies because they're great for sharing. Your family and friends will be hooked at the first bite.

How to Store

How you store the leftovers depends on whether there's ice cream. Without ice cream, let the cookie cool completely. Then, wrap it in aluminum foil and store it in an airtight container at room temperature. It'll last up to 3 days.

If there's melted ice cream, store it in an airtight container and refrigerate it for up to 4 days.

To save the skillet cookie for up to 3 months, freezing is the best option. Once the cookie cools completely, slice it into wedges. Then, wrap each wedge in aluminum foil or plastic wrap and store it in a freezer-safe bag or container. Thaw it in the refrigerator and reheat it in the oven at 350°F for 3-5 minutes before serving.

You can also make the cookie dough ahead of time. I recommend spreading it in the skillet before refrigerating it. Otherwise, it'll be hard to spread. Cover the skillet with aluminum foil, and it'll last up to 2 days in the fridge.

Recipe Tips

Use a scale to measure flour. A kitchen scale is essential for consistent results. Too much flour leads to dry and dense cookies. If you don't have a scale, spoon the flour into your measuring cup. Then, level it off with a knife to prevent overpacking.

Mini skillet cookies. If you want a skillet cookie that serves 1 to 2, the mini version is perfect. Divide the ingredients in half to make a smaller one. For a 5-inch skillet or smaller, reduce the bake time to 15 minutes.

Avoid overbaking. The skillet chocolate chip cookie is ready when the edges are golden brown. While the center might not look quite done, a toothpick will come out clean. If you wait until the middle looks ready, the cookie will be overbaked, dry, and crumbly.

Butter the skillet well. A well-seasoned cast-iron skillet doesn't need much butter to prevent the dough from sticking. But the butter is key to getting rich, crispy, golden brown edges.

Don't skip the flaky salt. Sprinkle flaky salt once your skillet cookie comes out of the oven. While it's optional, the saltiness balances the sweetness very well. The larger crystals also offer a bit of crunch. It'll add to the flavor without being overpowering.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can you make a skillet chocolate chip cookie without a cast-iron skillet?

Cast iron is an excellent material. It creates crispy edges and a gooey texture due to its heat retention abilities. But you can bake a delicious skillet chocolate chip cookie without one. All you need is an oven-safe skillet, such as an enameled cast-iron or stainless steel one. If you use stainless steel, reduce the baking time by 5 minutes. Stainless steel heats up faster.

How do you know when a skillet cookie is done?

A perfectly baked skillet cookie has golden brown, crispy edges with a puffy center. You can lightly touch the center and feel that it's pretty firm. Another way to check is to insert a toothpick to see if it comes out clean. It'll feel a bit wobbly in the middle, but it's ready.

Is there another name for a skillet cookie?

There are several other names for a skillet cookie. The most common one is a pizookie, a pizza-sized cookie. Other names include cookie cake and cast-iron cookie.

More Cookie Recipes

• Raspberry Thumbprint Cookies: Soft, buttery, and irresistible.
• Breakfast Cookies: Hearty, healthy, and naturally sweet.
• Almond Flour Chocolate Chip Cookies: Crispy edges, soft centers, and made with almond flour.

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