Slow Cooker

Slow-Cooker Chocolate Chip Cookie

by:
June 22, 2021
4.3
15 Ratings
Slow-Cooker Chocolate Chip Cookie
Photo by Rocky Luten. Food Stylist: Anna Billingskog. Prop Stylist: Brooke Deonarine.
  • Prep time 15 minutes
  • Cook time 4 hours
  • Serves 4 to 6
Author Notes

Technically “baking cookies” in a slow cooker is a misnomer. You’ll need not turn on the oven nor dirty your cookie scoop, nor pull out your sheet pans, for this recipe. The ingredients are fairly standard otherwise: flour, sugar (white and dark brown), butter, eggs, vanilla. There’s an extra yolk for added moisture—though the final texture of this cookie is more akin to a cakey blondie than a crispy Tate’s cookie or chewy Toll House. When it comes to chocolate, I’m of the mindset that the darker, the better (at least 60%), but any blend of chopped chocolate—milk, semisweet, bittersweet, white, etc.—can also be quite exciting. Check the size of your slow cooker: this recipe was developed for a 6-quart slow cooker. If yours is larger or smaller the cook time may vary. —Rebecca Firkser

Test Kitchen Notes

This slow-cooker recipe is part of our Set It & Forget It series. —The Editors

What You'll Need
Ingredients
  • 2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
  • 1 teaspoon baking soda
  • 1 teaspoon kosher salt
  • 3/4 cup (1 1/2 sticks) unsalted butter, at room temperature
  • 3/4 cup dark brown sugar (or 3/4 cup light brown sugar + 2 teaspoons molasses)
  • 1/4 cup granulated sugar
  • 2 eggs, at room temperature
  • 1 egg yolk, at room temperature
  • 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
  • 1 cup roughly chopped bittersweet chocolate (or whatever chocolate you prefer in cookies)
  • Flaky sea salt
  • Vanilla ice cream, for serving (optional)
Directions
  1. Grease the bowl of a 6-quart slow cooker with cooking spray. Cut two 4-inch wide strips of parchment paper, place one in the slow cooker, give it another spritz of cooking spray, then lay down the other strip of parchment over it in the opposite direction, like a “+”.
  2. In a small bowl, whisk together flour, baking soda, and salt. Set aside.
  3. In a large bowl using a whisk or a hand mixer, or in the bowl of an electric stand mixer, cream together the butter and sugars at medium speed for about 5 minutes, or until lightened in color and fluffy. Scrape down the sides of the bowl and beat in eggs one at a time, waiting until the first is completely mixed in before beating in the second. Beat in the egg yolk. Beat in the vanilla.
  4. Mix in the flour mixture in 3 batches using a spoon until just combined, then fold in the chopped chocolate.
  5. Press the batter into prepared slow cooker, using an offset spatula to smear it into an even layer, and cover with lid. Cook on high for 1 1/2-2 hours or on low for 3 1/2-4 hours. The cook time will ultimately depend on the size and power of your slow cooker. The cookie should be fully cooked with a slightly molten center, which is perfect if you want to eat this cookie like spoonbread. If you want to slice the cookie into bars, cook for an additional 15-30 minutes on high (again, this time will ultimately depend on the size and power of your slow cooker model), until edges are golden brown but not starting to burn.
  6. Turn off the slow-cooker, and use potholders to transfer the insert to a cooling rack. Cool for at least 15 minutes, then remove from the insert by lifting up the exposed parchment strips. Discard parchment. Shower cookie with flaky sea salt and serve whole with a big scoop of ice cream on top and a pile of spoons. If you’re civilized, cut into slices like cake instead. If baked longer or in advance, cut the cookie into bars and store in an airtight container for up to 1 week.
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21 Reviews

Hannah
Hannah October 18, 2022
I used a civilized soup spoon to dole out servings from the slow cooker, as I forgot to line the bottom of it. Nothing went to waste, though - even the burnt part stuck on the bottom of the cooker was delicious! Nice and molten on the inside, almost sauce-like. This is the cake that begs for ice cream.
 
Cinda J.
Cinda J. December 12, 2021
I always include chopped walnuts in my chocolate chip cookies. Can they be added to this recipe? I’m definitely making this recipe because any form of chocolate chip cookies are a plus. Thank you 🍪
 
Samantha M.
Samantha M. April 12, 2020
More like a chocolate chip cookie cake. Took 2.5 hours on high in my 4 qt. Crock Pot. I took the precaution of wiping off the underside of the lid as it built up condensation from time to time. A tasty cake, with the effort!
 
Rosemary
Rosemary January 12, 2020
What would you suggest for a 4 quart slow cooker? It is an older model that really does have a "low" setting.
I suspect the problem with using the Instant Pot on a slow cooker setting is that the only heat source is on the bottom, unlike a slow cooker with bottom and side heat.
 
Rosemary
Rosemary January 12, 2020
The 4 quart does not have a removable insert.
My 6 quart is an oval, any thoughts on how that would work, and can this be made ahead and rewarmed? I am thinking about doing this for an informal lunch and there will be split pea soup in the 6 quart (and no, I won't consider making the soup in the Instant Pot. My slow cooker soup is too good to mess with.)
 
