What's better than chocolate chip cookies? A double batch of spelt chocolate chip cookies pressed into a cast iron pan and baked into one gigantic Cast Iron Skillet Cookie! Made with whole grain flour, studded with dark chocolate chunks and dried cherries, this spelt cookie is the dessert you've been waiting for. Served warm with a scoop of vanilla ice cream, it truly doesn't get any better.
This post contains affiliate links. As an Amazon associate I earn from qualifying purchases.
There are few things as good as a warm chocolate chip cookie straight from the oven.
I pride myself on having my chocolate chip cookie game optimized, with that perfectly under-baked centre that's still a bit molten and gooey, and crispy outsides. If you, like me, are all about that soft center then you are in for a treat, my friend.
Today we're making a Cast Iron Skillet Cookie, which is as easy as it is mind-blowingly delicious. You start with your standard recipe - and we're making Spelt Chocolate Chip Cookies today - but then rather than scooping out individual cookies we're just going to press the whole dang thing into a cast iron skillet.
What's the point of that? First of all, it takes substantially less time to smush a batch of cookie dough into a skillet than it does to scoop out a few dozen cookies.
Secondly, it's the perfect dessert. Crispy on the edges, molten in the middle, and a deep malty flavour from the spelt cookie that says heyyyyyy baby in an impossibly baritone voice.
Studded with dark chocolate chunks, a generous handful of dried cherries for some sophisticated tang, and a smattering of smoked salt brings it home. If you're not already grabbing the butter from your fridge, you need to check your priorities.
What do I need to make this recipe?
This is a fairly standard cookie recipe with a few exceptions. Here's what you'll need:
- Butter --> We're using cold butter today. Salted is usually how I roll.
- Brown sugar --> I use light brown muscovado sugar.
- Granulated sugar --> A little bit less than in your standard cookie recipe.
- Eggs --> Two large fellas straight from the fridge.
- Vanilla --> Did you know you can make your own homemade vanilla extract?!
- Flour --> I used wholegrain spelt flour, but you can use whole wheat if you don't have spelt on hand.
- Baking powder and baking soda --> Our leavening crew.
- Salt --> I love smoked salt in this recipe, but you could also use homemade vanilla salt!
- Chocolate --> I chopped up a bar of 70% dark chocolate, but feel free to use chips if you have time.
- Dried cherries --> Fancy! Tangy! Delicious! But you can totally skip this if you want.
Do I need any special equipment?
You need a cast iron skillet large enough to press the cookie dough into. I use this 12-inch cast iron skillet and it turns out perfectly.
If you don't have a cast iron skillet, you can bake the cookie pressed into two round cake pans - you'll just need to shorten the baking time a bit - or you can always scoop them and bake regular sized cookies as a last resort.
How do you make a skillet cookie?
I'll talk you through it! And you can reference these handy step-by-step photos as you go.
Step 1: (above) Combine the cold, cubed butter, brown sugar, and granulated sugar in a bowl of a stand mixer (or a bowl with an electric mixer is fine too).
Step 2: (above) Mix on medium-low speed for about 3 minutes, until the butter and sugars are well mixed. Stop and scrape the bottom and sides, and mix for another two minutes.
Step 3: (above) Add the eggs to the butter and sugar mixture, and mix until well combined. Stop, scrape the bottom and sides, and mix for another minute.
Step 4: (above) Add the baking powder, baking soda, and salt to the wet mixture. Yes, this is correct. This is how we're going to keep it a one bowl situation and ensure even distribution of the leaveners. Give it a quick mix.
Step 5: (above) Add the spelt flour to the bowl.
Step 6: (above) Mix until just combined, but do not over mix.
Step 7: (above) Add the dark chocolate chunks and dried cherries to the bowl.
Step 8: (above) Mix 'em in!
Step 9: (above) Liberally butter the bottom and sides of a large cast iron skillet.
Step 10: (above) Press the spelt cookie dough into the skillet.
Step 11: Bake! It'll take about 20-30 minutes, depending on how crispy you like your edges.
Step 12: (below) Let your Cast Iron Skillet Cookie rest for at least 10 minutes before cutting into it, as the middle will still be quite gooey. This is the hardest part!
Step 13: Serve!!! A scoop of vanilla ice cream is highly recommended.
A few tips and tricks:
- Starting with cold butter and cutting it into cubes allows to you skip the step of softening your butter in advance. It mixes up just fine, and the texture of the skillet cookie is very forgiving.
- I use salted butter for practically 100% of my baking, because that's what I always have on hand. I usually reduce the salt that the recipe calls for by about 50% accordingly.
- This recipe calls for smoked salt, which is kind of a fancy pants ingredient. I think it's delicious, but it's also delicious with regular old flaky salt (I like Maldon).
