The smell of warm chocolate and brown sugar fills the kitchen the second you pull this Sourdough Chocolate Chip Skillet Cookie out of the oven. This sourdough chocolate chip cookie recipe uses simple pantry ingredients and your trusty cast iron skillet for a dessert that's ready in just 35 minutes.
Quick Look at the Recipe
- ✅ Recipe Name: Sourdough Chocolate Chip Skillet Cookie
- 🕒 Ready In: About 35-40 minutes
- 👪 Serves: 6-8
- 🥣 Main Ingredients: Sourdough discard, shortening, dark brown sugar, all-purpose flour, semi-sweet chocolate chips
- 📖 Dietary Info: Vegetarian, nut-free
- ⭐ Why You'll Love It: Crispy golden edges, a soft gooey center, and that subtle sourdough tang you can not get from a regular cookie.
Summarize and Save the Recipe
If you have been making sourdough bread at home, you know the drill, you end up with more discard than you know what to do with. I started tossing mine into cookie dough one weekend when the kids wanted dessert, and it was one of those happy accidents that just stuck. The tang from the sourdough plays off the brown sugar and chocolate in a way that makes a regular chocolate chip cookie taste flat by comparison.
This sourdough chocolate chip cookie recipe skips all the fussy parts. No rolling dough balls, no chilling, no waiting around. You press it into your cast iron skillet, slide it in the oven, and 25 minutes later you have one giant, warm, golden cookie that the whole family will love.
If you enjoy easy cast iron desserts, you will also love my cast iron brownies and Dutch oven peach cobbler.
Why You’ll Love This Recipe
- Easy to Make: Simple pantry ingredients, one bowl, one skillet. You can have a warm chocolate chip skillet cookie on the table in about 35 minutes with almost zero cleanup.
- Uses Sourdough Discard: Stop throwing away your starter. It adds a subtle tang and a chewy texture that regular sourdough chocolate chip cookies just do not have.
- Cast Iron Does the Heavy Lifting: The skillet gives you crispy, golden edges while the center stays soft and gooey. That is the kind of texture you can not get from a baking sheet, and it is the reason cast iron is the right tool for this job.
- Perfect for Sharing: One giant cookie, straight from the skillet, with a scoop of ice cream on top. This is the kind of dessert that disappears before it has a chance to cool down.
Ingredients
- Shortening: Room-temperature shortening is the move here. It gives the cookie a soft, chewy texture and holds up better than butter during baking.
- Dark Brown Sugar: Packed dark brown sugar brings deep molasses flavor and keeps things moist.
- Granulated Sugar: Just a quarter cup balances the sweetness and helps you get those slightly crispy edges.
- Sourdough Starter: Half a cup of sourdough discard works perfectly. Fresh discard or something that has been sitting in the fridge for a few days, it all works.
- All-Purpose Flour: Nothing fancy. Standard flour gives the cookie structure without making it tough.
- Semi-Sweet Chocolate Chips: A full cup gives you melted pockets of chocolate in every bite.
- Baking Soda: Half a teaspoon provides just enough lift to keep things soft without puffing the cookie up.
See the recipe card below for exact ingredient amounts, nutritional information, and detailed instructions.
Variations
- Brown Butter Sourdough Cookie: Swap the shortening for butter and brown it first. You get a nutty, caramel-like flavor that makes the whole cookie richer.
- Double Chocolate Skillet Cookie: Toss 2 tablespoons of cocoa powder into the dry ingredients and swap half the chips for white chocolate. Rich, fudgy, and dangerous.
- Salted Caramel Skillet Cookie: Press caramel squares into the dough before baking and finish with flaky sea salt. Sweet and salty, comfort food done right.
- Peanut Butter Swirl: Drop spoonfuls of creamy peanut butter on top and drag a knife through before baking. If you are a chocolate and peanut butter person, this one is for you.
If you love skillet cookie recipes, try this popular skillet cookie next!
How to Make a Sourdough Chocolate Chip Skillet Cookie
Making a chocolate chip cookie in an iron skillet is about as simple as baking gets. Once the dough is pressed into your cast iron, the oven does the work for you.
- Step 1: Cream the Sugars and Shortening. In a large bowl, cream together the room-temperature shortening, dark brown sugar, and granulated sugar until light and fluffy. This is where the chewy texture starts.
- Step 2: Add the Wet Ingredients. Stir in the sourdough starter, vanilla extract, and milk (if you need it) until everything comes together. If your discard is on the thinner side, skip the milk, too much liquid will make the cookie cakey.
- Step 3: Combine and Add the Chocolate Chips. In a separate bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda, and salt. Add that to the wet ingredients and stir until a soft dough forms. Once the flour disappears, stop mixing. Fold in the semi-sweet chocolate chips.
- Step 4: Press into the Skillet and Bake. Lightly grease your 9-inch cast iron skillet and press the dough evenly into the bottom. Make sure it is level so the cookie bakes evenly. Slide it into a preheated 350 degree F oven and bake for 22 to 27 minutes, or until the edges turn golden.
- Step 5: Cool and Serve. Here is the important part, the center should still look a little underdone when you pull it out. The cast iron holds heat like nothing else and will keep cooking the cookie as it cools. Let it rest in the skillet for at least 10 minutes before slicing.
