Mini Skillet Cookies

Crispy on the outside and gooey on the inside – these mini skillet cookies are easy to make and come together in only a few minutes!

What are Mini Skillet Cookies?

I think it goes without saying that a giant chocolate chip cookie is something we all can get behind. At least in our home, cookies are always filling up the cookie jar or sitting in the freezer ready to be baked off at a moment’s notice. They’re the things I always bring to events as my contribution, so we take cookies very seriously in our household. We always have! If there’s one thing I know for sure it’s that a giant cookie is always going to be a good idea – especially when it’s baked into a skillet.

So, what is a skillet cookie exactly? Imagine an entirely oversized cookie, but because it’s baked in a skillet, the outsides get nice and crisp, while the inside of the cookie stays warm and gooey. It’s ideal for serving multiple people, and it’s a fun twist on the classic chocolate chip cookie.

For this recipe, I took my favorite chocolate chip skillet cookie and adjusted it slightly to be in miniature form, with a homemade caramel sauce included in the recipe for drizzling afterward.

Why this recipe works

I know this recipe works really well because it takes my favorite chocolate chip cookie and salted caramel chocolate chip cookie recipes and marries them into an oversized mini skillet cookie that mends flavors beautifully. The key to making this recipe is to remember the flaky sea salt at the end. Although we are making a homemade caramel sauce to drizzle over the cookie at the end, the flaky sea salt adds a depth of flavor to every bite, and it’s something I feel like every cookie needs.

One of my favorite things about a skillet cookie, and particularly a mini skillet cookie recipe is that they are the perfect lazy-girl cookie recipe. You don’t need to fuss with getting your stand mixer out from the cabinet – the entire cookie dough can be made in one bowl thanks to the fact that we’re melting the butter. You also don’t need to bother with scooping out the individual cookie dough balls – we’re just spooning it straight into the pans and baking. So much less work! Once you make a mini skillet cookie, you’ll never go back.

Some equipment you may need…

Mini cast iron skillets – I love these mini cast iron skillets, but if you can’t find any miniature ones, feel free to check out my recipe for a regular-sized chocolate chip skillet cookie.

Stand mixer – I use this one for all of my baking, and I’ve never had any issues. It has stood the test of time and the test of many, many recipes (like Swiss meringue buttercream and chocolate French buttercream – both things that require a lot of mixing), so its definitely a reliable purchase if you don’t have one yourself!

Rubber spatula – I use rubber spatulas for almost every baking recipe I make. I love the ones with metal handles that can easily go in the dishwasher.

Wooden spoons – I also love wooden spoons, and these are a great choice!

Mixing bowls – luckily, this recipe can easily be made in just a mixing bowl if you don’t have a stand mixer. I love this glass set because it has so many different sizes.

Ingredients for Mini Skillet Cookies

Unsalted butter – if you only have salted butter, feel free to use that. Just reduce the salt in the recipe to about 1/2 tsp.
Granulated sugar – this will aid in some of the browning around the edges of the pan, giving us that perfectly crispy outer edge.
Light brown sugar – a must in every chocolate chip cookie, in my opinion.
Large eggs
Egg yolks – I use egg yolks in addition to eggs because I think it lends to a more chewy texture on the inside of the cookie, which I love!
Pure vanilla extract – for extra vanilla flavor – opt for vanilla bean paste,
All-purpose flour – I always use King Arthur flours, but feel free to use whichever brand you have on hand!
Baking soda – this will be our leavening agent for these mini skillet cookies.
Kosher salt – I always use Diamond Crystal kosher salt for consistency’s sake, and I suggest you do the same. But if you don’t have it on hand, don’t worry about it – feel free to use what you have.
Semisweet chocolate chips – you can experiment with different kinds of chocolate chips if you want to get creative with it!
Flaky sea salt – this is technically an optional ingredient, but honestly, I feel like it’s a must. You can
Heavy cream (for the homemade caramel)
Vanilla ice cream (optional)

Possible ingredient substitutions

I love skillet cookies because the possibilities are truly endless. If you want to go with more of an oatmeal chocolate chip cookie feel – add in some oats and remove some of the flour. If you love peppermint and white chocolate, add some peppermint extract, chopped peppermints, and swap the semisweet chocolate for white chocolate.

You’ll never tire of coming up with new ways to make these mini skillet cookies!

The chocolate chips…

If you don’t love semisweet chocolate chips, or if you just want to try something new – consider using chopped bittersweet chocolate to make the mini skillet cookie recipe feel extra special. Make sure to get all of the chocolate “dust” in there too after you’ve chopped it (that’s the best part).

