The Best Skillet Chocolate Chip Cookie
This chocolate chip skillet cookie recipe is a crowd pleaser and will make your mouth water as it bakes in your oven! Who wouldn’t want a giant chocolate chip cookie for dessert that the whole family could share on any occasion?
My mom made the best homemade chocolate chip cookies when I was growing up, and baking yummy desserts for my family creates special memories for my husband and kids too!
Sometimes it’s easier and more time saving to bake one gooey chocolate chip cookie with the help of a cast iron skillet than baking individual cookies.
This big chocolate chip cookie is baked in a 12 inch skillet, and it’s best when served warm with scoops of vanilla ice cream on top; imagine the warm cookie goodness topped with melting ice cream! Delicious!
A chewy chocolate chip skillet cookie is the perfect dessert for Valentine’s Day, a birthday party, Father’s Day, or just for fun!
I also have my delicious chocolate chip cookie recipe if you would like to bake those, or try my yummy oatmeal cookie bars which are similar to a giant cookie!
What Is a Skillet Cookie?
This recipe is like a pizza, but it’s actually a huge chocolate chip cookie!
This skillet cookie is made in a large mixing bowl of a stand mixer or with an electric mixer, and baked in your cast iron pan or other oven-safe baking dish.
After you bake the chocolate chip cookie dough in the oven, a great way to serve it is with scoops of ice cream on top of the giant cookie.
The next time you want to bake chocolate chip cookies, consider trying this great recipe for a moist and chewy cookie.
Why You’ll Love This Recipe
- Skillet cookies are easier and less time consuming to make and bake than individual cookies because the cookie dough is spread into the oven-safe skillet and later cut into slices like a pizza after it’s cooled.
- This skillet cookie tastes like home, reminding you of your mom’s kitchen and its wonderful aromas!
- One bite of a skillet cookie will lead to more, because you can’t stop with just one bite! The whole cookie will most likely be consumed in one sitting!
- The chewy cookie dough can be made ahead of time and kept in the refrigerator in an airtight container for up to 72 hours.
- This is a great recipe you can eat straight from the pan with a fork or with your hands!
Tell Me About Skillet Cookies
- Taste– Each bite consists of sweet, chocolatey, and buttery goodness!
- Texture– Gooey, moist, and chewy would describe this delicious skillet cookie.
- Ease– This skillet chocolate chip cookie recipe is easier than making regular chocolate chip cookies because the cookie is baked in one skillet, rather than having to bake individual cookies on a baking sheet.
- Time– This recipe takes about 20 minutes to prepare and 30-40 minutes to bake.
Ingredients for Skillet Cookies
- Eggs– Eggs provide hydration to the dough, bind the ingredients together, and aide in rising the dough during cooking.
- All purpose flour– Flour helps to give baked goods shape, substance, and structure.
- Granulated white sugar– This is the ingredient that makes the cookie so deliciously sweet!
- Brown sugar– This sugar adds a mild sweetness to the recipe as well.
- Baking soda– Baking soda acts as a leavening agent in baked goods, helping the cookie to rise upon baking.
- Vanilla extract– This ingredient adds a wonderful sweet flavor to the cookie dough!
- Butter– Room temperature butter helps to hold all of the other ingredients together, also adding richness in flavor, and softening the dough.
- Salt– Salt adds flavor to the cookie but brings out all the flavors of the other ingredients.
- Semi-Sweet Chocolate Chips– Semi-sweet chocolate chips are more like dark chocolate due to a higher cocoa amount. They taste slightly more bitter than milk chocolate.
Make Skillet Cookies in 3 Easy Steps
- Preheat cast iron in oven– Add cast iron to oven at 325 degrees F.
- Add all ingredients to large bowl– Add eggs and beat until foamy. Then add dry ingredients. Next add butter and vanilla and beat until smooth. Stir in chocolate chips.
- Bake– Pour batter into 12 inch preheated skillet and press down to spread into pan with a measuring cup or glass. Bake for 30-40 minutes or until a knife inserted halfway through comes out clean. Cool for 30 minutes before slicing.
Variations/Substitutions for Skillet Cookies
- Melted Butter– If you would like, you can melt your butter before adding it to the batter. This will create a denser cookie.
- Milk Chocolate Chips– If you would prefer, or if it’s all you have on hand, you can use milk chocolate chips instead of semi-sweet chocolate chips. However, it will make the cookie even richer.