Expert Tips
- Do Not Overmix the Dough: Mix only until the flour disappears. Overmixing builds up gluten and turns your cookie dense and tough instead of soft and chewy.
- Trust the Cast Iron, Pull It Out Early: When the edges are golden but the center still looks a little jiggly, that is your cue. The cast iron holds so much heat that it keeps cooking the cookie long after you pull it from the oven.
- Level the Dough in the Skillet: Take 30 seconds to spread the dough flat and even. Uneven dough means one side overbakes before the other is done.
- Rotate the Skillet Halfway Through: Every oven has hot spots. Turn the skillet 180 degrees at the halfway mark for evenly browned edges.
- Room-Temperature Ingredients Matter: Cold shortening and cold discard do not cream well. Let everything sit out on the counter before you start.
Serving Suggestions
- The best way to eat this is straight from the skillet while it is still warm, with a scoop of vanilla ice cream melting on top. Drizzle on some homemade caramel sauce if you really want to go all in.
- We like to bring the whole skillet to the table and let everybody grab a spoon, no plates needed, perfect for busy weeknights. Serve it alongside my easy oatmeal skillet cookie for a full cast iron dessert spread.
- Leftover slices hold up great in lunchboxes, or warm a piece in the microwave for 15 seconds and serve it with a cold glass of milk.
Sourdough Chocolate Chip Skillet Cookie FAQs
You sure can. Swap it 1:1. The cookie will spread a little more and get slightly crispier, but it will taste great either way.
Yes. Make the dough up to 24 hours ahead and keep it in the fridge. Let it sit on the counter for about 10 minutes before you bake.
Cover the skillet or move slices to an airtight container. It keeps at room temperature for up to 3 days, or freeze wrapped slices for up to 2 months.
Pop a slice in the microwave for 15 to 20 seconds, or warm the whole skillet in the oven at 300 degrees F for a few minutes.
Skip the milk. Thin discard already has plenty of moisture, and too much liquid makes the cookie cakey instead of chewy.
A 10-inch works, just knock 3 to 5 minutes off the bake time. I would not go bigger than 10 inches, or you will lose that gooey center.
More Delicious Cast Iron Dessert Recipes
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Get the Recipe
Sourdough Chocolate Chip Skillet Cookie
Equipment
- 9-inch cast iron skillet
- Medium and large mixing bowls
- Hand mixer or whisk
- Spatula or wooden spoon
- Measuring spoons and cups
Ingredients
- ½ cup shortening room temperature
- ½ cup dark brown sugar packed
- ¼ cup granulated sugar
- ½ cup sourdough starter discard works perfectly
- 1 tablespoon milk optional, depending on sourdough consistency
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 ½ cups all-purpose flour
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
- In a large bowl, cream together shortening, dark brown sugar, and granulated sugar until light and fluffy.
- Stir in the sourdough starter, milk (if using), and vanilla extract until fully combined.
- In another bowl, whisk together all-purpose flour, baking soda, and salt.
- Add the dry ingredients to the wet mixture and stir until a soft dough forms. Do not overmix.
- Fold in the semi-sweet chocolate chips.
- Lightly grease a 9-inch cast iron skillet. Press the dough evenly into the skillet.
- Bake for 22 to 27 minutes or until the edges are golden brown. The center should be set but still slightly soft.
- Remove from the oven and cool in the skillet for at least 10 minutes before slicing and serving.
Notes
- Discard or active starter both work in this recipe. Discard gives a slightly tangier flavor.
- If your sourdough discard is thin, skip the milk to prevent a cakey texture.
- The cookie will continue to cook as it cools in the hot cast iron skillet, so do not overbake.
- Rotate the skillet halfway through baking for even browning.
- Store leftovers covered at room temperature for up to 3 days.
Nutrition
Dutch Oven Daddy is not a dietician or nutritionist, and any nutritional information shared is only an estimate. We recommend running the ingredients through an online nutritional calculator if you need to verify any information.
Linda says
Using the skillet makes the presentation so rustic and fun for a dinner party. The cookie baked very evenly and had a beautiful golden brown color on top. I appreciated the tip about not overbaking it to ensure the middle stays nice and fudgy.
Jim says
This recipe is foolproof and a great introduction to sourdough baking if you are just starting out. The combination of the dark chocolate and the buttery crust is fantastic. It is a giant cookie that is meant to be shared, though it is hard not to eat the whole thing yourself.
Susan says
I was worried the sourdough flavor might be too strong, but it is actually very subtle and adds a great depth to the dough. The instructions were very clear and my skillet cookie came out looking exactly like the pictures. It is now my favorite weekend treat to make for the family.
Tom says
I love how easy this is to throw together in one pan. The cast iron skillet gives the edges a wonderful crispness while the center stays soft and gooey just the way a cookie should be. It is a much more interesting flavor profile than a standard chocolate chip cookie.
Betty says
This skillet cookie is the absolute best way to use up my sourdough discard. The slight tang from the sourdough perfectly balances the sweetness of the chocolate chips, and the texture is incredibly chewy. We served it warm with a scoop of vanilla ice cream and it was gone in minutes.