Save My roommate came home one afternoon raving about a Chunky Monkey smoothie she'd had for breakfast, describing it with such enthusiasm that I found myself thinking about bananas and chocolate for hours afterward. That night, I wondered what would happen if I baked those flavors into something warm and shareable—something you could pull straight from the oven and eat with your hands. The cast-iron skillet seemed like the obvious choice; it felt more like an event than plating individual cookies. When I pulled it out golden and fragrant, the kitchen smelled like caramelized banana and melted chocolate, and I knew I'd found something worth repeating.
I made this for a Sunday gathering where everyone arrived with their own contributions, and I'll admit I was nervous about whether a skillet cookie would feel too casual. The moment I set it on the table and cut into it, people's eyes lit up—there's something about the way the chocolate and banana ribbons through each slice that makes people want more. It became the first thing gone, which might be my favorite kind of compliment.
Ingredients
- Old-fashioned rolled oats (1 ½ cups): These give the cookie its backbone and a pleasant chewiness; quick oats will make it too uniform and dense, so don't swap them out.
- All-purpose flour (1 cup): Standard flour works beautifully here, and measuring by weight rather than sight prevents the common mistake of packing it too tight.
- Baking soda and baking powder (½ teaspoon each): They work together to lift the cookie and keep it tender; don't skimp on either.
- Salt (¼ teaspoon): Just enough to whisper into the background and make everything else taste more like itself.
- Unsalted butter, melted (½ cup): Melted butter mixes faster and distributes more evenly than creaming does, which matters when you're folding rather than beating.
- Brown sugar and granulated sugar (⅓ cup each): The combo of both creates complexity—brown sugar brings moisture and depth, granulated sugar brings snap to the edges.
- Large egg (1): One egg binds everything without making the texture heavy or cakey.
- Pure vanilla extract (1 teaspoon): Don't use imitation here; it's one of the few places you'll actually taste it.
- Ripe bananas, mashed (about 1 cup from 2 bananas): They should be soft enough that a fork breaks them down easily, and slightly speckled is fine—that sweetness is exactly what you want.
- Semisweet chocolate chips (½ cup): These melt slightly during baking and create pockets of richness throughout.
- Chopped walnuts (½ cup): Toast them lightly first if you have time; it deepens their flavor and keeps them from tasting one-dimensional.
- Chopped dark chocolate (½ cup, optional): This pushes the recipe toward more sophisticated territory and is worth the small effort of chopping.
Instructions
- Get your oven and skillet ready:
- Preheat to 350°F and grease your 10-inch cast-iron skillet with butter or spray—the skillet conducts heat beautifully and browns the edges just right. If you don't have cast iron, any oven-safe pan the same size works, though the bottom won't develop quite the same golden crust.
- Combine your dry team:
- In a medium bowl, whisk together oats, flour, baking soda, baking powder, and salt until everything is evenly distributed. This prevents pockets of baking soda from creating soapy spots later.
- Mix wet ingredients into richness:
- In a large bowl, stir together melted butter and both sugars until the mixture looks creamy and well combined. The melted butter means no need to wait for softening or creaming—it's faster and actually works better for this texture.
- Wake up the batter with banana:
- Beat in the egg and vanilla, then stir in mashed bananas until you don't see any white streaks anymore. The banana will look slightly grainy, which is normal; you're not making a smoothie.
- Fold everything together gently:
- Gradually fold the dry mixture into the wet mixture using a rubber spatula, stirring just until you don't see flour anymore—this is where restraint matters. Overmixing toughens the cookie and makes it cakey instead of tender.
- Scatter in your add-ins:
- Gently fold in chocolate chips, walnuts, and chopped dark chocolate if you're using it, being careful not to crush the banana or overwork the batter. The add-ins should be distributed evenly but the batter should still feel soft and yielding.
- Spread into the skillet:
- Pour the batter into your prepared skillet and use the spatula to even it out—aim for uniform thickness so it bakes at the same rate throughout. It's okay if it's not perfectly smooth; rustic looks better anyway.