- This recipe calls for dried cherries, which are tangy and delicious fodder to the malty spelt flour and the dark chocolate. If you can't find them, just add extra chocolate.
Can I make this recipe in advance?
You sure can. You can make the cookie dough, press it into the cast iron skillet, and throw the whole thing into your fridge until you're ready to bake it. Let me tell you, there is no more perfect way to finish of a dinner party than with a gloriously warm and gooey spelt skillet cookie with a scoop of vanilla ice cream.
You can also make the dough and freeze it unbaked. I'd recommend you wrap it in plastic, press it into the skillet, and then freeze it in that shape so you can easily pop it into the skillet and bake from frozen another time.
You can also bake the skillet cookie ahead of time and let it rest on the counter. Serve at room temperature, or gently re-heat individual slices in the microwave.
Leftover skillet cookie can be broken apart and tossed into a freezer bag (I love these resuable silicon freezer bags) and kept for up to three months in the freezer. I assure you that it won't actually last that long, however.
Can I use another kind of flour?
Yes you can. I use spelt flour because it's my favourite whole grain flour (and, absurdly, much easier to find that whole wheat flour where I live) but if spelt chocolate chip cookies don't sound appealing to you, feel free to use white whole wheat or even all-purpose flour instead.
Hey Nutrition Lady, is this healthy?
Can we be real about this? You're eating a giant chocolate chip cookie. Yes, a giant wholegrain chocolate chip cookie, but a giant cookie loaded with butter and sugar all the same.
Enjoy it! Be mindful about how the cookie smells (mmmm, buttery) and how if feels (is it warm from the oven? soft on the inside? crispy around the edges?) and how it makes you feel. (Related: A Mindful Eating Exercise)
How much cookie is enough? Only you can know that. Pay attention to your satisfaction cues. Ask your self whether you legitimately want more, or whether more would push you over the edge into feeling unwell. Make note of how you feel when you're finished, both physically and mentally. But most importantly, just enjoy the damn cookie!
Other tasty treats you might enjoy:
Peanut Butter Oat Bars
Fudgy Adzuki Bean Brownies
Dark Chocolate Peanut Butter Cups
Healthy Chocolate Zucchini Bread with Quinoa
Healthy Cherry Muffins with Dark Chocolate Chunks
Chickpea Blondies
Vegan Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookies
Chocolate Yogurt Cake
Wholegrain Cast Iron Skillet Cookie
Equipment
- Large cast iron skillet
Ingredients
- 8 ounces cold unsalted butter cut into ½ inch / 1cm pieces
- 1 cup light brown muscovado sugar
- â…” cup granulated sugar
- 2 large eggs
- 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
- 1 ½ teaspoons baking powder
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 ½ teaspoons flaked salt preferably smoked salt
- 3 cups wholegrain spelt flour or white whole wheat, or whole wheat pastry flour
- 4 ounces 70% dark chocolate roughly chopped
- 1 cup dried cherries roughly chopped
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 180°C / 350°F.
- Butter the bottom and sides of a large cast iron skillet.
- In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, mix the cold butter pieces with the sugars until well blended, about two minutes.
- Add the eggs, one at a time. Give the bowl a good scrape down and ensure everything is well combined, then add the vanilla.
- Add the baking powder, baking soda, and salt to the wet mix, and mix well.
- Add the spelt flour to the wet mix all at once, and blend until just barely combined.
- Next add the chocolate chips, dried cherries, and mix until evenly combined. I like to finish the mixing with a wooden spoon.
- Press the dough into the prepared cast iron skillet, using your hands (wet hands are good if the dough is sticking to you) to press the dough into an even layer.
- Bake for about 25 - 30 minutes. The skillet cookie is done when puffed and golden on top, and still soft in the middle.
- Remove from the oven and let rest for about 10 minutes before slicing into it.
- Serve in slices, with a glass of milk or a scoop of iced cream handy. Also amazing served warm, and eaten straight from the pan. Enjoy!
Notes
- I often make this with white whole wheat flour and love the results.
- You can make just one cookie cake and bake the rest as regular cookies, or freeze the rest of the dough for another day.
- The skillet cookie cake will last for 3-5 days at room temperature, or you can freeze slices for up to 3 months.
- Unbaked dough will last up to 3 months in the freezer.
- Starting with cold butter and cutting it into cubes allows to you skip the step of softening your butter in advance. It mixes up just fine, and the texture of the skillet cookie is very forgiving.
- I use salted butter for practically 100% of my baking, because that's what I always have on hand. I usually reduce the salt that the recipe calls for by about 50% accordingly.
- This recipe calls for smoked salt, which is kind of a fancy pants ingredient. I think it's delicious, but it's also delicious with regular old flaky salt (I like Maldon).
