Brown Butter Hazelnut Skillet Cookie with Dark Chocolate and Sea Salt

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This towering brown butter skillet cookie is the ultimate shareable dessert — crispy at the edges, chewy in the center, and loaded with toasted hazelnuts and dark chocolate chunks. Brown butter adds a deep, nutty complexity that elevates a classic chocolate chip cookie into something truly special.

Nutrition Facts

Per serving (estimated)

• 520 kcalCalories
• 26 gFat
• 10 gSaturated Fat
• 64 gCarbs
• 3 gFiber
• 38 gSugar
• 8 gProtein
• 520 mgSodium
• 320 mgPotassium
• 55 mgCalcium
• 3 mgIron
• 0 mgVitamin C
• 170 mcgVitamin A

Ingredients

For the Brown Butter

• 113 g unsalted butter (1 stick)

For the Cookie Dough

• 200 g all-purpose flour (1⅔ cups)
• 1 tsp baking soda
• ½ tsp fine sea salt
• 1 tsp ground cinnamon
• 140 g light brown sugar (¾ cup, packed)
• 50 g granulated sugar (¼ cup)
• 2 large eggs, room temperature
• 2 tsp pure vanilla extract

For the Mix-Ins and Finishing

• 100 g dark chocolate (70%), roughly chopped into shards
• 60 g hazelnuts, toasted and roughly chopped
• 1 tsp flaky sea salt (Maldon or similar)
• 2 tbsp unsalted butter, for the skillet

Directions

1. In a 10-inch cast iron skillet, melt 2 tbsp butter over medium heat, swirling occasionally, until it foams and turns golden amber with a nutty aroma, about 4–5 minutes. Pour into a large mixing bowl and let cool for 10 minutes.
2. Preheat your oven to 350°F (175°C). While the butter cools, whisk together the flour, baking soda, fine sea salt, and cinnamon in a medium bowl.
3. Add both sugars to the cooled brown butter and whisk vigorously for 1 minute until smooth and slightly thickened. Add the eggs one at a time, whisking well after each, then stir in the vanilla extract.
4. Pour the flour mixture into the butter-sugar mixture and fold with a rubber spatula until just combined — stop when you see a few streaks of flour.
5. Fold in the chopped chocolate shards and toasted hazelnuts until evenly distributed throughout the dough.
6. Press the dough into the prepared skillet in an even layer, filling it nearly to the edges. Sprinkle the flaky sea salt generously over the top.
7. Bake for 18–22 minutes, until the edges are deeply golden and set but the center still looks slightly underdone and glossy.
8. Remove from the oven and let cool in the skillet for at least 10 minutes — the center will firm up as it rests. Serve warm, scooping directly from the skillet.

Cook’s Notes

• Watch the brown butter carefully — it goes from golden to burnt quickly once it starts to smell nutty. Remove from heat the moment you see amber color.
• Toasting hazelnuts: spread on a baking sheet and bake at 350°F for 8–10 minutes, then rub in a clean kitchen towel to remove the papery skins.
• For cleanest slicing, let the cookie cool at least 15 minutes before cutting wedges with a sharp knife.
• This cookie is best served the day it's baked; reheat leftover portions in a 300°F oven for 5 minutes to restore crispness.
• If you don't have a cast iron skillet, a 10-inch round cake pan lined with parchment works as a substitute.