A Warm, Gooey Caramel Apple Skillet Oatmeal Cookie Made For Sharing

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Skillet cookies, a dessert that dates back to the '90s, remain a chain restaurant staple some three decades later. Chili's and Outback still offer them (check out how we ranked them), but of course, a good skillet cookie goes far beyond the realm of chain restaurants. This caramel apple skillet oatmeal cookie recipe isn't a chain restaurant copycat, for example, but is instead recipe developer Patterson Watkins' own creation. "This is such a fabulous fall/winter recipe," she says of her sweet and spiced cookie creation. "The warm, buttery apple topping is legendary. Simple, sweet-tart, and that perfect level of baking spice richness. The oatmeal cookie is soft and chewy with a nice layering of apple flavor."

This skillet cookie is made in a 12-inch pan, but if you'd like to serve individual-sized portions like a restaurant would do, you can divvy the dough up between two six-inch pans. Just remember to rotate the pans in the oven so the cookies will bake more evenly. Otherwise, there's nothing stopping the whole family from digging into the big skillet, one that's packed with a fall-inspired warmth, and one that offers a uniquely oatmeal-infused take on the classic skillet cookie.

The cookie base is made from butter, brown sugar, white sugar, an egg, vanilla, flour, baking soda, salt, dried apples, and oats. For the caramel apple topping, you'll also need non-dried apples, cinnamon, nutmeg, and cloves. And, to top off the finished skillet, you may want some vanilla ice cream on hand for serving.

Preheat the oven to 350 F.

Generously spritz a large (12-inch) oven-proof skillet with cooking spray.

To make the cookie dough, place the softened butter, brown sugar, and granulated sugar in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment.

Beat the butter and sugars together until combined.

Add the egg and vanilla extract to the bowl and beat until combined.

In a separate bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda, and salt.

Add the dry flour mix to the butter/sugar mixture and stir until combined.

Add the dried apples and the oats to the bowl and gently stir until combined.

Transfer the cookie dough to the prepared skillet and spread out evenly.

Place the skillet in the oven and bake for 20 to 25 minutes, or until the edges of the cookie are golden brown and the center is slightly soft.

While the cookie is baking, make the apple topping by melting the butter in another large skillet over medium heat.

Once melted, add the apples, and saute for 3 to 5 minutes or until tender-crisp.

Add the brown sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg, and cloves to the skillet and stir to coat and combine.

Bring to a low simmer, stirring frequently, and continue to cook until the pan drippings become syrupy and thicken, about 5 minutes more. Set aside until ready to serve (reheat over low heat, if necessary, if the caramel apple mixture cools).

Once baked, remove the cookie from the oven and set aside to cool on a wire rack for 5 minutes.

Top the cookie with the caramel apples and serve with vanilla ice cream, if desired.

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This dessert gets a double dose of apple: the dried ones in the cookie, plus the apples in caramel sauce used as a topping. For the former, you can buy any form of dried apples you can find — freeze-dried ones will work, as will apple chips or dried apple rings. You can also make your own dried apples by slicing fresh ones ¼-inch thick and baking them at 200 degrees Fahrenheit for an hour to an hour and a half. Whichever form of dried apples you use, do not exceed the amount called for in this recipe. Dried apples absorb the moisture from the dough, and too many of them will result in a dry cookie.

For the apples used in the topping, you can use whatever apples you have on hand or the variety that most appeals to you. Granny Smiths are a classic tart baking apple that contrasts nicely with the sugary sauce. However, if you want to go all-in on sweetness, you could pick an apple like Braeburn, McIntosh, Honeycrisp, or even Golden Delicious. You could also mix and match your apples. Doing so often makes for better baked goods, and there's no reason it won't work for a caramel apple topping, too.

One way to change up the cookie would be to add some nuts to either the cookie mixture or the topping. Chopped walnuts would be a great choice to go with the apples, though pecans or walnuts would also work well. You could also opt for a different kind of dried fruit, such as cranberries, either as an addition to the apples or to replace them. It's also possible to switch up the fruit used in the topping. Instead of caramel apples, you could do cherries or strawberries for something more summery. In that case, though, you might want to use white sugar instead of brown and replace the baking spices with almond extract or lemon zest. Just make sure to use a fruit that stands up to cooking — think fruits that might be used in a pie filling. Watery fruits like melon won't work, as they may turn to mush when heated.

As for the optional à la mode, you needn't stick to using vanilla ice cream. Butter pecan and dulce de leche would also complement a caramel apple topping, and if you switch out the fruit for strawberries or raspberries, chocolate would pair perfectly with those flavors. Whipped cream could make for a lighter alternative to ice cream while still maintaining that cooling, creamy element.

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