- This recipe calls for dried cherries, which are tangy and delicious fodder to the malty spelt flour and the dark chocolate. If you can't find them, just add extra chocolate.
Nutrition
This recipe was originally published February 14, 2013. It was retested, rephotographed, and last updated on April 15, 2020.
Emelie
This is one of those recipes that I saw and literally had to make right away. I had never even heard of a skillet cookie before, so I was immediately intrigued! Easy, quick, and totally delicious. Put half in the freezer in hopes of making it last longer, but then when Katie told me it was also delicious straight out of the freezer...... well, so much for prolonging its life. Will be making this again really, really, soon.
alice k mynett
I am about to make this drool-worthy recipe. One question first: my cast iron pan is 10 inches. I like my cookies on the crispy side, not too gooey. Should I put all the dough in this pan to bake, or should I take some out to make a few smaller individual cookies? Thanks so much, Katie. We are self-isolating at the moment, so this recipe will be a perfect remedy for the isolation. (My rating is based on what I hope to produce).
Katie Trant
So sorry for the late reply, Alice! If you do prefer a really crispy cookie you may want to reserve some dough, or you could put it all in and just bake for longer. My dough was still quite thick in a 12-inch pan, and the edges were VERY crisp with a 30-minute baking time. I hope it turned out well!
Christine @ Happy Veggie Kitchen
Oh I love playing around with smoked salt in desserts and this sounds completely EPIC. And thanks for the reminder to pay attention and enjoy the damn cookie! So important when we're making the effort to treat ourselves.
Michelle
These sound amazing. I don't normally like cookies as they're too sweet, but with the walnuts, dried cherries and salt, they sound far less sweet than normal cookies. Will be trying these, thanks 🙂
BTW, found you from Foodists. Nice blog!!
themuffinmyth
Thanks Michelle! These cookies still have plenty of butter and sugar, but the smoked salt and cherries do a nice job of offsetting it.
Meghan@CleanEatsFastFeets
I'm not a romantic either so I get avoiding the expensive gifts and fine dining. It's more about being together in real life anyway. Like you, I had eggs, only scrambled, and it was delicious.
themuffinmyth
Here's to mellow eggy Thursday night valentines!
Meghan@CleanEatsFastFeets
Cheers! I raise my non-romantic glass to you.
Poorna Anand
Hey Katie
The cake came out yum. I mus have added a little extra butter probably. It got crumbled a bit. But the taste was awesome. Anand loved it too. He had it for dessert last night and for breakfast this morning lol.
Thanks a lot. Have a nice weekend.
Poorna
themuffinmyth
Breakfast of champions! Bummer it turned out a bit crumbly. It definitely shouldn't, especially in giant cookie cake form. Maybe too much butter or too little flour? Who knows! I hope you try it again sometime.
Leanne
Oh, MAN. You've taken the perfect cookie recipe, added cherries and smoked sea salt? I had to stop myself from getting out of bed and going downstairs to make this. I've got some smoked sea salt that I've been kind of baffled by just sitting in a cabinet downstairs; this is a great way to break it out. Can't wait!!
themuffinmyth
I've been using smoked sea salt in all kinds of sweet applications. These cookies, sprinkled on oatmeal raisin cookies, and I did a dark chocolate sauce with smoked sea salt for drizzling over ice cream. Yum!
kellie@foodtoglow
Come to Mama! That looks great. I've done the Heidi Swanson one (which itself may be adapted from Good to the Grain) and we loved it. But you've taken the idea to another level. PS I am ordering us some smoked garlic, so your affair with non-meaty smoky things can continue. Do you need more smoked salt, cos I can send that too 😉
themuffinmyth
The Heidi Swanson one is one and the same. Actually, I was going to post a giant heart shaped cookie cake exactly about 2 years ago, and she beat me to it with her giant cookie baked in a skillet so then I felt as if I couldn't post the same thing. But, time has passed, and I've fancied this cookie up with dried cherries and smoked salt. Soooo good. My smoked salt supply is good for now, and I *think* I can find that here. So sweet of you to offer though!
themondaybox
Your cookie cake is lovely. I love the combination of chocolate and dried cherry and soft, chewy and buttery sounds wonderful!. Thanks!
themuffinmyth
It really is wonderful! I hope you give it a try 🙂
Kathryn
Ah yes, we once had a lavatory-inducing Valentine's meal. So romantic. I think staying in and eating a giant cookie is a far better plan.
themuffinmyth
You raise a good point. When is staying in and eating a giant cookie NOT a better plan than any alternative?
thelittleloaf
It's ALL about staying in on Valentine's Day - so so much better and more romantic 🙂 As for this cookie cake? Yum! Will you be my Valentine? 😉
themuffinmyth
Heck yes I will!
ssjshanoj
Reblogged this on AUSSYNEWZY.