The Quickest Method To Bake And Serve Brownies, According To Ina Garten

There's no denying the pleasure of eating a tantalizingly sweet and fudgy brownie straight from the pan. But, the best way to make these brownies extra special and serve them in record time is to ditch the pan in favor of another beloved vessel: the cast iron skillet. 

Anyone who has ever made a cast-iron skillet cookie knows the magic that this pan holds. The cast iron retains heat much better than an aluminum or glass pan, which ensures each of your pieces gets the crispy, crackly edges you're craving in less time than your typical pan. That's why it's one of the tools that Ina Garten uses when she makes her skillet brownies. Instead of opting for a large pan though, she bakes her brownies in smaller, 3½-inch cast iron skillets. By baking this dessert in the small skillets, Garten's guests are able to enjoy their brownies straight from the skillet while they're still warm, rather than waiting for the finished brownies to cool down before they can be enjoyed.

To replicate Ina Garten's mini cast iron skillet brownies, you'll need to gather your brownie supplies and the skillets. It's important that your skillets are well-seasoned, as it will prevent the brownie batter from sticking to the outside of the pan. Plus, when the wet batter hits the oil, it will create the perfect crunchy exterior. Placing so many of these skillets in the oven is difficult and may require a lot of back-and-forth between your countertop and the open oven. So, you can try putting all the skillets on a baking tray to make it easier to put them in the oven and remove the tray once they're finished baking. 

You can use your standard brownie mix for the recipe, but if you want to go full-out Barefoot Contessa, follow Garten's recommendation and add Hershey's semisweet chocolate chips, unsweetened chocolate, and instant coffee granules (to heighten the chocolate flavor) to your recipe. The resulting brownies make all your confection-laden dreams come true. In the words of Garten herself, "How easy is that?"