Soft Baked Skillet Chocolate Chip Cookie {Egg-Free}
This soft baked skillet chocolate chip cookie is perfect for those who love warm chocolate chip cookies extra gooey. Egg-free!
When life throws you lemons, you should hide them in the back of the refrigerator and make a soft, ooey, gooey, decadent, chocolate chip skillet cookie instead, because seriously, I don’t know anyone in my circle of life that would choose lemonade over a warm, freshly-baked cookie when they need a little pick-me-up.
Truth.

I’ve been feeling a little overwhelmed with life lately.
Nothing crazy hard or terribly dramatic – just the usual suspects: family/life/work + a sudden and rather unexpected launch into homeschooling three of my kids.
I’ve been getting to the end of each day wondering if I remembered to even breathe. I’m sure you know what I mean.
Despite the craziness of life, we still managed to miraculously find the time (#priorities) to make this dreamy skillet cookie twice last week. I chalk it up to mom-needed-chocolate-stat-to-cope.
Of course, I didn’t hear anyone complaining as we dug in, all of us hovered around with our spoons at the ready and let go of schedules and to-do lists and minor stresses in favor of barely baked cookie dough for a few precious minutes while the kids kept me laughing with their animated stories and impersonations of each other (and me).
Egg-free, you can underbake this cookie to your heart’s content.
It’s meant to be melty and glorious.
I love baking it in a cast iron skillet so the edges get just slightly crusty while the middle stays really soft. I don’t use my cast iron skillet every day, but man, I love that sturdy workhorse of a pan (I have this one), and it might sound dramatic, but in my humble opinion, it’s worth keeping one in your cupboards for this cookie alone (although never fear, I’ve given some pan substitution recommendations in the recipe below if you don’t have one).
And now. I’m off to tackle my to-do list (and remind myself how to subtract fractions with uncommon denominators so I can help my 10-year old). If you’re life feels like mine of late, hang in there and eat a skillet cookie in my honor (actually, I’ll eat one with you).
One Year Ago: Healthier Banana Bread Chocolate Chip Oat Snack Bars
Two Years Ago: Whole Wheat Pizza Pull Apart Rolls {With a Simple Step-by-Step Tutorial}
Three Years Ago: Chocolate Tres Leches Cake
Soft Baked Skillet Cookie {Egg-Free}
Ingredients
- 4 ounces (113 g) cream cheese, softened to room temperature
- 8 tablespoons (113 g) salted butter, melted and cooled slightly
- ¾ cup (159 g) light brown sugar
- ⅓ cup (71 g) granulated sugar
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 ⅔ cup (237 g) all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon cornstarch (see note)
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- 1 to 1 ½ cups (170 to 255 g) semisweet, bittersweet or milk chocolate chips
- Ice cream for serving
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F. Butter a 9- or 10-inch cast iron skillet (see note).
- In a large bowl or the bowl of an electric stand mixer, cream together the cream cheese, melted butter, brown sugar and granulated sugar until light and fluffy, 2-3 minutes. Mix in the vanilla.
- In a separate bowl, whisk together the flour, cornstarch, baking soda, and salt. Add the dry ingredients to the batter and mix about halfway; there should be dry streaks of flour here and there. Add the chocolate chips and mix until evenly combined (don’t overmix).
- Spread the batter evenly in the prepared skillet and bake for 15-25 minutes depending on how soft and gooey you want the cookie. Serve warm with ice cream.
Notes
Recommended Products
Recipe Source: adapted from this egg-free cookie dough
We use this recipe to make cookie dough balls. We freeze them and have them with our ice cream or just whenever we feel like a sweet treat! It’s a delicious recipe and I usually have most of the stuff on hand!! We love it!! We’re going to actually try it for a cazookie tonight!
I have made this recipe many times and it is amazing! I always make it in a pie pan and since it’s become my go to dessert for a take in meal, I usually bake two pie pans at the same time for about 22-24 minutes so it’s not too gooey, but still soft. Thanks for this delicious recipe, Mel!
Great idea with the pie plates!
We made this tonight and it is a winner!! I love that’s its so much faster than regular cookies also.
This is just delicious. I used arrowroot powder instead of cornstarch, and cranked up the heat to 400 to brown the top for a few minutes at the end. The kids were eager to eat “the big cookie”. Thank you, Mel for another great recipe!!
This was delicious and easy! I only had an 8 inch cast iron skillet. I filled that up and popped the rest into a glass ramekin. I took out the smaller dish after 18 minutes and the cast iron skillet after 25 minutes. They we’re both eagerly devoured by my family.
so, I have a teeny single serving cast iron “skillet” I got as part of a cookie skillet set with a mix. (it’s adorable at around 6″ across and 1/2-3/4″ deep)
I’m thinking about quartering your recipe (yay for weight measures!) and seeing how that fits, but do you have a recommendation about how long to cook it? I’ve long since eaten the original cookie and thrown out the packaging that the skillet came with, so I can’t really use that as a reference.
