Bready or Not: Skillet Chocolate Chip Cookie
Happy New Year! Let’s celebrate with a cookie.
Just one. It’s about time for those resolutions, right?
Is that big enough? That’s a whole cast iron skillet of cookie, right there.
There are a lot of reasons to make a massive cookie. You could top it off with ice cream scoops and drizzle and dig in with a few people you don’t mind sharing germs with. Or you can look at the clock and realize that this sucker cooks up fast and you don’t have to worry about batches.
Plus, you can do what I did and make the dough the night before. Then when I needed to serve it up for brunch, all I had to do was preheat the oven, plop my dough in the skillet, and bake.
Add whatever chips you want. Add nuts. Mix up the flour–I did this with a mix of wheat and all-purpose (and no one could tell!).
It’s very goopy if you eat it fresh out of the oven. If you want it solid enough to cleanly slice, let it rest about 30 minutes.
Tweaked from Skillet Chocolate Chip Cookie from Martha Stewart Everyday Food, October 2013.
Bready or Not: Skillet Chocolate Chip Cookie
Ingredients
- 6 Tablespoons unsalted butter room temperature, plus 1 tablespoon for the skillet
- 1/3 cup brown sugar packed
- 1/2 cup white sugar
- 1 large egg room temperature
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- 1 cup flour worked well with 1/4 cup wheat and 3/4 cup all-purpose
- 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/2 teaspoon coarse salt
- 1 cup chocolate chips
Instructions
- The dough can be made the day before baking. In a large bowl, combine with butter and sugars. Add the egg and vanilla, followed by the dry ingredients. Add the chocolate chips or other additions last. Wrap with plastic wrap to chill in fridge overnight or for several hours, at least.
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Add a tablespoon of butter to a 10-inch cast iron skillet and set it in the oven for a few minutes.
- On the plastic wrap, form the dough into the rough shape of the skillet. When the butter has melted in the skillet, pull it out and rotate it to cover the base with butter. Carefully add the cookie dough, and using a spatula, press it in to the edges.
- Bake until the cookie is golden brown and just set in the center, about 18 to 20 minutes. Let cool for 10 minutes, at least, or 30 minutes if you want it set enough to slice.
OM NOM NOM.
Bready or Not: Soft Batch-Style Chocolate Chip Cookies
As I grew up, I ate a lot of grocery store cookies and junk. Stuff that makes me shudder to think of now–those cinnamon rolls with spackle for frosting, and those cheap frozen pizzas with cardboard crusts and pseudo-pepperoni bits.
But there was some good stuff to be found, too… like Keebler Soft Batch Cookies. As I grew older, Soft Batches became the clear chocolate chip cookie preference for both me and my brother. Chips Ahoy were too crunchy (though they did come out with a soft version in recent years). Soft Batch is well… soft. Chewy. The texture is amazing.
Want to duplicate them at home? Want to know the secret? Corn starch. That’s right. It’s the miracle ingredient.
I’ve made this recipe a bunch of times, doubled it from the original, and added a few tweaks. Don’t limit yourself to chocolate chips. Add in whatever you want (chopped candy, chopped Oreos or other cookies, M&Ms, whatever–just don’t go over that 3 cup limit or you’ll have problems with structural integrity.
Structural integrity is very important. Chocolate chip cookies are serious business.
*One more note. This dough is great to make and freeze. You can freeze it in a large lump, wrapped in wax paper or parchment and kept in a freezer bag, or shaped into tablespoon-sized balls (freeze them on a cookie sheet and then bag them). If they’re shaped, you can take them straight from the freezer to the oven. Just add a few minutes to the cooking time.
Recipe modified from Picky Palate.
Bready or Not: Soft Batch-Style Chocolate Chip Cookies
Ingredients
- 1 cup unsalted butter room temperature
- 1 1/2 cups brown sugar packed
- 1/2 cup white sugar
- 2 large eggs room temperature
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 3 cups all-purpose flour
- 4 teaspoons cornstarch
- 2 teaspoons baking soda
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- 3 cups chocolate chips or other chips
- extra sea salt or turbinado sugar to sprinkle on top
Instructions
- Cream butter and sugars together until light and fluffy, which takes several minutes in a mixer. Add eggs and vanilla. Next slowly mix in flour, cornstarch, baking soda, salt, and the chocolate chips.
- You can make them straight away, but texture is thicker if the dough is chilled for several hours or overnight. Cover with plastic wrap if it will be in for a while.
- Preheat oven to 350-degrees. Scoop the dough onto parchment or silpat-lined cookie sheet. Sprinkle with a little extra salt or turbinado sugar, if desired. Bake for 10-13 minutes, watching for desired coloration. Let them cool on cookie sheet for 10 minutes before transferring to rack.
- OM NOM NOM.
Bready or Not: Chocolate Chip Skillet Cookie
If you’re in need of a small-scale dessert for just a couple of people (hey, it is Valentine’s Day as I post this), this Chocolate Chip Skillet Cookie is perfect.
You’ll need a 6-inch cast iron skillet or cake pan for this recipe. I have the former.
