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Author:
Tracy Nawara
Brownies baked in a brownie pan are delicious, but baking them in a cast-iron skillet is even better! Skillet brownies offer a crispness and a flavor that you can’t achieve using any other cooking vessel. Plus, serving sizes are large and pizza-shaped, which is fun for kids and adults alike.
The most simple way to make this dessert is using this easy skillet brownies recipe. It comes together in less than an hour and offers a rich, fudgy, melt-in-your-mouth experience. Not only is this recipe ultra chocolatey, but it also features strong coffee flavors, too. Coffee and chocolate enhance one another beautifully in any recipe, making these brownies super special.
Technically, any brownie recipe can be made into skillet brownies. You can take your favorite boxed brownies and bake them in a cast-iron skillet for an impressive presentation. Like most dishes, the cast iron offers a lot of flavor to the brownies as well as a crisp edge for those of you who like brownie end pieces.
To make this fabulous coffee brownie batter, you will need to start with strong-brewed espresso. This is one element that offers tons of coffee flavor, which only enhances the rich chocolate. Melt dark and milk chocolate along with some butter and mix to combine. This recipe is very balanced with the use of milk and dark chocolate, but you can use any high-quality chocolate that you like.
Instant espresso powder further highlights the coffee element while eggs bind the batter together. After carefully folding in some flour, the brownies are ready for the oven. By lightly greasing your cast iron, the brownies will release cleanly out of the pan.
Once the skillet brownies are fully baked, the consistency is very fudgy. You can insert a cake tester or toothpick to test the doneness, but the tester will never come out fully clean. If the cake tester comes out totally clean, that means the brownies are over-baked and will not be the fudgy consistency you are looking for.
After baking, this recipe calls for big scoops of vanilla ice cream and fudge sauce for even more decadence. Serve this dessert family-style; give everyone a spoon and welcome them to dig in. In the end, this coffee brownie becomes a large skillet brownie sundae for the whole family.
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Lightly grease a 10-inch cast-iron skillet and set it aside.
Brew your espresso and set it aside to cool slightly.
Add both types of chopped chocolate and the butter to a large bowl and microwave for 30-second intervals, stirring in between until the butter and chocolate are fully melted and combined. If you prefer all milk or dark chocolate, substitute the same amounts of your favorite.
Whisk in the cooled espresso, instant espresso powder, salt, sugar, eggs, and vanilla until smooth and glossy. You want this mixture to be as cool as possible so that the eggs don’t scramble in the batter.
Using a spatula, fold the flour into the wet ingredients until all of the flour is just moistened. Do not overmix.
Pour the contents of the batter into the greased cast iron skillet. Bake in a preheated oven for 35-40 minutes until a cake tester comes out just barely clean with a few fudgy streaks.
Remove the brownies from the oven and allow them to cool slightly.
When ready to serve, top the skillet with multiple scoops of vanilla ice cream and big swirls of fudge sauce. Serve warm in the skillet.
