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This Skillet Chocolate Chip Cookie is one giant cookie with crisp, buttery edges and a soft, gooey center, served warm right from the pan with ice cream melting over the top.
It’s mixed in the same skillet it bakes in, so there’s no mixer, no scooping and no baking in batches. It uses the same pantry basics as a batch of cookies and takes about half the effort.
Set it in the middle of the table with a handful of spoons. It’s the dessert on our Father’s Day dinner menu and a good one for birthdays and movie nights too.
Ingredients and Swaps
- Butter: Melted right in the skillet. Salted or unsalted both work. With salted butter, cut the added salt to ¼ teaspoon.
- Brown and white sugar: Brown sugar keeps the center chewy, and white sugar crisps the edges.
- Egg: One large egg. Let the butter cool for a few minutes before adding it so the egg doesn’t scramble.
- Chocolate chips: Semisweet is the classic. Milk chocolate, dark chocolate or a chopped chocolate bar all work.
- Add-ins: Swap some of the chips for chopped nuts, peanut butter chips, toffee bits or candy-coated chocolates.
Tips for a Gooey Skillet Cookie
- Use a 10-inch oven-safe skillet. A cast iron skillet gives the crispest edges. In a 12-inch skillet the cookie is thinner, so start checking 4 to 5 minutes early.
- Melt the butter over low heat and take the pan off the stove before adding the sugars.
- Take it out when the edges are golden and set but the center still looks a little soft. It keeps cooking in the hot pan.
- Save a few chocolate chips to press into the top before baking.
Prices are from Walmart’s and ALDI’s websites for stores in Columbus, Ohio, checked in October 2026. Ohio’s grocery prices are within about 1% of the national average, so you may pay more or less depending on where you live, and prices change often. Here’s how we price our recipes.
Cost: Ingredients – $3.90 from Walmart, $3.57 from ALDI · Per Serving – $0.45 to $0.49
Skillet Chocolate Chip Cookie
Ingredients
Method
- Heat the oven to 350°F.
- Melt the butter in a 10-inch oven-safe skillet over low heat. Take the skillet off the heat.
- Stir in the brown sugar and granulated sugar until smooth. Let the mixture cool for 5 minutes.
- Stir in the egg and vanilla until glossy.
- Sprinkle the flour, baking soda and salt over the top and stir just until no dry flour remains. Stir in the chocolate chips and smooth the dough into an even layer.
- Bake for 18–22 minutes, until the edges are golden and the center is just set.
- Cool for 10 minutes. Serve warm, straight from the skillet, with ice cream.
Notes
- The skillet handle will be very hot. Leave an oven mitt over it as a reminder.
- In a 12-inch skillet the cookie is thinner. Start checking at 14 minutes.
- No oven-safe skillet? Mix the dough in a bowl and bake in a greased 9-inch pie plate.
What to Serve With It
Serve it warm with vanilla ice cream after Pan-Seared Steak with Garlic Butter and Loaded Twice-Baked Potatoes. For a chocolate dessert you can make a day ahead, try Fudgy Brownies.
Make-Ahead and Storage
- Mix the dough in a bowl up to 2 days ahead and refrigerate it. Press it into a buttered skillet and add 2 to 3 minutes to the baking time.
- Cover leftovers and keep at room temperature for up to 3 days.
- Rewarm slices in the microwave for 15 to 20 seconds, or the whole skillet at 300°F for about 10 minutes.
- Freeze wedges, wrapped well, for up to 2 months.
Skillet Cookie Questions
What if I don’t have a cast iron skillet?
Any oven-safe skillet works. You can also mix the dough in a bowl and bake it in a greased 9-inch pie plate or cake pan for about the same time.
How do I know when it’s done?
The edges should be golden brown and pulling slightly from the pan, and the center should look set on top but still soft. It firms up as it cools.
Can I use store-bought cookie dough?
Yes. Press a 16-ounce package of refrigerated cookie dough into a buttered skillet and bake at 350°F for 20 to 25 minutes.