Vanilla bean past vs vanilla extract

Another way to make these mini skillet cookies feel extra special is to use vanilla bean paste instead of vanilla extract. You could even consider using an entire vanilla bean if you wanted to, that’s one of my favorite ways to amp up the vanilla flavor in any recipe I make.

How to Make a Mini Skillet Cookie

Step 1 – whisk butter, sugars, and eggs in a bowl

One of the best things about this mini skillet cookie recipe is that you don’t need to use a mixer. Simply a bowl and whisk will work!

First, we’re going to beat the butter, sugars, eggs, egg yolks, and vanilla together in a large bowl.

Step 2 – whisk in the dry ingredients

Skillet cookies are meant to be one thing – easy. That’s why for this recipe we’re not going to whisk all of the dry ingredients together in a separate bowl first. Instead, we’re going to add the baking soda, salt, and powder before the flour. This will ensure we get everything evenly dispersed in the mini skillet cookie dough. Then, we’ll switch to a rubber spatula or wooden spoon and gently fold in the flour.

Step 3 – fold in the mini skillet cookies mix-ins

Here’s where we really make the mini skillet cookie shine – the mix-ins. Like I said above, you can stick with the classic chocolate chip flavor, you can add chopped pecans like I did in this skillet cookie recipe, or you can get creative and add whatever your heart desires. It’s completely up to you!

Either way, you’re going to gently fold in the mix-ins until they’re just combined. No more, no less.

Step 4 – spoon the dough into your mini cast iron skillets

Next, you’ll evenly divide the dough between your cast iron skillets. This recipe will make 4 very generously-filled mini skillet cookies. They’ll be perfectly gooey and crisp, perfect for topping with homemade caramel and an ice cream flavor of your choice!

Step 5 – Bake and serve

Now for the best part – baking and eating! You can bake these completely to your likeness. If you like your cookies a little bit darker and crispier around the edges (like me), leave them in there a little bit longer than the bake time calls for on the recipe card below. If you like your skillet cookies to be a bit gooier in the middle, there’s nothing wrong with underbaking just a tad, in my opinion.

However you decide to bake these cookies, you’ll want to top them with homemade caramel and some ice cream. The combination of the warm cookie, the warm caramel, and the ice-cold ice cream is pretty much what I dream about at night. It just doesn’t get much better.

Mini Skillet Cookie Recipe FAQs

Can this mini skillet cookie recipe be underbaked?

Yes, as I said above, you can bake this skillet cookie completely to your liking. If you love an underbaked cookie, bake it for slightly less time than called for on the recipe card below. If you like your cookies slighty crispy and dark on the edges (like me), keep them in the oven just a little bit longer than the bake time!

Can mini skillet cookies be made ahead?

You can make this recipe ahead of time, but just be aware that it is so much better when eaten straight out of the oven! If you’re making it in advance, consider these 2 methods:

Make the cookie dough ahead of time

I love prepping cookie dough in advance, and I even freeze big batches of cookie dough so I have it ready to bake when I need it! You can read more about that in my freezing cookie dough tutorial.

Feel free to make the mini skillet cookie dough in advance, cover it with plastic wrap (either in bowl or cover each individual skillet once you’ve spooned the dough into them), and keep it in the refrigerator for up to 3 days. When you go to bake it, I’d just let it sit out on the counter for about 1 hour at room temperature before you put it in the oven.

Freeze the baked mini skillet cookies

Something I’ve done with other cookie recipes is freeze them, individually wrapped in plastic wrap, until I’m ready to serve them. You can do the same with this mini skillet cookie recipe. Simply let the baked cookies cool completely, wrap them in plastic wrap, and place them in the freezer until the morning you’d like to serve them. Then, you can take them out and thaw them at room temperature. Tip: I’d preheat my oven to 350°F and let them warm up for about 10 minutes in the oven right before you serve them to get that warm cookie texture!

This is such a great “lazy girl” cookie recipe. It’s a total crowd-pleaser and one of the best ways you can share dessert with someone else! If you make this recipe, I’d love for you to leave a comment below and let me know how you like it.

Of course, if you ever have any questions about a recipe you can drop me a line at sarah@sarahsdayoff.com or leave a comment down below. You can also find me over on Instagram @sarahsdayoff – I’d love to see your delicious cookies!

Love,

Sarah

“Remain in me, and I will remain in you. For a branch cannot produce fruit if it is severed from the vine, and you cannot be fruitful unless you remain in me. “Yes, I am the vine; you are the branches. Those who remain in me, and I in them, will produce much fruit. For apart from me you can do nothing.” -John 15:4-5-

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5 from 1 vote