Skillet Brownies with Pretzel Crust — a fun, crowd-pleasing dessert perfect for tailgates and football parties.
This skillet dessert starts with a salty-sweet pretzel cookie crust baked in a cast-iron skillet, then is topped with an espresso-kissed bittersweet brownie layer. It’s playful, impressive, and easy to share.
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Fresh out of the oven!
First you press a pretzel-based cookie crust into a 10-inch cast-iron skillet and bake it briefly. Then you pour a fudgy brownie batter on top and bake again until set. The contrast of crunchy pretzel and tender brownie is irresistible.
These are lovely served warm with a scoop of vanilla ice cream, but they’re delicious on their own too.
Skillet brownies
Cutting the first wedge from any skillet dessert can be a little messy, but once the first slice is removed the remaining pieces cut nicely, especially from a well-seasoned skillet.
The brownie recipe is adapted from Cooking Light and yields a rich, bittersweet brownie with a hint of espresso that deepens the chocolate flavor and gives a pleasant complexity.
A crisp top crust and tender center make these brownies a favorite.
This isn’t health food, but it’s perfect for Tailgating Snacks Month — rich, sharable, and totally party-worthy.
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Skillet Brownies with Pretzel Crust Recipe
Skillet Brownies with Pretzel Crust
So much fun for a football party — these brownies are going to be a hit.
Ingredients
For pretzel crust
- 1 cup crushed pretzels
- ½ cup all-purpose flour
- ½ cup packed light brown sugar
- ¼ teaspoon baking soda
- ½ cup butter, melted
For brownie layer
- ¼ cup boiling water
- 1 tablespoon instant espresso granules (or 2 tbsp instant coffee)
- ¼ cup chocolate chips
- 6 tablespoons butter, melted
- ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 large egg
- 1 large egg white
- 1½ cups all-purpose flour
- 1 1/3 cups granulated sugar
- ½ cup unsweetened cocoa
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- Additional mini pretzels for topping
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 450°F.
- For the pretzel crust: In a medium bowl, stir together crushed pretzels, flour, brown sugar, and baking soda. Stir in melted butter. Press the mixture firmly into the bottom of an ungreased 10-inch cast-iron skillet. Reduce oven to 350°F and bake the crust for 10 minutes. Carefully remove the skillet from the oven and leave the oven set to 350°F.
- While the crust bakes, prepare the brownie batter.
- For the brownie layer: Combine boiling water and espresso in a medium bowl. Add chocolate chips and stir until melted; allow to cool slightly. Stir in melted butter, vanilla, egg, and egg white.
- In a large bowl, whisk together flour, sugar, cocoa, baking powder, and salt. Add the coffee-chocolate mixture to the dry ingredients and stir just until combined. Spread the batter carefully over the baked pretzel crust and smooth the top. Arrange whole pretzels on top, pressing them lightly into the batter.
- Bake at 350°F for 20–25 minutes, or until a wooden pick inserted in the center comes out clean. Cool in the pan on a wire rack. Cut into wedges to serve.
Notes
I listed 8 servings, thinking in wedges, but you can easily get 10–12 servings if you cut smaller slices.
Nutrition (estimated)
Calories: 564 kcal; Carbohydrates: 86 g; Protein: 7 g; Fat: 23 g; Saturated Fat: 14 g; Sodium: 435 mg; Fiber: 3 g; Sugar: 51 g. Nutritional information is an estimate and will vary with ingredients and portion sizes.