Decadent Skillet Chocolate Treat

Indulge in the ultimate comfort dessert with this Chocolate Chunk Skillet Cookie – a magnificently gooey, delightfully chewy, and utterly irresistible treat that bakes directly in your trusty cast iron skillet. Prepare for a dessert experience that is as effortless to make as it is heavenly to devour!

Satisfy Your Deepest Cookie Cravings Instantly

Are you frequently struck by intense cookie cravings that demand immediate satisfaction? Meet your new culinary hero: the Chocolate Chunk Skillet Cookie! This isn’t just any cookie; it’s a glorious, oversized masterpiece designed to cure those sweet tooth pangs in record time. Forget the hassle of endless baking sheets, parchment paper, and cooling racks. This recipe simplifies the entire process, allowing you to mix and bake a single, generous cookie directly in your cast iron skillet. The result? A perfectly golden-brown crust with tantalizingly crisp edges, giving way to a warm, soft, and unbelievably gooey interior brimming with melted chocolate. It’s a flawless cookie experience, every single time.

There’s an undeniable magic that happens when a cookie bakes in cast iron. The even heat distribution ensures a consistent texture throughout, preventing burnt edges while guaranteeing a perfectly cooked center. This method also creates a delightful contrast: a slightly crisp exterior that cradles a molten, chocolate-rich heart. It’s a dish that demands to be shared, or, let’s be honest, entirely enjoyed by yourself with a large spoon and a sense of pure bliss.

The beauty of this skillet cookie recipe lies in its sheer simplicity and minimal cleanup. When the craving hits, you want delicious cookies, and you want them *now*! This one-pan wonder eliminates the usual array of bowls and baking tools, streamlining your dessert preparation. Imagine: no mixer required, no individual cookie dough balls to roll, and no stacks of dishes to wash afterward. Just melt, mix, bake, and indulge. It’s the ultimate solution for quick dessert fixes, impromptu gatherings, or simply treating yourself to a moment of sweet indulgence without the fuss.

The Irresistible Allure of a Warm, Chewy Skillet Cookie

There are few culinary experiences as comforting and satisfying as digging into a warm, chewy chocolate chunk cookie straight from a hot skillet. We’ve baked this skillet cookie countless times, and each instance leaves us utterly delighted. The aroma filling your kitchen is just a prelude to the incredible flavors and textures awaiting you. Scooping out generous portions of this molten, chocolatey goodness is an experience you truly have to taste to believe. The contrast between the warm cookie and a cold scoop of vanilla ice cream is simply unparalleled, creating a symphony of sensations that makes every bite pure heaven.

This recipe is so incredibly easy and satisfying that it will quickly become your go-to for any occasion requiring a delicious dessert. Whether it’s a weeknight treat, a weekend gathering, or an impromptu celebration, this charming cookie will impress with minimal effort. Just be sure to keep a gallon of cold milk or a pint of your favorite vanilla ice cream readily available, because once you try this skillet cookie, you’re definitely going to want the perfect pairing. The combination of warm cookie and melting ice cream creates a dessert masterpiece that’s rich, decadent, and utterly unforgettable.

Don’t hesitate—give this phenomenal skillet cookie a try! You’ll be absolutely amazed by how quickly you can create such a show-stopping, comforting dessert. It’s not just a recipe; it’s an invitation to pure, unadulterated cookie happiness.

Essential Ingredients and Supplies for Your Skillet Cookie

(For precise measurements and detailed instructions, please refer to the recipe card located at the conclusion of this article. To gain a deeper understanding of specific baking ingredients and their vital functions in recipes, you can explore my Complete Guide to Baking Ingredients.)

To create this magnificent Chocolate Chunk Skillet Cookie, you’ll need a selection of high-quality ingredients, each playing a crucial role in achieving that perfect gooey and chewy texture:

• Unsalted Butter: The foundation of rich flavor and tender texture. Melting the butter directly in the skillet before mixing the dough is a key technique. This not only makes the process easier but also creates a chewier cookie and helps the sugars dissolve more effectively, leading to a smoother dough base. The gentle heating also imparts a subtle, nutty, caramel-like depth to the butter, enhancing the cookie’s overall taste profile. If using salted butter, remember to reduce the amount of added salt in the recipe to maintain the ideal balance of sweetness and flavor.
• Dark Brown Sugar: A powerhouse ingredient that brings both moisture and an incredible chewiness to the cookie, thanks to its molasses content. It also contributes a richer, more complex sweetness that complements the chocolate beautifully. While light brown sugar can be substituted, anticipate a slightly milder flavor in the final product.
• Granulated Sugar: This classic sugar provides essential sweetness and plays a vital role in achieving that desirable spread and slightly crisp edge on your skillet cookie. The strategic combination of white and brown sugars is what creates the perfect equilibrium between crispiness and chewiness, ensuring every bite is texturally satisfying.
• Pure Vanilla Extract: Far from a minor detail, vanilla extract is a flavor enhancer that marries all the ingredients together. It deepens and rounds out the notes of chocolate and butter, adding a warm, aromatic dimension that elevates the cookie from good to exceptional.
• Large Egg: The essential binder in our cookie dough. The egg provides crucial structure, ensuring the cookie holds together while contributing to its overall tenderness and moistness. It acts as an emulsifier, helping to create a cohesive and well-textured dough.
• All-Purpose Flour: The primary structural component of the cookie. It gives the dough its body and ensures the cookie has the right consistency, preventing it from being too flat or too dense.
• Baking Soda: Our leavening agent. Baking soda reacts with acidic ingredients (like brown sugar’s molasses) to produce carbon dioxide, which helps the cookie rise slightly, resulting in a soft, tender interior. It’s key to achieving that signature chewy texture.
• Kosher Salt: A critical ingredient for balance. Salt doesn’t just make things taste salty; it actually enhances and deepens the other flavors, particularly the sweetness of the sugars and the richness of the chocolate. Be mindful that kosher salt is less dense than table salt; if you’re using table salt, you’ll need to reduce the quantity to avoid an overly salty taste.
• Chocolate Chunks: The star of the show! For the absolute best skillet cookie experience, opt for high-quality dark chocolate chunks. Chunks, rather than chips, melt more slowly and create beautiful pockets of molten chocolate throughout the cookie, ensuring optimal melting, flavor, and an undeniably luxurious texture.

Essential Supplies:

• Cast Iron Skillet (an 8-inch or 10-inch skillet is ideal for this recipe, allowing for a perfectly sized cookie)
• Wooden Spoon (or a sturdy heat-resistant spatula for mixing)

Mastering the Art of the Chocolate Chunk Skillet Cookie

Creating this decadent Chocolate Chunk Skillet Cookie is surprisingly straightforward. Follow these simple steps to bake a dessert that will impress everyone, including yourself:

• Step 1: Prepare Your Oven. Begin by preheating your oven to 350°F (175°C). This ensures the oven is at the correct temperature for even baking as soon as your dough is ready.
• Step 2: Melt the Butter. Place your 8-inch or 10-inch cast iron skillet on the stovetop over low heat. Add the unsalted butter to the skillet and allow it to melt completely. Once the butter is a shimmering liquid, remove the skillet from the heat to prevent it from browning or burning. This foundational step is crucial for the cookie’s texture and flavor.
• Step 3: Combine Sugars, Vanilla, and Egg. While the butter is still warm in the skillet, add both the dark brown sugar and granulated sugar. Stir vigorously with your wooden spoon until the sugars are fully dissolved and well combined with the butter, forming a glossy mixture. Next, stir in the pure vanilla extract. Finally, crack in the large egg and beat it thoroughly into the mixture until it is completely incorporated and the batter is smooth. Ensure no streaks of egg remain.
• Step 4: Incorporate Dry Ingredients. Add the all-purpose flour, baking soda, and kosher salt directly into the skillet with the wet ingredients. Stir gently until just combined. Be careful not to overmix; overmixing can develop the gluten in the flour too much, leading to a tough cookie rather than a tender one. Stop stirring as soon as no dry streaks of flour are visible.

• Step 5: Fold in the Chocolate Chunks. Gently fold 1 cup of the chocolate chunks into the cookie dough. The key here is “gently” – you want to distribute the chocolate without overworking the dough.
• Step 6: Prepare for Baking. Evenly spread the dough across the bottom of the cast iron skillet. Take the remaining 1/2 cup of chocolate chunks and sprinkle them artfully over the top of the dough. This ensures beautiful pools of melted chocolate on the surface of your baked cookie.
• Step 7: Bake to Perfection. Transfer the skillet to your preheated oven and bake for 20-25 minutes. Keep a close eye on it: the cookie is ready when the edges begin to crisp and brown lightly, and the center still looks slightly soft and gooey. Overbaking will result in a drier cookie, so it’s better to underbake slightly for maximum gooeyness.
• Step 8: Serve and Enjoy! Once baked, carefully remove the skillet from the oven. Allow it to cool for a few minutes before serving warm. This cookie is absolutely divine on its own, but it reaches peak perfection when served with a generous scoop of vanilla ice cream, a drizzle of chocolate syrup, or even a glass of cold milk.