- Bake until golden at the edges:
- Set a timer for 22 minutes and check—the edges should be turning golden and a toothpick in the center should come out with just a few moist crumbs clinging to it. If the center still looks raw, give it another 2–3 minutes and check again.
- Cool, then serve warm:
- Let it rest in the skillet for about 10 minutes so it sets enough to cut cleanly but is still warm and slightly soft inside. Serve straight from the skillet, optionally topped with a scoop of vanilla or chocolate ice cream that melts into the warm cookie.
Save There's a moment when you pull this skillet from the oven and the whole room fills with that warm, yeasty-sweet smell of banana and chocolate baking together—that's when you know you've made something people will remember. It stops being just dessert and becomes an occasion.
Why Cast Iron Matters Here
Cast iron conducts heat differently than regular baking pans, creating those caramelized, crispy-edged corners while keeping the center tender and moist. It also looks beautiful when you set it on the table, which means less plating work and more of that rustic charm people actually want. Plus, serving straight from the skillet keeps it warm longer, and everyone gets to tear off a piece like you're all gathered around something special.
Variations That Actually Work
Once you understand the base of this recipe, you can pivot it in different directions without losing what makes it good. Pecans swap in for walnuts without any adjustment, and dried cherries can replace or join the chocolate chips if you want brightness cutting through the richness. For a vegan version, coconut oil takes butter's place and a flax egg (1 tablespoon ground flaxseed mixed with 2.5 tablespoons water, left to sit for 5 minutes) replaces the regular egg—everything works just the same, and honestly the flavor is nearly identical.
Serving Suggestions and Storage
This skillet is best eaten warm on the day you bake it, but it keeps beautifully in an airtight container for up to three days—just warm it gently in the oven before serving so it tastes fresh again. Ice cream is the obvious pairing, but it's also spectacular with a cup of coffee in the afternoon or as an unexpected ending to a casual dinner. It travels well too, so if you're bringing dessert somewhere, you can bake it at home, let it cool completely, wrap the whole skillet in foil, and reheat it wherever you're going.
- A scoop of vanilla ice cream melting into warm cookie is the classic move, but chocolate or salted caramel ice cream adds sophisticated depth.
- Leftover pieces stay moist in the skillet and reheat beautifully in a 300°F oven for about 5 minutes.
- If you want to make it ahead, mix the dry and wet ingredients separately the night before and fold them together just before baking.
Save This recipe became one of those dishes I make when I want to feel like I'm doing something kind for the people around me—it's not complicated or pretentious, just warm and generous and a little bit indulgent. Make it once and you'll understand why.
Recipe Questions & Answers
- → Can I make this skillet vegan?
Yes—replace butter with melted coconut oil and substitute the egg with a flax egg (1 tablespoon ground flaxseed mixed with 2.5 tablespoons water). Let the flax mixture sit for 5 minutes until gelatinous before adding.
- → What size skillet works best?
A 10-inch cast-iron skillet or any oven-safe pan of similar size provides the ideal thickness for even baking. Larger skillets will yield a thinner finished product.
- → How do I know when it's done baking?
The edges should turn golden brown, and a toothpick inserted in the center should come out with just a few moist crumbs. The center will set slightly as it cools.
- → Can I prepare the batter ahead of time?
Mix the batter up to 24 hours in advance and store it covered in the refrigerator. Bring to room temperature for 15 minutes before baking, adding 2-3 extra minutes to the baking time.
- → What toppings complement this skillet?
Warm servings pair beautifully with vanilla or chocolate ice cream. A drizzle of caramel sauce, fresh banana slices, or a sprinkle of sea salt also enhances the flavors.
- → Can I substitute the walnuts?
Pecans work beautifully as a direct substitute. For nut-free versions, try toasted pecan pieces or omit nuts entirely and add extra chocolate chips instead.