Molten White Chocolate Matcha Skillet Lava Cookie

This molten white chocolate matcha skillet lava cookie is the dessert that does it all: a crisp, buttery cookie exterior with a deep green tea flavor, hiding a river of warm white chocolate that erupts the moment you dig in.

Topped with a scoop of matcha ice cream, it's a study in contrasts—hot and cold, crisp and gooey, earthy and sweet.

The combination of matcha and white chocolate is a classic for good reason: the grassy, slightly bitter notes of ceremonial green tea balance the sweet, creamy richness of white chocolate. Here, that pairing becomes a dramatic skillet cookie with a hidden molten core.

The dough comes together in one bowl, the lava center is simply white chocolate and cream frozen into a disk, and the whole thing bakes in a 6-inch skillet until the edges are crisp and the middle is still soft and gooey. A scoop of matcha ice cream on top melts into the warm cookie, making every spoonful a mix of textures and temperatures.

Ingredients

Why this recipe works

The technique of freezing a ganache disk before baking is what creates the dramatic molten center. As the cookie bakes, the edges set and crisp, while the frozen chocolate and cream slowly melt, staying liquid and gooey in the middle.

This is the same principle behind classic lava cakes, and it works flawlessly here, ensuring every bite has a warm, flowing chocolate core.

Baking in a cast iron skillet does more than look charming. The heavy pan conducts heat evenly, promoting a crisp, golden crust on the bottom and edges, while the center remains softer. The skillet also retains heat, keeping the cookie warm and the lava flowing long after it comes out of the oven, so you can savor every spoonful.

Notes and substitutions

Use ceremonial grade matcha for the best flavor and color. It's more vibrant and less bitter than culinary grades, which makes a noticeable difference in a dessert where matcha is the star. If you only have culinary grade, that will work, but the color may be less striking and the flavor slightly more astringent.

White chocolate chips are convenient, but a chopped white chocolate bar will give you larger, more luxurious pockets of chocolate in the dough.

For the lava center, be sure to use real white chocolate, not white chocolate chips that may contain stabilizers and not melt as smoothly. The heavy cream helps create a silky ganache that stays molten.

• ceremonial grade matcha powder: culinary grade matcha works, but use a vibrant green one for best color; ceremonial gives the smoothest flavor.
• white chocolate chips: white chocolate bar, chopped into chunks, for larger pockets of chocolate.
• heavy cream: half-and-half or whole milk, but the ganache will be slightly less rich.
• matcha ice cream: vanilla ice cream, if matcha is unavailable, but the green tea pairing is the point.

Equipment

• 6-inch cast iron skillet
• Mixing bowl
• Whisk
• Rubber spatula
• Small saucepan
• Freezer-safe dish