Cast Iron Skillet Smore
Who says you need a campfire for smores?
This Cast Iron Skillet Smore makes for an epic dessert!
This post may contain paid links. For more information, please see our disclosure policy.
Don’t you just hate when recipes don’t quite work out the way you intended? I spend a lot of time in the kitchen, and sure enough I’ve had total flops of recipes. I just had two last week, in fact. In my head, they sounded like great recipes…but in reality, they just weren’t. Oh well. And one of them (a chocolate quick bread) even looked amazing! I loved the photos. But the taste was pretty awful. It was something akin to eating a spoonful of powdered cocoa. #NotGood. Back to drawing board on that one…
But then sometimes recipes turn out differently that you originally intended…but still totally delicious. That’s what happened with this Cast Iron Skillet Smore. I started with my go-to brownie batter and decided to mix some marshmallows in. (I also used a graham cracker crust on this one since smores require graham crackers.) But back to the marshmallows. In my head, I’d slice into this brownie and find pockets of gooey, white marshmallow. In reality, that didn’t happen.
It could have something to do with how long this one took to bake. (Almost twice as long as when I bake brownies in a pan…I’m thinking perhaps the cast iron skillet had something to do with that?) When I sliced into this brownie, the marshmallows just weren’t there. I was all like, “Hey, where’d my mallows go?” I know I put ’em in the there! You can still see the marshmallows on top of the Cast Iron Skillet Smore, but the marshmallows in the middle were all gone.
I think what happened is the marshmallows ‘melted’ into the brownie batter. Once this smore cooled, Laura and I split a slice for dessert…and we noticed that the brownie was super, extra chewy. Not chewy in a bad way, mind you. I love a good chewy brownie! I think it was chewy from the marshmallows that were just infused throughout the brownie. No matter…the flavor on this one was out of sight! Laura and I are trying to be good lately, so we’ve mostly cut out desserts for a bit here. It was all we could do to not jump face-first into this skillet! (We put the rest into the freezer for consumption at a later date…)
Ah, and something else unexpected happened with this Cast Iron Skillet Smore. I usually use toothpicks to make sure breads/cakes/etc. are done. Well, I must have been a little overzealous on this one because I stabbed my toothpick into the skillet…and it broke in half. I was left with only half a toothpick in my hand. That’s like finding half a worm in your apple. (Ok, maybe not that bad…but still.) The brownie needed to bake a bit longer, but I took a mental note of where that other half toothpick was hiding.
After taking the photos, I went it to get the toothpick. But it was gone! Well, not gone like the marshmallows…just hiding. I destroyed an entire slice looking for it. We ended up freezing the leftovers with a huge note in the bag that said “Beware of Toothpick!” Needless to say, we won’t be serving that one to company!
All mishaps and strange occurrences aside, this Cast Iron Skillet Smore turned out quite well. In fact, I highly recommend it…just watch how hard you stab that toothpick in there! Enjoy!
Cast Iron Skillet Smore
Ingredients
For the Graham Cracker Base
- 7 full-sized graham crackers ~1½ cups
- ¼ cup light brown sugar
- 4 Tbsp unsalted butter melted
For the Brownie Filling
- 1 cup unsalted butter
- 3 oz. unsweetened chocolate
- 1¾ cups semisweet chocolate chips divided
- 3 large eggs
- 1 cup sugar
- 1 Tbsp vanilla extract
- ⅔ cup all-purpose flour
- ½ Tbsp baking powder
- ½ tsp salt
- 2½ cups mini-marshmallows divided
Instructions
For the Crust
- Preheat oven to 350°F.
- Using a food processor or mini-chopper, pulse the graham crackers until finely ground. In a medium bowl, combine the graham cracker crumbs, brown sugar and melted butter. Stir until fully combined.
- Press mixture into bottom of 10” cast iron skillet. (Tip: A flat-bottomed glass helps pack the crust mixture down evenly.)
- Bake crust at 350°F for 8 minutes.
- Remove skillet from oven and set aside to cool.
For the Brownie Filling
- Using a medium saucepan, add the butter, unsweetened chocolate and 1 cup of chocolate chips. Place over medium-low heat, stirring often, until butter and chocolate have fully melted; set pan aside to cool for at least 10 minutes.
- In a large bowl, mix together the eggs, sugar and vanilla. Stir the egg mixture into the warm chocolate mixture.
- In a medium bowl, sift together the flour, baking powder and salt. Stir the flour mixture into the chocolate mixture.
- Stir 1½ cups of marshmallows and the remaining ¾ cup of chocolate chips into the batter. Pour batter on top of graham cracker base. Sprinkle remaining 1 cup of marshmallow on top.
- Bake at 350°F for 80-85 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the filling comes out mostly clean.
- Let cool before serving.
Hi David! Too funny about the toothpick! This looks perfectly gooey delicious! I remember the first smore I had, it was at girl scout camp, but I’d much rather have a big hunk of this! Wishing you and your family a Happy Thanksgiving (remember to wear loose pants)!