Rebecca F.
Rebecca F. January 13, 2020
I actually developed the recipe in a 6-qt oval slow cooker, so it will definitely work. You could rewarm the cookie on a parchment-lined sheet pan in a 200 degree F oven. I can't guarantee another size cooker will work (it's like using a larger/smaller baking dish for a recipe that says "use an 8-inch cake pan" etc); however you can try it in the 4-qt using a bit less of the batter, and the cook time will likely also shift a bit. To remove it from the cooker if the insert doesn't come out, turn off the cooker and let the cookie cool for 15ish minutes, then carefully lift the parchment and transfer to a wire rack.
 
Rosemary
Rosemary January 13, 2020
Thanks. The photo shows a round cookie, so I wondered.
 
Monica F.
Monica F. January 9, 2020
I love the idea of this, and it came out, texturally, the way one would want, but it has the bitter flavor of the wrong kind of chemical reaction...anyone else have this issue? I might try it next time with the Toll House cookie recipe and see what happens...Has anyone else tried with a different recipe?
 
sachuo
sachuo January 8, 2020
Made this according to the recipe, but used my rice cooker instead (ran it on 1.5 cycles of the white rice setting) - absolutely excellent! The cookie is soft and gooey, rather than dry and crisp. This is just the way I like it. I've made skillet cookies before, and I think I'll be ditching them in favor of the technique here. It yields a much better texture Imo. (I recommend adding whipped cream tahini and cinnamon on top)
 
Rebecca F.
Rebecca F. January 9, 2020
What a cool cooking method! I'm so glad it worked out. And whipped cream tahini sounds amazing!!
 
Cookiefeen
Cookiefeen January 3, 2020
Could I do this in the instant pot? If so how long?
 
Rebecca F.
Rebecca F. January 4, 2020
I haven't tested this recipe in an Instant Pot, but since the machine was a "slow cook" setting it should work with similar timing!
 
Cookiefeen
Cookiefeen January 9, 2020
So I tried it and it did not turn out :( the cookie did not cook evenly. It turned out to be uncooked on top then raw on the top. So I turned it back on. The bottom turned out to be hard and the top really, really wet :(
 
Rebecca F.
Rebecca F. January 9, 2020
I'm sorry to hear that! As I mentioned, I hadn't tested it in an Instant Pot, but since the gadgets claim to work similarly I thought it might be worth a try. One thing I realize: the instant pot is much smaller in diameter than the 6-qt slow cooker this recipe was developed for, so that's probably why it didn't cook evenly (like trying to bake a sheet cake recipe in an 8-inch cake pan, etc). If you try it again, press in less of the batter (about 1.5 inches thick). Or find a slow cooker to borrow! Again, I'm sorry it didn't work out!
 
ihaventpoisonedyouyet
ihaventpoisonedyouyet January 2, 2020
I have one thought about trying this again. Since mid-cooking it is nearly impossible to inspect for doneness, what do you think about making this inside a server like a soufflé dish that would fit inside the slow cooker? It could be removed to be checked and returned for additional cooking if needed. Maybe use an instant read thermometer and if so, what temp would I aim for?
 
Rebecca F.
Rebecca F. January 3, 2020
You can definitely use any oven-safe baking dish inside the slow cooker! Line the pan with parchment or grease with cooking spray before spreading in the batter. I've never used a thermometer on an item like this, but I would say look for the cookie to pull away from the edges of the pan and use a cake tester or toothpick poked in the center (when it comes out clean, you're good to go) to check for doneness, sort of like a tray of blondies.
 
ihaventpoisonedyouyet
ihaventpoisonedyouyet January 1, 2020
Wow! This did not go as planned. I used a 7 quart Crockpot. Mixed all ingredients exactly as written, prepped cooker as instructed, set it for 4 hours on low and went about making NYD dinner for guests with a measure of excitement that my brother in law who loves this kind of thing would be ecstatic. About two hours in I began to notice a burn smell. Ignored it because I don’t use this device often. After three hours I could no longer ignore the smell. This is presently sitting on top of the washing machine - the way station to the garbage. Maybe crockpots have different “low” temperature settings. Maybe I’ll try it again when I don’t have guests coming.
 
Rebecca F.
Rebecca F. January 2, 2020
Hi, I’m so sorry this happened! I developed this recipe for a 6-quart slow cooker, which is likely why it didn’t work in yours. Also, as you mentioned, “low” for one model doesn’t necessarily work exactly the same as another. I’ve made this note in the recipe! If you make it again in your larger cooker I’d suggest checking the cookie after 2 hours.
 
epicharis
epicharis December 31, 2019
This would have been a game-changer had I known about this in my 20s---imagine throwing this together in the crock pot before hitting the bars. As it is I can only admire the pure chaos energy here.
 
FrugalCat
FrugalCat December 30, 2019
I have a small (2 quart) slow cooker. Will this work in it?
 
Rebecca F.
Rebecca F. December 31, 2019
I have not tried it in a 2-quart slow-cooker, but I imagine it would work with a bit less batter. Since my pot is a 6-quart, I'd suggest you divide the batter into thirds and make 3 slightly less giant cookies.