Chocolate lovers rejoice! These cast iron skillet brownies are easy, quick, and ultra-fudgy, for a decadent chocolate dessert you can eat with a spoon!
Brownies have quickly become my “claim to fame” (seriously, these Condensed Milk Brownies put me on the map!), and since, I’ve been on a mission to perfect this skillet brownie.
Not only are these homemade brownies simple and delicious, but they only require one bowl and are ready in just 30 minutes.
Plus, using a cast iron skillet gives you the ultimate in texture, with crisp, buttery edges, a fudgy consistency throughout, and a gooey center with melty chocolate chips on top.
Cast Iron Brownies Ingredients
Here’s everything you need:
- Unsalted butter. If you want to use salted, just omit the added salt.
- Oil. Any mild oil like vegetable, canola, coconut (in liquid form), grapeseed.
- Granulated sugar.
- Vanilla extract.
- Eggs.
- All-purpose flour.
- Unsweetened cocoa powder. I use dark cocoa powder.
- Salt. For the batter, and some extra flaky sea salt for on top, if you’d like!
- Espresso powder. This is optional but really punches up the flavor of the chocolate.
- Chocolate chips. Dark or semi-sweet.
How to Make Brownies in a Cast Iron Skillet
Melt the Butter First
This recipe works best in an 8.5-inch cast iron skillet. While it will work in other sizes, the larger the skillet, the thinner your brownie will be.
Add the butter to your skillet and heat over medium until the butter is completely melted. Then, pour the melted butter into a large mixing bowl.
While some recipes advise you to mix the brownie batter directly in the cast iron skillet, I highly recommend mixing your batter in a separate bowl.
You know how much I love a one bowl baking recipe and advocate for simple, easy, and joyful baking. But there are two reasons I advise you to mix your batter outside the skillet.
For one, melting the butter in the skillet and then transferring it to a bowl will leave a thin layer of butter in the bottom of the skillet. The batter then cooks in the butter giving it a next-level crispy edge and succulent, fudgy interior.
Secondly, mixing the egg in with the residual heat in the skillet can risk the eggs getting scrambled in your batter, which will completely ruin the brownies.
How to Make a Simple Brownie Batter
Add the melted butter, oil, and sugar to a large mixing bowl and whisk to combine. Then, whisk in the egg and vanilla extract until well-combined.
Finally, add the cocoa powder, flour, espresso powder, and salt. Whisk until everything is smooth. You may need to grab a rubber spatula and scrape any ingredients stuck on the sides to ensure everything is integrated.
Then, transfer the brownie batter back to the buttered cast iron skillet. P.S. If you enjoy eating the brownie batter more than the actual brownies, then stop what you’re doing and check out this Edible Brownie Batter instead!!
Add the Chocolate and Bake
Use a rubber spatula to transfer the brownie batter back to the cast iron skillet, scraping the sides to get all the chocolatey goodness out of the bowl and into the cast iron.
Then, add a layer of chocolate chips on top and bake the brownies in the 350°F preheated oven for 20-22 minutes. The layer of melted butter in the skillet will give you the most delicious edges!
Serving Your Cast Iron Skillet Brownies
I love serving these cast iron brownies up with some flaky sea salt and a dollop of whipped cream. Vanilla ice cream would also be absolutely delicious on these!
You can dig in right away with a spoon or wait ’til they cool and slice into individual brownies as you would a cake.
How to Properly Store and Reheat Cast Iron Skillet Brownies
If you think you’ll finish these brownies in 1-3 days, you can opt to store it right in the cast iron skillet at room temperature covered with aluminum foil.
However, if you think you’ll have them for longer, it’s best to transfer them to an airtight container where they will last a week at room temperature or a little longer in the fridge.
You can slice and freeze these in a freezer-safe storage bag for up to 5 months.
I love to heat leftovers up so I get that same ooey-gooey warm and melty goodness as when they’re fresh out of the oven. Individual portions can be reheated in the microwave for 10-20 seconds.
If you’re storing leftovers in the cast iron skillet, preheat your oven to 350°F and place them right back in the oven.
The time it takes to reheat depends entirely on how much is left, so I would just check it every 5 minutes until it’s nice and warm and the chocolate chips are melty.
Fudgy Cast Iron Skillet Brownies
SAVE RECIPE TO COLLECTION PIN PRINT RATEEquipment
- 8.5-Inch Cast Iron Skillet this is the optimal size for the best thickness
Ingredients
- ½ cup unsalted butter
- 1 tablespoon oil (vegetable, canola, or coconut)
- 1 ¼ cup granulated sugar
- 2 large eggs
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- ½ cup all-purpose flour
- ½ cup unsweetened cocoa powder (I used dark)
- ½ teaspoon salt (plus extra flaky salt for on top (optional))
- 1 teaspoon espresso powder (optional)
- ¾ cup chocolate chips (dark or semi-sweet)
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350°F.
- In an 8.5-inch cast iron skillet over medium heat, melt the butter. Option to leave the butter longer to brown it (see notes). Pour the melted butter into a large mixing bowl, leaving a thin coat of butter in the cast iron skillet.½ cup unsalted butter
- Add the oil and sugar to the melted butter and whisk to combine.1 tablespoon oil, 1 ¼ cup granulated sugar
- Whisk in the eggs and vanilla extract.2 large eggs, 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- Whisk in the flour, cocoa powder, salt, and espresso powder (optional).½ cup all-purpose flour, ½ cup unsweetened cocoa powder, ½ teaspoon salt, 1 teaspoon espresso powder
- Transfer the brownie batter back to the greased cast iron skillet and smooth it out in an even layer.
- Cover the batter with an even layer of chocolate chips.¾ cup chocolate chips
- Bake for 20-22 minutes. Add flaky sea salt (optional) and enjoy!
Pro Tips
- If you want to brown your butter for more complex flavor, keep your butter over medium heat for 5-8 minutes, until it starts to turn light brown. Then, transfer to your bowl and go from there.
- The espresso powder is optional but is more just to boost the flavor of the chocolate, not to add a coffee flavor to your brownies.
- Make sure the batter is smooth and free of clumps before adding it to your baking pan. If your cocoa powder is extra clumpy, consider sifting it!
