Giant Cookies, Brownies, and More of Our Favorite Cast Iron Skillet Desserts

These 11 dessert recipes come together easily in a cast iron skillet.

By
Rabi Abonour
Rabi Abonour is a contributing writer at Serious Eats.
Rabi Abonour
Rabi Abonour is a planner specializing in transportation, but has also been a photojournalist, writer, and editor for several online and print publications.
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and
The Serious Eats Team
The Serious Eats Team
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Published December 23, 2024
Overhead view of brownie

Serious Eats / Lorena Masso

A cast iron skillet is one of the most versatile (and misunderstood) pieces of cookware around. I use mine for any number of tasks, from searing steaks and sautéeing vegetables to frying chicken. But cast iron isn't just for savory dishes—it also makes a perfect vessel for baking all sorts of desserts. There's no better way to get a crispy edge on a giant cookie or caramelize the fruit for an apple crisp. From an easy chocolate cake and a blueberry cornbread to Middle Eastern kanafeh, we've rounded up 11 of our favorite cast iron skillet desserts.

One quick tip: to ensure that your baked goods don't stick, use a properly seasoned pan. Seasoning cast iron is easy, and we have a handy guide to help you out.

  • Grill-Baked Skillet Apple Crisp

    Overhead view of apple crisp

    Serious Eats / Lorena Masso

    This bubbly and lightly charred apple crisp is baked directly on the grill to evoke smoky campfire cooking. Baking over indirect heat also avoids scorching the bottom of the apple crisp and mimics the heating environment of an oven.

  • Blueberry Cornbread Cobbler

    blueberry cornbread cobber hero

    Serious Eats/Jen Causey

    In our version of this classic summer dessert, we pair a jammy blueberry filling with a sweet lemon-scented cornbread topping. A small amount of cornstarch is just enough to thicken the blueberry juices without making them gloppy.

  • Grill-Baked Smoked Ancho Chile Skillet Brownie

    Overhead view of brownie

    Serious Eats / Lorena Masso

    This brownie is baked on the grill, giving it a light smoky flavor that pairs perfectly with a hint of spice from ground ancho chiles. Folding a portion of the chopped bittersweet chocolate into the batter just before baking gives the chewy brownies gooey pockets of melted chocolate when enjoyed warm.

  • Chocolate Chip Skillet Cookie

    Overhead view of skillet cookie

    Serious Eats / Victor Protasio

    Chocolate chip skillet cookies have something for everyone—they bake up with a brownie-like softness in the middle and get crispy and chewy at the edges. We like to make ours with a mixture of white, dark, and milk chocolate. Whichever kind you pick, make sure to buy bar chocolate and chop it at home instead of using commercial chips.

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  • Chocolate Skillet Cake With Milk Chocolate Frosting

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    Vicky Wasik

    This chocolate cake is perfect for a weeknight because it's not just baked in a skillet, but mixed in the skillet, too—no whipping, creaming, or beating required. Acidic coffee and brown sugar help the cake rise, while Dutch cocoa powder and dark chocolate give it an intense flavor.

  • Hummingbird Skillet Cake

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    Vicky Wasik

    Hummingbird cake is a classic Southern centerpiece that we transform here into an easy skillet cake. It might look like carrot cake, but it gets a tropical twist from pineapple and banana. Our recipe calls for puréeing the fruit to maximize its flavor.

  • Pumpkin Skillet Coffee Cake With Streusel Topping

    20180925-pumpkin-skillet-cake-vicky-wasik-18
    Vicky Wasik

    This isn't your typical coffee cake—it has the crispy streusel topping of a coffee cake, but also the color and flavor of pumpkin pie, the richness of a blondie, and the heartiness of a muffin. Pro-tip: This cake will taste delicious made with butternut squash purée instead of pumpkin.

  • Broiled Blueberry "Pie" With Graham Cracker Crust

    20180726-MHT-broiling-blueberry-cream-cheese-graham-cracker-dessert-overhead-slice-vicky-wasik-10-
    Vicky Wasik

    This dessert is all about good fresh blueberries, which we broil to intensify their flavor and then perk up with a little lime juice. We serve the broiled blueberries on a graham cracker crust, with a thin layer of cream cheese acting as a barrier to keep the crust from getting soggy with berry juice.

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  • Upside Down Blueberry Muffin

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    Vicky Wasik

    One of the biggest challenges in baking blueberry muffins is preventing the berries from sinking to the bottom. In this recipe we give up fighting gravity and let the fruit cook down into one thick, jammy layer. Fresh blueberries will have the best flavor and break down a little less than frozen ones, but frozen berries work fine, too.

  • Classic Cherry Clafoutis

    A slice of cherry clafoutis on a speckled ceramic plate on the left side of the image. On the right side is the remaining clafoutis, showing a slice has been removed.

    Serious Eats / Qi Ai

    Clafoutis is an old-school French dessert that manages to be rustic and elegant at the same time. All you have to do to make it is pour a simple egg, milk, sugar, and flour batter onto cherries and bake. Some people swear that the flavor is better if you use pit-in cherries, but we don't think it's worth the risk of a broken tooth.

  • Kanafeh (Middle Eastern Cheese and Phyllo Dessert)

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    Vicky Wasik

    As a Palestinian-American household, my favorite dessert has always been baklava, but I wouldn't say no to kanafeh—stretchy, gooey cheese covered in shredded phyllo and bathed in syrup. My grandmother made it with briny nablusi cheese, but stretchy mozzarella works, too.

October 2018

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