Oh man, this skillet s’more was delicious, Dorothy! Sure, we had that little hiccup with the toothpick, but that’s ok. Haha! We did indeed have a great Thanksgiving…and we did indeed wear loose pants. I hope you guys had a great holiday, too! 🙂
LMAO about the toothpick!! That’s totally something that would happen to me, David!! We have all had kitchen disasters and sometimes I just as well through it through the window than make something else at that very moment, ya know? Sometimes I find some of this best things I make are those that are unplanned or spur of the moment and then I’m like ‘this would have been an excellent blog post….oh well, it’s all gone.’ Anyway, toothpick or not, this looks pretty awesome – one because smore and two because skillet. Just LOVE using skillets and love the rusticness of them. Happy thanksgiving!!
Yeah, that toothpick situation just wasn’t the best, Dawn. Haha! But I totally laughed at Laura’s note on the leftovers that read: “Danger: Toothpick Inside”! 🙂 Kitchen flops are the worst. But then again, I guess we wouldn’t learn and improve our skills without making some mistakes along the way, right? Hope your week is off to a great start!
Smore’s look just amazing!! Very well presented..
Thanks so much, Sharmila! This one is indeed pretty darned tasty!
It’s the Bemuda Triangle of desserts! No one better fly a plane over it.
Haha! And if you do fly a plane over it, you better not drop any toothpicks out…I’m already covered on that front. Thanks, Jeff!
It happens way too often in my kitchen that recipes don’t work out but then there are beautiful ones that make it all worthwhile like your delicious looking Cast Iron Skillet Smore. So nice to have something so yummy in your freezer for whenever you fancy it – I think the one who gets the one with the toothpick should get a prize, like maybe another piece of smore 😉
I totally agree, Miriam! We couldn’t come up with fun ideas without making a few mistakes along the way, right? 🙂 And I kinda like your idea of the toothpick lottery. I’m thinking I should go find the leftovers of this smore and see if I can find that toothpick right now. And of course I’ll just eat the evidence that I was there!
Sometimes things happen for a good reason. You don’t always need look for an answer (I understand; however, that you’re a scientific-minded person always looking for a good explanation). I don’t have an answerl. I added marshmallows into brownies only once, and I don’t remember the result. So don’t dwell on this. The most important thing that brownies turned out the perfection! I like it moist and chewy, and I agree that that marshmallows contributed to this success. On the other hand, the story with the toothpick is fascinating, and it needs a further investigation. It could be a nice tradition though like with a hidden coin – someone who finds this, would be a lucky person. So consider serving this brownies to your guests:) P.S. Don’t send me this today. I’ve just remembered I’m being on a diet:)
Marshmallows mixed into brownies is one of my new favorite tricks, Ben! The result is so chewy and awesome…but the marshmallows are nowhere to be seen. Either they melt into the brownies as they bake, or they just up and run away. (How’s that for a mental image?) Glad you opted out of receiving this one…there’s only one slice left and I still haven’t found that pesky toothpick! 🙂
Hahaha…The toothpick story is really funny.
BTW Smore’s look simply delicious. Thanks for sharing such an awesome recipe David!
Thanks so much, Puja! Yeah, I was a little sad about the toothpick disappearing into the brownies…but that’s ok, that just means more for me since I can’t serve this one to company! haha! 🙂
I look for any excuse to use my Cast Iron Skillet, on top of that I love S’mores. Disappearing Marshmallows, that one made me laugh. I have a feeling the marshmallow flavor is still present in this delicious concoction. I hope you find that toothpick David lol
Oh the marshmallow flavor is definitely present in these brownies, Mary! The result is a chewy, delicious brownie…in fact, you could call the marshmallows a ‘secret brownie weapon’! Too bad the toothpick isn’t a secret weapon, too, right? Haha! Hope your week is off to a great start, my friend!
Recipes not working as you intended … been there 😉 I know exactly what you mean when you say a recipe that works very well in your head and when you make it, turns into a disaster. That happens a lot and the best thing is we learn to make it right or better next time 😉
I love chewy brownies and this looks fab !
Yeah, recipe flops are the absolute worst! And they always seem to happen on recipes that seem like they would be so awesome… Oh well, I guess we can’t improve on our cooking skills without a few mistakes along the way, right? 🙂 Thanks, Ruwi!
When I was a kid my mom always made layer cakes and used toothpicks to hold the layers together. It was considered good luck if you got a slice of cake with a toothpick in it! 🙂 You do have to be a bit careful with a broken toothpick, but just consider it good luck! Eating a bite of this brownie would be amazing….with or without a toothpick!
See…there was a method to my madness! The toothpick is actually good luck! 🙂 Thanks so much, Kathy. Hope you had an awesome long weekend!
