Giant Skillet Chocolate Chip Cookie

Gooey skillet chocolate chip cookie warm from the oven with cold vanilla ice cream is the ultimate treat! The cookie dough for my skillet Pizookie is so easy to make. Just mix it all and bake until golden!

A giant skillet chocolate chip cookie is the ultimate treat!

A warm chocolate chip cookie with a golden crust around the edge with a gooey, melty middle. No need to make cookie dough balls, pop the entire blob in a skillet, and bake. Plop a giant scoop of vanilla ice cream on top when the cookie is still slightly warm. Watch it melt as it hits the hot cookie and melty chocolate. The combination of a warms skillet cookie and a spoonful of cold vanilla ice cream is classic.

It’s a heart-warming, cozy dessert to make when there’s a slight chill in the air or when it’s drizzling outside and you need something snuggly and homey to warm you up.

My first skillet cookie experience was something called a ‘Pizookie’ from a very well-known pizza joint. It came in so many different flavors and had the perfect ice cream to cookie ratio. My favorite was always the original – studded with lots of chocolate chips. This is a homemade version of a Pizookie. A giant skillet chocolate chip cookie is the perfect dessert to make with friends, kids, or with a significant other when you feel like baking but want something easy – no mixer required here!

Skillet Chocolate Chip Cookie Ingredients

• Butter: We’ll start by melting the butter in the microwave. This makes for a chewy chocolate chip cookie. Once the butter melts we’ll combine it with the sugars.
• Brown sugar: the higher ratio of brown sugar to white sugar in this recipe produces a chewy, gooey, and moist cookie. Brown sugar will also give the skillet cookie that signature butterscotch flavor.
• Granulated sugar: white sugar gives the cookie a chance to spread a little when it hits the hot oven. It will add crispness to the outer rim of the cookie that touches the warm skillet.
• Ann egg + a yolk: eggs add structure to baked goods. We’ll use an extra egg yolk like I do in my chewy chocolate chip cookies, to make the pizookie dense and extra chewy!
• Vanilla extract: Vanilla adds more butterscotch flavor to the cookie pie. 
• Flour: The flour will absorb the melted butter. I use the scoop and level method when measuring flour. You use a smaller scoop to add flour to a larger one and when it’s heaping full, you gently run a knife across the top without any added pressure. This method works best for this recipe.
• Kosher salt: balances the sweetness from the sugar.
• Leavening agents: we’re using both baking soda and baking powder for this recipe. We want the cookie to rise quite a bit around the edges but remain gooey and soft in the middle. The leavening agents release carbon dioxide which helps leaven the dough.
• Chocolate chips:  you can use bittersweet chocolate chips, semi-sweet, or my new personal favorite, these Akoma chocolate chips which are a good balance between bittersweet and semi sweet. If you prefer desserts on the sweeter side, go with semi-sweet. I like my desserts to be a little less sweet so I usually prefer to use Akoma or bittersweet chips here.

How to Make the Best Skillet Chicolate Chip Cookie

1. Prep for success. Start by preheating your oven. I like to cut out a circle of parchment paper that fiits the bottom of my cast iron skillet. This is especially helpful if you use the skillet for both sweet and savory recipes. Place the parchment in the skillet then spray the entire skillet with cooking spray or simple rub with a knob of butter.
2. Make the cookie dough. Grab a large bowl. Add the melted butter and both of the sugar and and whisk vigorously for 1 minute. Then, add the egg, yolk, vanilla extract, and the kosher salt and continue to whisk for another 30 seconds or until the eggs are combined. Now, stop and let the mixture hang out for 2 minutes – untouched. This allows the natural water in the butter to help dissolve the sugar in the recipe and makes the cookie dough chewier. Then whisk again for a full minute. You can also do this with an electric mixer, but you want to follow the same directions, starting and stopping the mixer the same way. Then add the dry ingredients and fold the mixture until it’s half combined. Add most of the chocolate chips at this point. Then mix until no flour pockets remain but be mindful to not overmix.
3. Bake the skillet cookie. Dump the dough out into the prepared skillet and use your finger tips or a silicone spatula to gently press the dough out into even layer. Bake the skillet cookie, and tent loosely with foil after 20 minutes to prevent excess browning. You can bake the cookie for longer if you prefer a more set center, bake for less time for a gooey middle. Allow the cookie to cool for several minutes so you can better slices and so you don’t burn your mouth! Serve with vanilla ice cream for the best treat!

FAQs about cast iron skillet cookie

Can you make the cookie dough in advance? 

Yes! You can make the cookie dough up to 72 hours in advance. I suggest pressing the dough into the skillet that you plan on baking the cookie in and then refrigerating. When you’re ready to bake, pop it in the oven. Heads up! It may require a few additional minutes in the oven if the dough is cold from the fridge.

I don’t have a cast iron skillet, how can I make this recipe?

I suggest using a deep pie plate instead. Keep in mind that the cast iron skillet will retain heat much better than a porcelain or glass pie plate, and thus the cookie will bake faster in cast iron. You’ll need to bake the cookie longer than the times listed if you bake it in a dish that isn’t cast iron.

Do you have to serve a Pizookie hot? 

Absolutely not. You can serve it at room temperature as well.

Can you use something other than chocolate chips? 

• Use peanut butter chips, cinnamon chips, white chocolate chips, or butterscotch instead.
• I also have a recipe for a Nutella stuffed chocolate chip cookie skillet.
• You can use raisins, chopped walnuts, or pecans if you prefer a nutty cookie.
• I’’ve made a leftover Halloween candy cookie pizookie too. It’s loaded with m&ms and all sorts of goodies!

If you like this pizookie recipe, you might also like:

• Extra Chewy Chocolate Chip Cookies
• Texas Blueberry Cobbler
• The Best Cut Out Sugar Cookies
• The Best Fruit Pizza
• Easy Chocolate Chip Cookie Bars
• Shortbread Twix Cookies