Craving a sweet treat? Use your cast-iron skillet to make a luscious dessert

Lawman Johnson, America's Test Kitchen on Mar 13, 2024

A 12-inch cast-iron skillet can handle just about any meal, from breakfast to dessert — and brownies are no exception. The best ones have crispy, chewy edges and rich, fudgy middles.

A combination of Dutch-processed cocoa powder and unsweetened chocolate created complexity, and a little vanilla added more depth. To achieve that perfect fudginess, we took inspiration from fudge. Many fudge recipes call for marshmallows or a marshmallow product. By simply melting some marshmallows along with the cocoa powder mixture, we created a super-fudgy batter.

To add a pleasantly subtle warmth to our brownies, we added a combination of cinnamon, pepper, and cayenne with the flour mixture. The heat complemented the otherwise sweet brownie.

Finally, we folded in bittersweet chocolate chunks for gooey pockets of lush melted chocolate throughout the brownie.

A well-greased skillet ensured that there weren’t any issues when removing the brownie wedges from the pan. We baked the brownie on the bottom rack of a preheated 350-degree oven for about 35 minutes and then allowed it to bake further on a wire rack (due to the cast iron’s strong heat retention), resulting in the right soft and fudgy interior. Top with a scoop or two of your favorite ice cream.

Spiced Cast-Iron Brownie

Serves 12 to 14

2 ounces (57 grams) marshmallows, (about 8 large marshmallows)

1/2 cup plus 2 tablespoons warm tap water

4 tablespoons unsalted butter, cut into 4 pieces

2 ounces (57 grams) unsweetened chocolate, chopped fine

1/3 cup (1 ounces/28 grams) Dutch-processed cocoa powder

2 1/2 cups (17 1/2 ounces/496 grams) sugar

1/2 cup vegetable oil

2 large eggs, plus 2 large yolks

2 teaspoons vanilla extract

1 3/4 cups (8 3/4 ounces/248 grams) all-purpose flour

1 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon

1 teaspoon table salt

1/4 teaspoon pepper

1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper

6 ounces (170 grams) bittersweet chocolate, chopped

1. Adjust oven rack to lowest position and heat oven to 350 degrees. Grease 12-inch cast-iron skillet.

2. Combine marshmallows, warm tap water, butter, unsweetened chocolate, and cocoa powder in a large bowl. Microwave at 50% power, stirring occasionally, until chocolate is fully melted and mixture is smooth, 2 to 4 minutes. Let cool for 5 minutes.

3. Whisk in sugar, oil, eggs and yolks, and vanilla until fully combined. Gently whisk in flour, cinnamon, salt, pepper, and cayenne until just incorporated. Stir in bittersweet chocolate.

4. Transfer batter to prepared skillet. Bake until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out with few moist crumbs and batter attached (be careful not to overbake; brownie will continue to bake as it cools), 33 to 38 minutes, rotating skillet halfway through baking. Transfer skillet to wire rack and let cool for 30 minutes (or let cool completely for neat slices). Slice into wedges. Serve warm.

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