Storage and Reheating Tips

While a skillet cookie is undoubtedly best enjoyed fresh from the oven, any leftovers can be stored and savored later. Allow the skillet cookie to cool completely to room temperature before storing. Once cool, you can either cover the entire skillet tightly with aluminum foil or transfer individual slices to an airtight container. Stored this way, the cookie will keep at room temperature for up to 2 days, though the edges may lose some of their crispness. To revive that signature gooey texture and warm embrace, reheat slices in a 300°F (150°C) oven, covered with foil, for approximately 5 minutes. This gentle reheating will bring back its fresh-baked charm.

Creative Variations and Customizations

One of the best aspects of this Chocolate Chunk Skillet Cookie recipe is its versatility. While perfect as is, it’s also a fantastic canvas for your culinary creativity:

• Mix-In Marvels: Beyond chocolate chunks, consider adding other delightful mix-ins. Walnuts, pecans, or almonds provide a wonderful crunch. Dried cranberries or cherries offer a tart contrast. For a playful touch, swirl in some peanut butter or add colorful M&M’s.
• Spice It Up: A pinch of cinnamon, a dash of nutmeg, or even a tiny amount of espresso powder can deepen the flavor profile and add an unexpected warmth to your cookie.
• Chocolate Varieties: Experiment with different types of chocolate! Use milk chocolate for a sweeter profile, white chocolate for a creamy contrast, or a mix of dark, milk, and white for a triple chocolate explosion. High-quality baking bars chopped into irregular chunks often yield the best melt.
• Salted Caramel Swirl: After spreading the dough, drizzle a tablespoon or two of store-bought or homemade salted caramel sauce over the top before baking. Swirl it gently with a knife for a marbled effect.
• Coconut Dream: Add a handful of shredded coconut to the dough along with the chocolate chunks for a tropical twist.

The Magic of Baking in Cast Iron

Why a cast iron skillet for this cookie? It’s more than just a convenient pan; it’s a secret weapon for superior baking. Cast iron is renowned for its exceptional heat retention and incredibly even heat distribution. This means your cookie bakes uniformly, preventing hot spots that can lead to uneven cooking. The radiant heat from the cast iron also helps create that beautifully crisp crust while maintaining a wonderfully soft and gooey interior. Plus, with proper seasoning, cast iron offers a natural non-stick surface, making serving and cleanup a breeze. It truly transforms a simple cookie recipe into a culinary event.

If you embark on the delightful journey of making my Chocolate Chunk Skillet Cookie, I would absolutely love to see your creations! Be sure to snap a picture and share it with me on Instagram @thebakermama. Your photos inspire me greatly! If you’re on Facebook, I invite you to join my Friends of The BakerMama group. It’s a wonderful community where we connect, share our baking successes, and celebrate all the fun and delicious recipes you create from my kitchen. I genuinely adore seeing how inspired and creative you all become with the ideas I share. Enjoy every gooey, chocolatey bite!

xoxo,

Print Recipe

Chocolate Chunk Skillet Cookie

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• Author: Maegan – The BakerMama
• Prep Time: 10 mins
• Cook Time: 25 mins
• Total Time: 35 mins
• Yield: 6-8 servings
• Category: Dessert

Print Recipe

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Description

This Chocolate Chunk Skillet Cookie is a gooey, chewy chocolate chunk cookie that you stir and bake right in your cast iron skillet! It’s the perfect easy, one-pan dessert.

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Ingredients

• 1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter
• 1/2 cup dark brown sugar
• 1/2 cup granulated sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 large egg
• 1 cup all-purpose flour
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon salt (Kosher or adjusted table salt)
• 1 1/2 cups chocolate chunks (preferably dark chocolate)

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Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 350°F (175°C).
2. In an 8-inch or 10-inch cast iron skillet, melt the butter over low heat. Once butter is completely melted, turn off the burner and remove from heat.
3. Stir in both brown and granulated sugars until well combined and dissolved. Add the vanilla extract and the large egg, beating until the egg is fully incorporated into the mixture.
4. Stir in the all-purpose flour, baking soda, and salt until just combined. Be careful not to overmix. Gently fold in 1 cup of the chocolate chunks.
5. Spread the cookie dough evenly to cover the bottom of the skillet. Sprinkle the remaining 1/2 cup of chocolate chunks over the top of the dough.
6. Bake for 20-25 minutes, or until the cookie edges are lightly crisp and browned, and the center is still wonderfully gooey.
7. Serve warm with milk, vanilla ice cream, and chocolate syrup, if desired.

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Notes

For a thicker cookie or to fit a larger skillet (e.g., 12-inch), simply double the entire recipe. Adjust baking time slightly if doubling, potentially adding 5-10 minutes.