- Gluten Free Flour– You can always use gluten free flour for those with gluten allergies or sensitivities.
Tips for the Best Skillet Cookies
- Skillet cookies are an excellent dessert for non-cake lovers.
- If you have a 10″ skillet instead of a 12″ skillet, you will need to bake the cookie longer, and it will be a thicker skillet cookie.
- For a fun different idea, you can use mini cast iron skillets to make personal skillet cookies and personalize them the way each individual would like!
- If you prefer to cook the skillet cookie on the stove, be sure to check that it isn’t burning on the bottom or undercooking in the center of the skillet cookie.
Add-Ins for Skillet Cookies
- Nuts– Add any type of nut you prefer, whether it’s pecans, walnuts, or even cashews.
- White Chocolate Chips– This is sometimes a fun add-in to the skillet. You could use all white chocolate chips, or a combination of white chocolate and semi-chocolate or milk chocolate.
- M&M’s– Who doesn’t love these delightfully crunchy, colorful, and tasty candies?
- Butterscotch Chips– These chips have a different flavor altogether than the other chocolate chips.
- Sprinkles– Children love sprinkles on top of any dessert so this would be a special treat!
- Sea Salt– Flaky sea salt can be sprinkled over the top of the skillet cookie before baking.
- Hot Fudge and Caramel Sauce– These are tasty options to drizzle over the top of the skillet cookie!
- Whipped Cream– Light, fluffy, and airy whipped cream makes the best topping besides ice cream.
Can Skillet Cookies Be Cooked on the Stovetop?
Yes, skillet cookies can be cooked completely in the cast iron skillet on the stovetop, not the oven.
- First, the butter is melted in the pan and then removed from the burner.
- Next, you can beat the eggs and vanilla in a small bowl.
- Then you add the dry ingredients to the bowl and then add the egg and vanilla mixture to the pan. Stir. Add the chocolate chips.
- Finally, press and smooth the dough to the edges of the pan.
- Cook for 40-50 minutes in the skillet. Watch that the cookie doesn’t burn on the bottom or that it is undercooked in the center.
How to Store Leftover Skillet Cookies
You can store leftover skillet cookies in an airtight container on the counter for up to 5 days.
How to Reheat Leftover Skillet Cookies
Cover the pan with foil and bake for 5 minutes at 350 degrees F. You can also reheat it in the microwave.
Frequently Asked Questions
Yes, you can store them in freezer bags for up to 3 months. Just thaw them on your kitchen counter.
Yes, you can store it in an airtight container or freezer bag for up to 3 months in the freezer.
You don’t have to but you can lightly grease the pan with butter or cooking spray.
The Best Skillet Chocolate Chip Cookie Recipe
The Best Skillet Chocolate Chip Cookie
Equipment
- 1 12" cast iron skillet
- 1 large bowl
- 1 stand mixer (with whisk attachment)
- 1 spatula
Ingredients
- 2 eggs (large, room temperature)
- 1¼ cups all purpose flour
- ½ cup granulated, white sugar
- ½ cup brown sugar (packed)
- ½ tsp baking soda
- 1½ tsp vanilla
- ¾ cup butter (room temperature)
- ½ tsp salt
- 1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 325 degrees F. Add your 12 inch cast iron to preheat.
- In a large bowl of your stand mixer with the whisk attachment, beat the eggs on high speed until foamy.
- Beat in the flour, white sugar, brown sugar, baking soda, and salt.
- Next, add in the butter and vanilla. Beat until smooth.
- Stir in the chocolate chips.
- Pour the batter into a 12 inch preheated oven safe baking dish. Press down gently with the bottom of a measuring cup or glass.
- Bake for 30-40 minutes or until a knife inserted half way through comes out clean.
- Cool for 30 minutes before slicing.
Notes
- Skillet cookies are an excellent dessert for non-cake lovers.
- If you have a 10″ skillet instead of a 12″ skillet, you will need to bake the cookie longer, and it will be a thicker skillet cookie.
- For a fun different idea, you can use mini cast iron skillets to make personal skillet cookies and personalize them the way each individual would like!
- If you prefer to cook the skillet cookie on the stove, be sure to check that it isn’t burning on the bottom or undercooking in the center of the skillet cookie.