Chocolate Cherry Skillet Brownies: The fast and freezable dessert we can't stop dreaming about

Brownies have long been a dessert table staple due to their fuss-free nature and one-pan approach — of course, all the ooey-gooey chocolatey goodness probably has something to do with the appeal, too. That’s certainly the part that got our hearts beating extra fast when we first laid eyes on this souped up skillet recipe from Vancouver bloggers Adrian Harris and Jeremy Inglett’s cookbook Cooking in Color. Loaded with dark chocolate and smothered in a sweet cherry sauce, these brownies are simple enough that you’ll actually want to bake them on a Friday for an epic end-of-week treat.

Chocolate Cherry Skillet Brownies

By Adrian Harris and Jeremy Inglett

This is such a fun dessert to share straight from the skillet. It freezes well, too, which means you can always keep the leftovers (if there are any) for another time. Swap out the fresh cherries for whatever fruit you’d like and make it your own.

Ingredients

Brownies:

• 1 cup packed brown sugar
• 3 large eggs
• 1 ½ cups chopped dark chocolate
• ⅓ cup whipping (35%) cream
• ¼ cup unsalted butter
• 1 cup all-purpose flour
• ¼ cup black cocoa powder* (see tip below)
• ½ tsp salt
• 1 ¼ cups cherries, pitted
• Ice cream, to serve

Cherry sauce:

• 1 cup cherries, pitted and halved
• 2 tbsp granulated sugar
• 2 tbsp fresh lemon juice

Preparation

Make brownies: Preheat oven to 350°F. Grease a 9-inch skillet with butter and set aside.

In a medium bowl, whisk together brown sugar and eggs. Set aside.

In a small saucepan on medium heat, combine chocolate, cream and butter. Heat, stirring frequently, until melted. Set aside.

In a medium bowl, sift together flour and black cocoa, pushing any clumps through with the back of a spoon. Add the chocolate mixture, egg mixture and salt, and stir well. Fold in 1¼ cups cherries.

Pour batter into the prepared skillet and bake, uncovered, for 35 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out mostly clean. Let cool for 15 minutes before serving.

Make sauce: In a small saucepan on medium heat, stir together 1 cup cherries, sugar and lemon juice until well combined. Bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer for 15 to 20 minutes, until the cherries are soft and the sauce has thickened slightly. Remove from heat. If desired, blend using an immersion blender until extra smooth.

Serve brownies topped with scoops of ice cream and a good drizzle of cherry sauce.

*Tips:

• Black cocoa powder is a very dark, super-rich alkalized cocoa. It can be found online or at many gourmet retailers.
• Be careful when serving the skillet to guests, as it can be extremely hot to the touch.

Yield: Makes 8-12 servings

Recipes from Cooking in Color: Vibrant, Delicious, Beautiful Food by Adrian Harris and Jeremy Inglett ©2018. Published by HarperCollins Publishers. All rights reserved.