We Tried Ina Garten’s Skillet Brownies—And Here’s What We Thought

You don’t have to be Southern to believe in the power of a cast-iron skillet. Not only can this humble pan cook just about anything, it can , too—even brownies. 

Cast iron retains heat and distributes it evenly, which helps give crisp edges and a tender, cakey center. Even Ina Garten is a fan of this method. Many of Ina’s most popular recipes (like, , ) take inspiration from the South, including her cast-iron skillet brownies. So we decided to put her recipe to the test. While we adore Ina, will her brownie recipe pass muster with Southern Living staffers?

The recipe:

What Ina Says About The Brownies

Ina uses “fabulous” 3 1/2-inch mini cast-iron skillets to make these brownies single-serve, which she serves a la mode. According to Ina, the skillets not only make a cute presentation, they also make it faster to eat the brownies. She says, “Generally, when you have a brownie, you have to wait for it to cool so you can cut it into squares and eat it. And when it’s in a skillet, I realized you don’t have to wait for it to cool. It can be served hot out of the oven.” Logic we can all get behind! 

Unlike most brownie recipes, this one is a bit persnickety. Ina calls for two kinds of chocolate: semi-sweet (specifically Hershey’s chips) and unsweetened chocolate, extra-large eggs (her preferred, and uncommon, egg size), plus instant coffee granules and vanilla to boost the flavor of the chocolate. Once the melted chocolate has cooled, she says to gently stir (not beat) the eggs into the chocolate. Then the dry ingredients are sifted and combined with the egg-chocolate mixture, and some extra chocolate chips.

Ina calls the brownies “hot, gooey, and delicious” and when you watch her take a bite out of one of them in , you’ll see that it is indeed gooey—more molten than solid. Because there is very little flour in this recipe (just 1/4 cup, plus 1 tablespoon), the brownies are incredibly soft and tender. (Sifting the flour also gives them a delicate crumb.)

Our Brownies

If you compare our side-by-side with Ina’s, they’re very similar. The main differences: Our recipe calls for bittersweet chocolate (we suggest Ghirardelli 60%), coffee liquor plus instant coffee granules, no stirred-in chocolate chips, and no vanilla extract (unless you’re substituting it for the liquor). 

Our recipe calls for a single 9- or 10-inch skillet, rather than mini skillets, and the brownies are baked until they are almost set but still a bit soft in the center, then cooled for 5 minutes, which makes them soft but still easily sliceable. 

What Tasters Said

“They are deeply, wonderfully chocolate-y, and one of the lightest, most tender brownies I’ve ever eaten. But the brownie almost fell apart as I was eating it. Maybe they are best eaten straight out of the skillet, like Ina did?”

“It’s so crumbly! But not dry, which I find confusing? Very good chocolate flavor, though. Not very sweet.”

“Very strong chocolate punch but in a good way. I love the chocolate chips.”

“Love how moist it is! Wish it wasn’t so crumbly but the chocolate is great and has the perfect amount of richness.”

“The brownie melts in your mouth. I’m assuming she uses ‘good’ chocolate, and in this case it pays off flavor-wise. The little pieces of chocolate throughout are nice too.”

“In this case, store-bought isn’t fine! They don’t hold up to these delicious brownies of Ina’s!”

Final Thoughts

We loved these brownies! They are on the delicate, crumbly side, though. Fix this problem by baking and eating straight from the skillet while still warm, as Ina recommends.