This is a treat best enjoyed while it’s warm. Therefore, let the big cookie cool enough so you won’t get burned, and then dig in. If you want to make this even more luxurious, add some scoops of ice cream in the middle and eat everything with spoons!
Modified from Bake from Scratch July/August 2023.
Bready or Not: Chocolate Chip Skillet Cookie
Equipment
- 6-inch cast iron skillet or 6-inch cake pan
- nonstick spray
- small saucepan
Ingredients
- 1/4 cup unsalted butter
- 2 Tablespoons white sugar
- 2 Tablespoons brown sugar packed
- 1 large egg yolk
- 1 Tablespoon milk or half& half
- 1/2 teaspoon vanilla bean paste or vanilla extract
- 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
- 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1/2 cup chocolate chips whatever kind you want
- flaked sea salt and coarse sugar for optional topping
Instructions
- Preheat oven at 350-degrees. Prepare the pan by using nonstick spray or some extra butter to coat.
- In a small saucepan, melt the butter on medium heat, stirring often. The butter will foam and then turn brown after 6 to 8 minutes. Set aside to cool for at least 10 minutes.
- In a mixing bowl, combine browned butter, both sugars, egg yolk, milk, and vanilla. Add the flour, baking powder, and kosher salt. Fold in the chocolate chips. If desired, add a sprinkle of flaked sea salt and coarse sugar on top.
- Bake until the edges are brown and the middle is no longer gooey, about 15 to 20 minutes. Let cool for 15 to 20 minutes before digging in, but it is ideally eaten while it's still warm.
OM NOM NOM!
Bready or Not: Chocolate Chip Peanut Butter Cookies
You cannot get a more classic American pairing than chocolate and peanut butter. These Chocolate Chip Peanut Butter Cookies are a dose of delicious nostalgia.
These cookies contain some rolled oats, but I wouldn’t term them oatmeal cookies. They don’t have that much density. Rather, these cookies are light and chewy.
The dough doesn’t need any chill time in the fridge. Mix it and bake it right away.
Bready or Not: Chocolate Chip Peanut Butter Cookies
Equipment
- teaspoon scoop or spoon
- baking sheet
- parchment paper
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup unsalted butter (1 stick) room temperature
- 1/2 cup white sugar
- 1/3 cup brown sugar packed
- 1/2 cup peanut butter chunky or creamy
- 1 large egg room temperature
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 cup all-purpose flour
- 1/2 cup old-fashioned oats also called rolled oats
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1 cup semisweet chocolate chips
Instructions
- Preheat oven at 350-degrees. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
- In a large bowl, cream together the butter and sugars. Add the peanut butter, egg, and vanilla.
- In another bowl, stir together the flour, oats, baking soda, and salt. Gradually combine the contents of both bowls. Fold in the chocolate chips.
- Use a teaspoon scoop or spoon to place rounded balls of dough spaced-out on the cookie sheet. Flatten them slightly. Bake for 10 to 12 minutes, until set and golden. Cool on cookie sheet for 10 minutes before transitioning cookies to rack. Store cookies in a sealed container at room temperature.
OM NOM NOM!
Bready or Not: Loaded Chocolate Chip Pudding Cookies
Hey, it’s been a few weeks since I featured chocolate, so let’s indulge hardcore with some Loaded Chocolate Chip Pudding Cookies.
There are a lot of similar pudding-based chocolate chip cookie recipes on food blogs. Some use terms like double, triple, or quadruple chocolate. Me, I’m calling them LOADED.
Use whatever chocolate you want. Mix ‘n match chocolate chips. Chop up some holiday candy bars. Throw in two cup’s worth, and these cookies will be good to go. In your mouth.
I’ve used pudding mix in other cookies and cakes before, with reason. It creates tender, delicious dough that also keeps well. In this case, it makes fat chocolate cookies. You’ll want to squish the dough balls, because they won’t spread much when they bake.
The result is a cookie that will make chocoholics flail in delight. These things are thick, luscious, and, well, loaded with chocolate.
Bready or Not: Loaded Chocolate Chip Pudding Cookies
Ingredients
- 2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
- 1/2 cup Dutch-process cocoa powder sifted
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 3/4 cup unsalted butter softened
- 3/4 cup brown sugar packed
- 1/4 cup white sugar
- 3.9 ounce instant chocolate pudding 1 box, NOT Cook N' Serve or Sugar-Free
- 2 eggs room temperature
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 2 cups chocolate chips or chopped chocolate bars, any kind
Instructions
- In a bowl, mix together the flour, cocoa powder, and baking soda.
- In a large bowl, cream together butter, brown sugar, and granulated sugar until fluffy. Add the pudding mix powder.
- Beat in the eggs and vanilla extract. Slowly add the dry ingredients into the wet until just combined. Fold in the chocolate.
- Wrap the dough in plastic wrap and tuck into the fridge to chill for several hours or overnight.
- Preheat oven at 350-degrees. Use a tablespoon scoop to dollop the dough onto a cookie sheet. The cookies won’t spread much, so flatten them a bit. Bake for 9-12 minutes, or until the cookies are set. Let them settle on the cookie sheet for a few minutes and then transfer to a rack to completely cool.
- OM NOM NOM!
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