Espresso Fudge Skillet Brownies
You know how when you make a pan of brownies, everyone always fights for the crispy edge pieces? Well these individual-size skillet brownies are ALL. EDGES. Every bite is the best part. These espresso fudge skillet brownies are:
- Crispy on the edges
- Fudgy in the middle
- Subtly coffee-flavored
- Great for entertaining
Espresso Fudge Skillet Brownie Ingredients
You likely already have the ingredients you need to pull together these brownies:
Dark chocolate is slowly melted to provide a chocolatey base layer of flavor.
Vegan butter provides richness and keeps the brownies moist.
Pure cane sugar sweetens the brownies, but not too much.
Plant milk — you can use whichever you like, as long as it’s unsweet — helps the batter come together.
Cornstarch acts as the binder in the recipe since we aren’t using egg or ground flax.
Espresso powder is a natural companion to chocolate. It lends an extra layer of depth to the dish and really elevates these to something special.
Vanilla is another natural companion to chocolate. People often think of it as the opposite of chocolate, but they pair together really beautifully!
Unbleached, all-purpose flour provides body to the brownies — but you use less than a cup for the whole recipe to keep them ultra-moist and fudgy.
Baking powder acts as the leavening agent in the recipe.
Cocoa powder adds another layer of chocolate flavor to pack a punch.
Salt is non-negotiable in all my dessert recipes. It brings out the other flavors — chocolate and espresso in this case — and helps offset the sweetness.
How to Make The Brownies
Grease your cast iron skillet(s). This recipe works best with small, individual-size skillets, but if all you have is a large one, you can still make it work — you’ll just need to bake it for a bit longer.
Gently melt the dark chocolate in a microwave in short bursts or over a double boiler. Whisk it into the melted vegan butter and then add the pure cane sugar and whisk until smooth.
Combine the milk, cornstarch, espresso powder, and vanilla in a separate bowl. Then add to the chocolate-butter-sugar mixture. Sift in the flour, baking powder, cocoa powder and salt.
Fill the skillets and bake at 350 until a toothpick comes out mostly clean. This should take 20–25 minutes.
Serve while still warm, preferably with a scoop of nondairy vanilla ice cream on top.
Serving Suggestions
I love these brownies hot out of the oven with a scoop of vegan vanilla ice cream. You can go an extra mile by adding warm caramel sauce and chopped toasted hazelnuts for crunch. Or, if you’d like to go a different direction entirely, why not try this easy vegan ice cream pie?
For more vegan baking inspiration, why not try:
- Raspberry Almond Crumble Bars
- Irish Soda Bread with Orange and Currants
- Gingerbread Raisin Scones
- Rosemary Pine Nut Cookies
Espresso Fudge Skillet Brownies
Ingredients
- 3 oz vegan dark chocolate chopped
- 5 tbsp vegan butter
- 2/3 cup pure cane sugar
- 1/3 cup unsweetened nondairy milk of choice
- 1 tbsp cornstarch
- 1 tbsp espresso powder
- 1 tsp vanilla
- 3/4 cup unbleached, all-purpose flour
- 1/2 tsp baking powder
- 3 tbsp Dutch process cocoa powder
- 1/2 tsp salt
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
- Grease four 4-inch cast iron skillets.
- Place the dark chocolate and vegan butter in a microwave-safe bowl and microwave for 30-second intervals, stirring in between, until just melted.
- Whisk in the pure cane sugar to combine.
- In a separate bowl, whisk together the nondairy milk, cornstarch, espresso powder and vanilla until the mixture becomes foamy.
- Add this mixture to the chocolate mixture, whisking until fully combined.
- Sift in the flour, baking powder, cocoa powder, and salt and fold in until it is just combined — making sure not to overmix.
- Evenly portion into each skillet and bake for 20–25 minutes until a toothpick comes out mostly clean (a few crumbs are okay).
- Serve hot, adding a scoop of vanilla ice cream if desired.
It turned out delicious!