Description
Follow this recipe for a deeply chocolatey brownie batter that bakes to perfection in an oven-safe skillet. You’re only 1 hour away from a warm and exquisitely rich spoonful. I use and recommend bittersweet chocolate.
Ingredients
- 3/4 cup (12 Tbsp; 170g) unsalted butter
- 2 Tablespoons vegetable oil
- 4 ounces (113g) bittersweet or semi-sweet chocolate*, coarsely chopped
- 1 and 1/2 cups (300g) granulated sugar
- 3 large eggs, at room temperature
- 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
- 1/2 cup (42g) unsweetened natural or Dutch-process cocoa powder*
- 1 cup (125g) all-purpose flour (spooned & leveled)
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1 cup + 2 Tablespoons (about 200g) semi-sweet chocolate chips, divided
- optional for serving: ice cream, salted caramel sauce, and/or hot fudge sauce
Instructions
- In a medium saucepan set over medium heat, stir the butter, oil, chocolate, and sugar until melted and smooth, about 5 minutes. (Or place in a large microwave-safe bowl and microwave in 20-second increments, stirring after each increment, until melted and smooth.) Pour into a large mixing bowl and whisk to make sure it’s completely smooth and not grainy. Set aside to slightly cool for 5 minutes.
- Adjust the oven rack to the lower third position and preheat oven to 350°F (177°C). Lightly grease a 10-inch cast iron skillet.
- Add the eggs and vanilla to the bowl with the melted chocolate, and whisk until combined. Stir in the cocoa powder, flour, and salt. Once combined, fold in 1 cup chocolate chips.
- Pour batter into the prepared skillet and sprinkle the remaining 2 Tablespoons chocolate chips over the top. Bake for 30–36 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out with a few moist crumbs. Err on the side of underbaking, which gives you that gooey brownie center.
- Allow the skillet brownie to cool for 5 minutes before serving.
Notes
- Special Tools (affiliate links): Medium Saucepan | Glass Mixing Bowl | 10-inch Oven-Safe Skillet | Whisk | Silicone Spatula
- Chocolate: For best taste and texture, melt quality pure chocolate—not chocolate chips (only use chocolate chips when stirring into the batter in step 3). I always use Ghirardelli or Baker’s brand chocolate baking bars, in either bittersweet (60% cacao) or semi-sweet (56% cacao), found in the grocery store baking aisle.
- Cocoa Powder: While you can use unsweetened natural cocoa powder in this recipe, I strongly recommend using Dutch-process cocoa for the best flavor.
- Skillet: The most important part of this recipe is using an oven-safe skillet. You want anything from 9–12 inches in diameter. 10 inches is ideal for this recipe. This size yields a thick, but not too thick skillet brownie. If using a different size, adjust the baking time. A larger skillet will take a little less time, a smaller skillet will take a little more time.
- Updated in 2024: I updated this recipe in 2024 to produce a thicker, richer, and fudgier brownie that has more consistent results. The original recipe published in 2015 is this exact brownie batter (minus the frosting on top), so you can bake that batter in a skillet if you want the older recipe. Same oven temperature and bake time as above.