Thank you for all your awesome recipes!
Hmm, I think if it were me, I’d only bake it 7-8 minutes.
This is such a hit in our house. We have named it “The Cookie.” My 16 year old son knows that I just can’t say no if he asks for “The Cookie” while giving me a big hug. So quick to throw together and bake. I found baking it at 350 works for me and I use a big ceramic pie dish. Thanks for another family favorite!
This looks SO good!
Made it this weekend and we all LOVED it. A repeat has been requested for tonight’s FHE treat. 🙂 Thank you!!
Delicious!! I just made this today, and my only hope is that I don’t eat the whole pan before my daughter wakes up from her nap! I don’t have a cast iron skillet, so I made it in a 9 inch round cake pan. Ended up needing to cook it for about 23 minutes. This family is also a big fan of your Thick and Chewy Chocolate Chip bars. The skillet one is equally as good!! Thanks for another great recipe.
Oh my gosh. I have made this 3 times in the past 10 days. I am hooked! You changed my life again Mel!
Soulmates! 🙂
We are avoiding eggs for one of my children, so this was a perfect family treat last night. And though this isn’t as gooey as the eggy counterpart, none was left in the pan this morning! And good luck taking on your new homeschooling endeavors, I’m sure it’s a blessing for your children albeit more work and stress for Mama!
My mom just made this and it is seriously incredible!! Awesome recipe! I can’t stop eating it!
Hi Mel – my cooking technique is beginner at best but I had a cast iron skillet and tried to make this cookie. I’m not sure what I did but after 30 minutes of cooking it still wasn’t even cooked. Is 325 degrees the right temperature? It is probably something I did wrong and not your recipe but could you clarify what I could have done wrong?
Hi Andrea – yes, I use 325 as the baking temp so the outer edges don’t get quite as crispy. I wonder if your oven cooks on the cool side? All ovens vary slightly in temperature. I’m not sure if that was the issue or not but either way, there’s no harm in baking this longer. What size is your cast iron skillet?
This recipe is so good! Just a little tip… while I definitely wanted the gooey goodness, I also wanted a crispy top. After baking, I broiled it for 1-2 minutes and it was amazing! A thin layer of beautiful golden crisp covering the rich gooey middle… cookie perfection! 🙂
So the other day, I was contemplating how you do it all, and I said to myself, “but at least she doesn’t homeschool.” (I am homeschooling my oldest for Kindergarten this year.) But, now you have taken even that away from me! 😉 Now I will have to assume that you are 1) a wonder woman or 2) don’t need any sleep, or 3) both. Thanks for your blog. I love it and all the recipes.
Ha! Definitely not wonder woman. Just a grumpy mom who doesn’t sleep enough. 🙂
Why might some not want to use corn starch? Is there something I should know about cornstarch?
I don’t think there’s anything wrong with cornstarch, Stacy – I use it all the time. But not all cornstarches are gluten free (as far as I know) and some people prefer not to use corn products so that may prevent someone from using it.
OH ok. Thanks Mel. BTW, made these and of course they are yummy. Bravo! Your website is my #1 go to and the recipes are always spot on.
What an indulgent treat! My 7 year old assembled the whole thing and we ate it hot from the oven. Thanks for the recipe!
Hang in there Mel! It will get easier and less crazy. This cookie looks fantastic and will be in my oven sooner than later:-)
Can you make this dough ahead and put it in the fridge to bake later? Thanks! And as always, I am super excited to try this!
Sure, I think that sounds like a great idea!
I LOVE my iron skillets and use them every day (in fact they are the only pans I own!). Thanks for the yummy cookie recipe, I’m trying it tonight All your recipes are fantastic so I know it will be delicious. Your are my favorite source for recipes. Wishing you all the best on your new journey of homeschooling. I’ve done it for six years and though it has been hard and trying at times, it has been a great blessing for our family.
Mel, you are AWESOME! Please do keep us posted on your journey. You truly are an inspiration for a lot of us readers!
Hmmmm I could go for one of these RIGHT now!
I made this last night and I got a “Yum!”, “Oh, this is so good!”, and “This is great!” from my family. Thanks from all of us.
This was delicious! I made it in a pie pan and it took about 30 minutes to cook to our liking. It came together quickly and was great hot out of the oven with ice cream. Thank you Mel for a quick, yummy, midweek dessert!
Yum. Good luck with life, I think you’re amazing and you’ve got your priorities just where they should be.
