Today we’re talking about skillet cookies. But this is no ordinary skillet cookie. For this skillet cookie, you make the cookie dough directly in the cast iron pan that you will cook it in, so you dirty less dishes. Which sure, is great, but you know what’s even better? BROWN BUTTER. And that’s the base of this cookie. It’s crisp around the edges, gooey in the center, with swirls of melty chocolate – so much of it, there’s something brownie like about this cookie.
It’s amazing right out of the oven topped off with a nice scoop of vanilla ice cream (or I can attest that cookies and cream ice cream is also a great topping, since that’s the only thing we had!) But it’s also delicious as leftovers, if you manage to have any. The cookie will continue to set up as it cools so you can easily slice it up for later. It’s great at room temperature, but you can also stick a slice in the microwave and then top that with ice cream. Who doesn’t like a warm cookie with ice cream?
Making the Skillet Cookie
First you are going to brown your butter directly in your skillet. The butter will melt and then bubble and then foam. You will start to see browned bits at the bottom of the pan. As you stir, the foam will darken as the butter continues to brown. You want it to smell toasted, but not burnt. The butter should be an amber color when it’s ready. Once the butter is browned, remove from heat and add your sugars. You can stir or whisk in sugars, but whisking is a lot quicker and easier so I would recommend using a whisk. It’s okay if there’s a little bit of butter that is not fully incorporated but you want it to be mostly combined.
Brown your butter 
Add your sugars 
Stir or whisk to combine
When you brown butter, some of the moisture evaporates. So in an effort to cool the mix down a little bit before you add your eggs and add some of that moisture back in, you’re going to whisk in an ice cube to your butter and sugar. If you add your eggs in to the hot butter, you’ll get scrambled eggs and that is something you obviously want to avoid. So once you start adding your eggs, you want to move quickly to combine that and then incorporate all of the dry ingredients. This will help create the final dough before your eggs have a chance to do anything you don’t want them to. So I would recommend having all of your remaining ingredients measured out so you can add them as quickly as possible. If you’re nervous about your mix being too hot, you can always stick your pan in the fridge for a few minutes.
Ready to add whisked eggs 
Add dry ingredients 
Ready for chocolate chips
Your pan is probably still warm and your cookie dough is also probably warm so when you add in your chocolate chips, they are going to melt relatively quickly. So scatter them evenly over the top and then quickly stir to distribute. The chocolate will inevitably melt a bit, giving you lots of streaks of chocolate. I think it’s amazing that way and the melty chocolate gives the finished cookie a bit of a brownie vibe, which again is delicious. But if you don’t want your chocolate to melt, you can put your pan with your dough in the fridge for a bit before you add the chocolate. Then you’ll bake the cookie for about 25 minutes at 350F, until the cookie is set. The edges and top should be set, but when you move the pan, the cookie should still jiggle a bit. If you cooled your pan before adding the chocolate, you will need to bake for longer.
One Pan Brown Butter Chocolate Chip Skillet Cookie
Equipment
- 10 inch cast iron pan
Ingredients
- 1 cup unsalted butter (2 sticks)
- 1 cup dark brown sugar lightly packed
- 1/3 cup granulated sugar
- 1 ice cube
- 2 large eggs room temperature, whisked together in a small bowl
- 2 tsp vanilla extract
- 2 cup all-purpose flour
- 1 tsp baking soda
- 1 tsp kosher salt
- 1 cup milk chocolate chips
- 1 cup bittersweet chocolate chips plus more for sprinkling on top
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 350F. You also want to move through this recipe pretty quickly so you don’t give your eggs a chance to scramble in a relatively warm batter. So I would highly recommend measuring out all of your ingredients in advance so you are ready to add them as you need to.
- In a cast iron skillet over medium heat, brown your butter, stirring frequently. The butter will melt, then bubble, and then foam. You’ll be able to see your foam darkening in color as you stir, once the milk solids start to brown.
- Remove from heat.
- Once your butter is brown, whisk in your brown sugar and granulated sugar. Continue to mix until combined. It’s okay if there’s a little bit of butter that is not mixed in, but you want it as cohesive as possible.
- Stir in the ice cube to cool down the mixture. You want to cool this down so when you add your eggs, they do not scramble. You want to move quickly from this point on, so as I mentioned in step 1, I would recommend that you have all of your ingredients ready. If you haven’t done that yet, do it now!
- Add your vanilla extract and whisked eggs. Quickly whisk this into your batter to incorporate.
- As soon as the eggs are mostly incorporated, add your dry ingredients. Whisk until you have a cohesive batter.
- Sprinkle your chocolate chips evenly over top of the cookie and quickly stir them in. They will start to melt pretty quickly, giving you nice swirls of chocolate in your final cookie. Top with a few more chocolate chips.
- Bake at 350F for about 25 minutes. The edges and top should be set, but when you move the pan, the cookie should jiggle a little. You want that center to be very gooey.
- Remove from the oven and top with ice cream. Enjoy!
- The leftovers are equally delicious. The cookie will set up more as it cools. You will be able to slice it and have it later.
