How to Make a Skillet Brownie

With its combination of melted chocolate, cocoa powder, and chocolate chips, this skillet brownie is for devoted chocolate lovers only. 😉 Easy to make, no mixer required, and ready to eat in about an hour… it’s quite possibly the richest, most decadent thing to ever grace your cast-iron skillet.

I originally published this recipe in 2015 and have since made a few updates to produce a thicker, fudgier brownie.

Have you ever wondered how much chocolate you can pack into a single skillet? (It’s a common thing to wonder about, I know.) Because we’re testing the limit here, and I think we may have reached it. This unapologetically rich, dense and fudgy, ooey-gooey skillet brownie contains cocoa powder, pure melted chocolate, and chocolate chips. A chocolate trifecta baked in one skillet!

I have many recipes for brownies both on my site and in my cookbooks, ranging from simple (homemade brownies) to over-the-top (cookies & cream brownies), so why do we need another brownie recipe? Well…

Here’s Why You Should Bake a Skillet Brownie:

• Rather than waiting for the brownies to cool before cutting, a skillet brownie is made for digging in right away. Warm gooey brownie goodness!
• Easy to make and tastes so, so much better than a box mix.
• Ready to serve and eat in about an hour, joining 30+ other recipes in my collection of Quick Dessert Recipes.
• Like a chocolate chip skillet cookie, only in triple-chocolate brownie form.
• Did I mention the warm gooey brownie goodness? Ice cream’s best friend!

What’s the Best Kind of Chocolate to Use in Brownies?

For extreme, supreme chocolate flavor, use pure melted chocolate and cocoa powder. You can make brownies with either or both, and I prefer both. The resulting brownies are fabulously rich and deeply, intensely chocolatey.

For the melted chocolate, chop up a 4-ounce (113g) bar of bittersweet chocolate (60% cacao). Semi-sweet (56% cacao) chocolate works too. I like the chocolate baking bars by Ghirardelli or Baker’s brands, found in the grocery store baking aisle.

And for the cocoa powder, while you can use unsweetened natural cocoa powder in this skillet brownie, I strongly suggest using Dutch-processed cocoa powder for a deeper, smoother chocolate flavor. (Learn more about Dutch-process vs. natural cocoa powder here. And if you’re looking for a recommendation, I really like this brand of Dutch-process cocoa powder. I’m not working with this company, just a fan!)

Here are the rest of the ingredients you need:

1. Butter & Oil: Butter adds flavor and oil keeps the brownies moist. I like using both.
2. Granulated Sugar: Sugar does much more than sweeten brownies. It liquifies as they bake, creating a softer center and aids in creating that signature shiny, crackly brownie crust on top.
3. Eggs: Eggs are one of the main ingredients in brownies. Just as they do in my beloved flourless chocolate cake recipe, eggs bind, add richness, tenderize, and provide structure here. This brownie recipe uses 3 eggs, which give the skillet brownie a tight crumb and fudgy texture.
4. Vanilla Extract: Yes, even something so purely chocolate needs vanilla.
5. Flour: The cocoa powder takes the place of some flour, so you only need 1 cup of flour here. The more flour in brownies, the cakier they will taste. We want dense and fudgy brownies, so use as little flour as possible.
6. Salt: To balance the sweet.
7. Chocolate Chips: Could these brownies BE any more chocolatey? Yes. Because we are adding semi-sweet chocolate chips, too.

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Overview: How to Make It

Start by chopping up the bar of chocolate and melting it together with the butter, oil, and sugar. You can do this in a saucepan on the stovetop; or simply microwave it, stirring every 20 seconds. Once it’s completely melted, pour into a large mixing bowl and give it a good whisk to make sure the sugar is dissolved and the mixture is smooth and not grainy.

Let the chocolate mixture cool for about 10 minutes, then whisk in the remaining ingredients. The brownie batter is thick.

I like to add a few more chocolate chips to the top of the batter right before the skillet goes into the oven.

The skillet brownie bakes for about half an hour; you want to err on the side of underbaking, so take it out once the edges are set and the center is just about cooked though, but still quite soft. Like a molten chocolate lava cake, you want that gooey brownie center.

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Best Skillet to Use for Skillet Brownies

This skillet brownie comes together with minimal baking tools. The most important of which is, of course, a skillet. I use this 10-inch cast-iron skillet, which I’m happy to recommend because it’s useful for so many different recipes, comes pre-seasoned, and is high quality—it’s held up incredibly well after years of use. It’s also a phenomenal value for the price. (Not working with the brand, just a fan!)

But you can use any oven-safe skillet that is between 9–12 inches in diameter. If your skillet is 9 inches, the brownie will be a little thicker and will take a few extra minutes to bake; likewise, if your skillet is larger than 10 inches, you’ll need to reduce the baking time, because the brownie will be a bit thinner.

Now, here’s the non-negotiable: This skillet brownie simply MUST be served warm and topped with ice cream. And if you want to go all out, add a drizzle of salted caramel or homemade hot fudge sauce!

More Recipes to Make in Your Skillet

• Cherry Cobbler
• Frittata
• Dutch Baby Pancake
• Skillet Honey Cornbread
• Sea Salt & Herb Skillet Rolls
• Skillet Apple Cider Chicken
• Blackberry Peach Skillet Cornbread Cake
• Bruschetta Chicken
• Asiago-Crusted Skillet Bread

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