And… I reread this recipe multiple times looking for the lemon ingredient. So, I could probably use some homeschooling of my own! 🙂
Looks scrumptious. We do poetry “tea time” I every week in our homeschool. It’s usually more like hot chocolate rather than tea. This looks perfect for this week. Maybe we won’t do hot chocolate with it or I may lose them for the day to the sugar high.
Homeschooling is definitely a personal journey but there are many great groups and resources to help. Mine is always evolving and I am constantly looking for ways to improve. This year, one of my boys started high school which is a new challenge. I did a periscope a few weeks ago on what to do when things get hard and you want to quit.
I am totally with you on the knock me over a feather thing. This was certainly not in my plan. Isn’t it funny the things life throws at you.
Good luck to you in all you do. I understand if your blog has to take a back seat to your family. I know one can’t do it all. However, Is it selfish of me if I secretly hope not? You are my favorite food blogger!
This looks incredible! Sorry you’re feeling overwhelmed. You’re doing an amazing job though, you know that? You’re so inspiring!
I made this tonight for dessert and we all loved it! Very easy to make and I liked that I could get a hint of the cream cheese taste coming through. It was VERY sweet though and I took too big of a piece, so I had to have my husband finish mine. He was very happy to help. 🙂
What?? And I feel tired from making mashed potatoes for supper!
<3
I’m new to homeschooling too. We started in August. We live in Idaho and use Connections Academy. Not to pry…but I am….what curriculum are you using? I’m super curious. This is just another reason to love you. It’s hard and it is a full time job it feels like! Keep us updated please.
Hi Kara – I’m kind of piece-mealing it together right now since we started mid-year. I’ve talked to a lot of friends over the years about homeschooling so I kind of knew what I wanted to start with. We’re using Abeka for math and my 10-year old is doing Abeka language arts. My 8- and 7-year olds are using Jenny Phillips free curriculum for language arts (also includes spelling and geography). We’re doing history (Story of the World) and Science (Apologia Astronomy) all together. The kids have Spelling Workout books for spelling and Jenny Phillips handwriting downloads. I’m doing my own thing with creative writing and literature (focusing on the classics a bit). We’ve already found a few things that didn’t work for us (Daily Grams and the Writeshop program) but overall this seems to be a good fit so far. I teach them piano lessons so that kind of counts for music right now. I’ll have to look into the Connections Academy; never heard of it!
You are so wonderful Mel, and I know that you are going to do an amazing job with this new adventure! I am so grateful for the incredible recipes that you share, but I am even more grateful for your example of dedicated motherhood.
Also….we LOVE Jenny Phillips’ curriculum (and her Good & Beautiful Books list)!!! 🙂
Thanks for all the kind comments! For those that asked, I’ve had one foot in the world of homeschooling for a while (meaning t’s been on my mind and we’ve done a lot of supplementing at home) but didn’t actually take the plunge until this year (four weeks ago, to be exact) when a couple situations at my kids’ school culminated in me realizing things weren’t going to change and I could either complain and scream about it at home or just take them out. I’m not ready to commit to being a lifelong homeschooler – we’re taking it until the end of this school year and then we’ll reevaluate what situation is best. My middle schooler is still in public school – I just took the three elementary kids out for now. There’s so, so, so much to say about homeschooling; it certainly isn’t for everyone and every situation but my mom heart knew that it was right for us at this point to see if some focused learning at home could help the three boys. I certainly don’t deserve any praise at this point – there’s been some tears and a little shouting (don’t judge) as we’ve settled into a schedule and I’ve had to redefine what time means to me and the kids but if I look at the whole situation, it’s been a wonderful change for us so we’ll stick with it until May and then see. I love that there are so many homeschooling families out there to collaborate with – truly the face of homeschooling is changing all the time. It’s a whole different beast than it was 20 years ago. When I sent my first off to school seven years ago, you could have knocked me over with a feather if you told me I’d be homeschooling down the road. Never say never, I guess. 🙂
This is amazing! I would love for you to keep us updated. I go back and forth in my mind all the time. Sometimes my daughter hates school and seems to have no friends. Other times life is good. My son is loving kindergarten but I do often feel like if I only had the one kid and not four I would home school. Share your story. Thank you so much.
Love you, Mel! Sending you all good wishes. You help us all so much with your genuine kindness, support, and fab sense of humor- not to mention getting delicious dinners on the table. No judgment- all love! We are all in this together caring for families and each other and doing what we can day by day.
Good for you … I went down this road temporarily a few years ago (homeschooling) . We always do it during the summer… I ended up putting my kids back in public school, but I always leave the door open to the possibility I will do it again in the future, especially at the Elementary level. Best of luck.. Can’t wait to try this recipe !!
