Meet the Dessert That’s a Brownie, Cookie, and Cake All at Once

I’ve had every flavor from classic chocolate chip to festive rainbow M&M. So, believe me when I tell you that this skillet brownie cookie blows the rest of them out of the water. It’s the size of a cake, the texture of a cookie, and the taste of a brownie—and it’s made in a skillet.

This genius idea is one that the ATK Kids team developed for our most recent cookbook, The Complete Cookbook for Teen Chefs. Keep on scrolling for the recipe (and to find out what makes it work). Be sure to pick up a copy of the book for more dessert recipes, including Apple-Cinnamon Doughnuts and Salted Butterscotch Cupcakes.

One important element of this recipe is the use of a cast-iron skillet. Cast iron is generally the best choice when moving something from the stovetop to the oven, and in this recipe, there’s an added bonus: You can melt the butter right in the skillet, giving you a pregreased surface (no sticking here), plus one less vessel to clean.

If you don’t have a 10-inch cast-iron skillet, you can use a 9-inch cake pan or a springform pan. If you use either of those, you’ll just want to make sure you melt the butter before starting the recipe.

The melted butter is added to the other ingredients. Using both Dutch-processed cocoa powder and chocolate chips packs a double chocolate punch, giving this creation the best brownie flavor. Once combined, transfer the mixture right back into the skillet—no tedious scooping or rolling of the dough required! Then, stick the whole thing in the oven for less than 20 minutes. 

The resulting brownie cookie is a dessert worth displaying: It has a beautiful shine, plus chewy cookie-like edges and a fudgy brownie-like center. Cut it like a cake, top it with some vanilla ice cream or whipped cream, and impress everyone at your next party. Or, just keep it for yourself—I certainly couldn’t blame you.