Skillet Chocolate Chip Cookie Recipe

What’s better than chocolate chip cookies? A GIANT brown butter chocolate chip cookie, baked to gooey perfection in a cast iron skillet. Then all you need are scoops of vanilla right on top to take it to a new level of decadence. Did I mention the dough comes together in one bowl?

The Secret To Chewy Cookies

If you love chewy cookies like me, this is the recipe for you. To get that chewy texture, I add two egg yolks, in addition to a whole egg, to the dough. The extra fat and lecithin in yolks improve both the flavor and texture of the cookie. For even chewier cookies, you could chill the dough in the fridge before baking for up to 24 hours.

Browned Butter Makes Everything Better 

If you’ve never tried browning your butter, you’re in for a treat! You're essentially toasting the milk solids until they are golden brown, nutty, and so delicious, and evaporating some of the water content in the butter, which also helps yield an irresistibly chewy cookie. I guarantee it is worth the extra step!

For this recipe, I brown the butter in the cast iron skillet I use to bake the cookie. It saves me having to wash one more thing. The skillet is dark, so it's hard to tell just how brown the butter turns. If you're concerned about burning the butter, feel free to use a small light-colored skillet instead to brown the butter.

Chopped Chocolate vs. Chocolate Chips

I love using chopped chocolate in cookies—though it's totally okay to use chocolate chips. Unlike chips, chunks melt while baking, creating pools of chocolatey goodness. Chocolate chips are meant to hold their shape, whereas chocolate chunks are made to melt and mold into the cookie dough. It's such a delight to bite into a large chunk of melted chocolate.

Bake It In a Cast Iron Skillet

A cast iron skillet is not only perfect for baking the cookie in, it's also a stunning way to serve the cookie. It goes from stove, to oven, to table, without a fuss! This recipe can be made in a cake pan, but I recommend trying any of these cast iron skillets! They retain and distribute heat evenly and will keep your cookie warm for longer. Never say no to a warm cookie!

Make It Your Own

This is a classic chocolate chip cookie, but feel free to get creative! Add 1 cup of chopped nuts, like walnuts or pecans, use a different chocolate, like mini peanut butter cups, caramel chips, or white chocolate, or serve it with whatever flavor of ice cream you prefer.

Recipes For Your Leftover Chocolate Chunks

• Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Muffins
• Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies
• Chocolate Chip Pumpkin Bread
• Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Pancakes
• Chocolate Chip Cookie Bars

Preheat the oven to 350°F.

Set an oven rack in the center of the oven.

Brown the butter:

Add the butter to a 10-inch cast iron skillet set over medium-high heat. Cook for about 4 minutes, stirring continuously with a whisk. The butter will bubble up and then you will smell a nutty aroma and see small bits of browned butter. If you skillet is dark, it will be hard to tell how brown the bits are—pull the skillet off the heat as soon as you see the bits in the butter.

Immediately transfer the brown butter into a large heatproof bowl, scraping the brown bits with a rubber spatula. Set the bowl aside to cool to room temperature.

Do not wash the skillet. You’ll bake the cookie in it!

Make the cookie dough:

Use a rubber spatula to stir in the brown sugar and granulated sugar. Then, stir in the egg, egg yolks, and vanilla until smooth. 

Add the flour, baking soda, and salt, and stir until just combined. Fold in the chopped chocolate. If the brown butter was still warm, some chocolate may melt into the dough and turn it brown. That's okay!

At this point you can chill the dough in the fridge for up to 24 hours.

Transfer dough into the skillet:

Evenly spread the cookie dough into the cast iron skillet. Sprinkle the top with flaky salt, if you’d like.

Bake the skillet cookie:

Bake for about 18 minutes, until golden brown all around. Transfer the skillet onto a wire rack or the stove top to cool for about 10 minutes. Serve warm with vanilla ice cream. Dig in!

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