PS .. My house is under contract and we are FINALLY moving.. I’ll fill you in on the details soon .
Welcome to the homeschooling community! I’ve been HSing for 10 yrs now with 4. One of which is dyslexic. There are so many resources out there! Here are my top 3: http://www.homescoolfreebieoftheday.com, http://www.simplycharlottemason.com, rainbowresource.com. Take it a day at a time, give yourself plenty of grace, and remember your doing life, school happens. Thank you so much for such wonderful recipes. You’ve helped me immensely in the kitchen!
This looks delicous! Cookie over lemonade any day. I am thinking of homeschooling my oldest who starts kindergarten this year and it is a lot to take on! Power to you girl and if anyone can do it, it’s you. Thanks agian for all the yummy recipes!
First of all, these look delicous. Secondly, wow on the homeschooling, I don’t know how you manage it all! I’ve been thinking about homeschooling my oldest who would start kindergarten this year – it is a lot to take on! Power to you girl and if anyone can do it, you can! Thanks again for your classic recipes! We love them all.
I would love to hear more about this homeschooling adventure! Why you chose to switch/ what you guys are doing. I’m pretty sure I am going to start homeschooling my oldest this coming school year, so I love reading others experiences!
Brb. I need to go make this cookie.
I admire you for homeschooling. That is HUGE and so much work. I could never do it. My kids and I would probably kill each other 🙂 Bless you in your efforts! We will certainly love this recipe. I have one that I make that just uses your regular chocolate chip cookie dough that we love. Thanks Mel and remember you really are a rock star!!! And Rock stars do get very tired, stressed and need big skillet cookies often so take care of yourself!
I had to laugh a little when you were talking about chocolate chip cookies vs lemonade because it reminded me of when my friend and I were around ten. Quite often we would make chocolate chip cookies and drink kool-ade lemonade while we played Nintendo or watch a movie. I wouldn’t want that combination now, but it was our go-to snack for a while. This recipe sounds yummy! I hope life settles into something manageable soon!
After my own rough morning of homeschooling/baby wrangling, I think I’m going to go make this right now!
Oh Mel, homeschooling is certainly not for the faint of heart. Luckily my two oldest 9+10 use your recipes to take care a lunch a couple times a week and you always make dinner easy. If it weren’t for my recent desire for smaller thighs ibwould be eating this before 3pm today. Good luck with school and remember that the Lord knows how to help your kids.
This cookie looks incredible! I need to get a cast iron skillet so I can make one!
Paige
http://thehappyflammily.com
I am so proud of you for deciding to homeschool & cannot imagine a more competent woman for the task. Your ability to make the basics interesting & simplify that which could be daunting is a one of a kind gift. Blessings to you today & every day.
Looks awesome Mel!!! Can you share more about your reasons for switching to homeschooling???? Or is that private? I keep feeling unsettled about the school my kids are attending, and homeschooling keeps coming to mind, but I don’t know if i could handle it. But I love hearing other’s reasons. . . it helps me evaluate my own:) thanks!!!
You’re amazing! I am always impressed by the way you always seem to put your family first.
Okay…you’ve added homeschooling three kids to the mix…I think you can “drop the mike” now. I’m just going to buy you a cape and call it a day 🙂
I have trusted you for years for all my go to recipes. I have made your recipes for the first time and taken them to others, because I am that confident in your skills. As a homeschooling newbie myself there is no doubt you will rock this too!
I homeschooled my 3 kids when my husband had a 1 year commitment in NYC. It was so time consuming. I feel your pain and the need for chocolate! Hang in there! You can do it! Thank you so much for all your recipes!
YUM!!! Wish I had some right now. HA!
Oh man, Mel. Seriously. These look like heaven, I will be making this this weekend! Good luck on your homeschooling adventure! I never homeschooled, but was able to be home with my kids and did daycare out of our home. I felt like a homeschooling mom for 11 years, haha! I miss doing our little preschool curriculum, but I don’t miss all the kids!
As a homeschooling mom myself, yes, sometimes you just have to stop and bake a treat. Let me know if I can help in any way with your new adventure. You help me daily in the kitchen. This looks fast and gooey good. I am thinking arrowroot starch will be a good sub for the cornstarch.
Thanks for another great recipe! I’m amazed at all you can do! Good luck on your home school journey. 3 years ago I decided that my 2 youngest needed to come home. The older ones stayed in school and are doing fine, but I love the opportunities that have come our way as we learn together at home. It has been a huge blessing. During these times of running around and trying to figure it all out, remember it does get easier. The work and weariness is worth it! The joy that comes as you experience the world through their eyes as they learn new concepts is explainable.
Wow and wow. You are amazing and so is that cookie! Hope you can settle into a groove soon!