Cast Iron

Seeded Skillet Cookie

by:
March 16, 2011
4.5
2 Ratings
  • Serves 1-6
Author Notes

Sometimes I'm feeling a little "crunchy" when I reach for a sweet treat--this does the trick! - nishis —nishis

Test Kitchen Notes

I think the thing I like most about this cookie is that it adds a little seedy crunch without trying to be a "healthy cookie" because, let's face it, when you try too hard to make cookies healthy you usually wind up with something that no longer tastes very good. This cookie, on the other hand, tastes fantastic. It doesn't skimp on the butter -- in fact it takes the whole stick and browns it, giving the final product lovely caramel undertones. The seeds are definitely noticeable, but they just give the cookie a nice salty, nutty crunch without making it dry or heavy. I used chopped very dark chocolate (80% cocoa) instead of chips, and the cookie was sweet and rich enough to serve as a counterpoint to the deep bitter chocolate, however it's not too sweet and I'm sure it would be fabulous with a lighter chocolate as well. - fiveandspice —fiveandspice

What You'll Need
Ingredients
  • 8 tablespoons butter (1 stick)
  • 3/4 cup brown sugar
  • 1 egg
  • 1 tablespoon vanilla
  • 1 cup flour (white or whole wheat if you're feeling virtuous)
  • 1/4 teaspoon baking soda
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 1 tablespoon flaxseed
  • 1 tablespoon chia seeds
  • 1 cup chocolate chips
Directions
  1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Start by heating a smallish (8-9 inch) skillet (cast iron preferred). Cut butter into tablespoon pieces and add to warm skillet. Heat until brown solids form, smells nutty (is browned). If you are less practiced in browning butter, you can do this in a light colored pan, but I oppose dirtying another dish. Pour into a heatproof dish and stick it in the fridge for now.
  2. Add chia and hemp seeds to warm skillet and toast lightly with salt. Remove salty toasty seeds from skillet and set aside to cool. Remove skillet from heat and set aside to cool.
  3. Sift (or stir) together flour and baking soda. Stir in cooled salty seed mixture.
  4. Grab your now-coolish browned butter from the fridge and vigorously mix in brown sugar. Once well combined, add egg and vanilla. Resist eating/drinking mixture as-is.
  5. Combine wet ingredients with dry, stirring until combined. Then fold in chocolate chips and scrape your dough into the skillet. Spread it evenly in to the pan and pop that bad boy in to the oven for 25 (gooey) to 35 (crisp and proper) minutes. Remove, cool (optional), slice, and enjoy!

See what other Food52ers are saying.

  • dihacken
    dihacken
  • Beth
    Beth
  • Ghazzzit
    Ghazzzit
  • Chef Michael Kiss
    Chef Michael Kiss

5 Reviews

dihacken December 15, 2014
Wonderful! I used just 4 tablespoons of butter and 4 ounces of plain applesauce. I also opted for all whole wheat flour and 2 tablespoons of pre-roasted flax seeds. The cookie was moist, but not to sweet with a pleasant crunch from the seeds. I'll definitely be making this again!
 
Beth December 6, 2014
Is it 1 tablespoon of hemp seeds? They're not on the ingredient list, but I figured it'd be the same amount as the rest of the seeds.
 
Beth December 6, 2014
Looking at the recipe again, it says flax in the list, but hemp in the directions. I'm going to have to try this with all three, I just can't pick one over the other! :-)
 
Ghazzzit November 11, 2011
In the last couple of weeks since discovering your recipe I've made three skillet cookies and each time they come out fantastic! I only have a 10inch cast iron, so I 1.5x'd the recipe. After 25 mins in the oven the cookie comes out perfect. I've been slicing them into bars - after baking they're about 5/8in tall and the perfect chewy bite. I've used all whole wheat flour and tried subbing in pepitos, and almonds for the seeds. They're just the perfect amount of salty and sweet -thanks so much for sharing!
 
Chef M. April 21, 2011
This looks like a fantastic recipe. I will be trying it with the fresh ground flour from Whole Foodss Market Rockeville this weekend for holiday brunch.