That happens to me all the time. I have the perfect recipe in my head, but when I make it it’s a flop. I hate that when that happens. I love this cast iron skillet s’mores, they love totally yummy!
Yeah, flop recipes are the worst. But I guess we need to make mistakes in order to improve our cooking/baking skills, right, Dawn? Hope you had an excellent long weekend!
I have eaten my fair share of desserts this past week, but somehow my brain (or stomach?) is telling me that I need a slice of this ASAP! Sounds like Santa needs to bring you a metal cake tester this holiday season…but in the meantime, maybe you can make a game out of finding the toothpick, like finding the coin in a Christmas pudding!
Hey, it’s the holidays! Calories don’t count between Thanksgiving and Christmas, Mara! 🙂 And yes, Santa definitely needs to bring me a metal cake tester. Stupid toothpicks…haha! I hope you had an awesome long weekend!
haha I like the note..interesting bit about the toothpick! The brownie looks delicious ..so chewy and perfect!
Yeah, the toothpick thing wasn’t ideal…but we managed to figure out how to save these brownies! Plus, it just means more for us. 🙂 Thanks, Manali!
Haha – David, I’m willing to take a chance biting into that toothpick as this skillet brownie/smore sounds insanely good! And the fact that marshmallows ‘melted’ into that brownie batter makes these sound even more scrumptious! Gosh – if I was your neighbor, y’all wouldn’t have had any leftovers to freeze – as I’m off my sugar fast right now – just in time for ALL the desserts – but guess that’s not what the whole sugar cleanse was about – oh well – live and learn and EAT! 🙂
I had quite a few fails myself last week – I tend to take pictures before I taste loaves/cakes etc and last week even my dogs refused to eat my failed muffins – no lie! Happy Monday to yall!
And you know what? That’s exactly what Laura and I have been doing! We just saved these smores brownies (toothpick and all!) in the freezer, and we’ve been splitting a piece whenever we need a little sweet treat. So far no toothpick…but it has to be in there somewhere! 🙂 Oh no! A failed recipe that even the dogs wouldn’t eat? That’s the worst! I’m assuming you mean those cereal muffins…and it looks like practice made perfect on those. Glad you stuck to it there, Shashi!
Yes I do know this feeling of a ruined recipe… But then as you said it, there are times when a recipe turns out unexpectedly great. This must have happened so many time in history. hehe
I think your cast iron skillet smore looks killer good. I am not much of a sweet tooth but I can imagine digging through here. 🙂
Yeah, recipe flops are the worst! But then again, those flops help teach us how to make the recipe better the next time, right? 🙂 This cast iron skillet smore is most definitely not a flop…in fact, it’s definitely a keeper! Thanks, Helene!
I feel ya on thinking of something, then making it and it simply doesn’t work. I keep saying I need to do a post of flops and bad ideas, but I’ve never taken the time to photograph them after taste testing! I’ve done something similar with marshmallows in blondies and it just melted into this wonderfully gooey delight. Love the graham cracker crust idea here too. Thanks Dave. #Bewareofthetoothpick
Yeah, I totally agree Kevin. A blog post of flops sounds funny, but whenever I end up with a flop I usually don’t want to look at it! It typically goes straight into the trash can, and I try to forget the whole experience. haha! And, yes, watch out for those pesky toothpicks…they tend to show up wherever you least expect them! 🙂
What a silly silly excuse for disappearing marshmallows :p Don’t get me started on the toothpicks… the fumes of a broken blender is still here.
These? They look insane and now we don’t ever need to ever go over an open fire.
Haha…I’m sure your kitchen still has a wonderful charred blender smell, Arman. But, hey, the upside is you get to get a brand new blender now! 🙂 I’ll send you some of these smores to help ease the pain. But beware of toothpicks, my friend…
Hahaha! Sorry about your lost toothpick. This looks delicious. I’m sitting here staring at all of that chocolate. I think I’m in sugar shock. LOL! Oh well, back to my granola and coffee. 🙂
Haha…yeah, that toothpick is gone forever. Or at least until we pull more of these smore brownies out of the freezer. 🙂 Hey there’s nothing wrong with granola and coffee. That’s my go-to breakfast every day. But sometimes you just need chocolate!
I think I could eat the whole thing right now! This is perfect for sharing on a cold evening!
Thanks so much, Caroline! It’s hard to beat ooey, gooey chocolate…especially on a cold, winter night! 🙂
Um, it says to cook em for 80 minutes? ?? Regular brownies are more like 25 minutes!
Hey there, Julie! I agree that regular brownies don’t take as long, but I found that these needed a good bit longer. I’m not sure if it was the addition of the crust or the marshmallows (or perhaps the cast iron pan), but these took longer for me at 350°F. Of course, keep an eye on yours while they are baking! Either way, I can promise you 100% that the time is worth it here. These are amazing brownies…and I might just need to make us another batch here soon now that I remembered these. 🙂 Thanks so much, and happy baking!!