Skillet Brownies on the Grill

These brownies take on a deliciously smoky flavor on the grill from "baking" in a skillet set over hot coals. After you're done grilling dinner, prepare to make brownies on the grill by adding a few more lumps of charcoal to maintain a grill temperature of around 350°F. Pull the skillet brownies when they're still a bit moist, but not wet, in the middle for an fudgy texture in the center and smoky brownie "bark" around the edges. (You can also make them in an oven: Preheat to 350°F, then bake for around 35 minutes.) Chef Valerie Gordon (of Valerie Confections in Los Angeles), who shared her recipe for this grill-baked dessert, likes to make it in a lavishly buttered cast-iron skillet using the ambient heat of a Big Green Egg. Top them with ice cream for a showstopping dessert for your next cookout.

Skillet Brownies on the Grill
Photo: Victor Protasio
Active Time:
10 mins
Total Time:
1 hr 10 mins
Yield:
8
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Ingredients

  • 3/4 cup (about 3 1/4 ounces) plus 1 tablespoon all-purpose flour

  • 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt or fleur de sel

  • 1/4 teaspoon baking soda

  • 7 ounces unsweetened chocolate, chopped

  • 1/2 cup (4 ounces) salted butter, plus more, melted, for greasing skillet

  • 2 tablespoons canola oil

  • 3 large eggs

  • 1 cup packed light brown sugar

  • 1 cup granulated sugar

  • 2 teaspoons vanilla bean paste or vanilla extract

  • Vanilla ice cream (optional)

Directions

  1. If using a charcoal grill, open bottom vent of grill completely. Light charcoal chimney starter filled with briquettes. When briquettes are covered with gray ash, pour onto bottom grate of grill, and then push to one side of grill. Adjust vents as needed to maintain an internal temperature of 350°F to 400°F. If using a gas grill, preheat to medium (350°F to 400°F) on 1 side. If using an oven, preheat to 350°F.

  2. Whisk together flour, salt, and baking soda in a small bowl; set aside. If grilling, place a heatproof bowl on unoiled grates over the side without the coals (or the unlit side of a gas grill). If using an oven, heat a medium saucepan over low. Add chocolate, butter, and oil to bowl or saucepan; cook, stirring constantly, until melted and smooth. Remove from heat. Let cool slightly, about 5 minutes. Add eggs, brown sugar, granulated sugar, and vanilla to chocolate-butter mixture; stir together until smooth and thoroughly incorporated. Add flour mixture; stir gently until just combined.

  3. Grease a 10-inch cast-iron skillet with melted butter. Pour in batter, spreading in an even layer.

  4. If grilling, place skillet on grates over the side without the coals (or the unlit side of a gas grill). Grill, covered, until a wooden pick inserted in center of brownies comes out almost clean (it will have crumbs but should not be wet), 40 to 45 minutes. If using an oven, bake in preheated oven about 35 minutes. Remove from heat; cool in skillet 10 minutes. Cut into wedges and serve with ice cream, if desired.

Originally appeared: June 2019

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