cocoa peppermint brownies

I love my cast iron skillet.  Almost as much as my Le Creuset.  Almost.

Thus, I am constantly looking for new ways to use it for my favorite foods and recipes.  Tonight, I made a new version of my favorite skillet cornbread.  I had just wiped it clean [talk about low maintenance], when I thought - what about dessert?

Sure, I could bake the mint tainted brownies I had been dying to try in any one of my half dozen baking dishes.  But what would happen if I baked outside the box tonight.  In iron.

Oh my oh my.  The result?  Sizzling crispy on the outside, fudgey and moist on the inside.  And no clean up!  It just slid right out, ready to be cut and enjoyed.

As you'll notice, I mixed up the flours a bit for fun and nutrition's sake.  Feel free to follow my lead or replace with your favorite flours.  It should turn out just as heavenly no matter what you substitute.

Be careful not to overcook these babies.  Remove from the oven promptly and slide out of the skillet as soon as your knife comes out clean.  They will continue to cook if you leave it in the skillet - and will quickly loose their fudgeyness.

Enjoy! 

cocoa peppermint brownies
serves 6-8

1 1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1/2 cup unbleached all purpose flour
1/2 cup buckwheat flour
1 cup coconut sugar [palm sugar] or cane sugar
8oz real butter or ghee [clarified butter]
4 eggs
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 tsp celtic mineral sea salt
1 tbsp peppermint extract

Pre-heat oven to 300 degrees Fahrenheit.

Mix together dry ingredients.

Beat the eggs.  Melt the butter.  Mix all wet ingredients.

Mix dry ingredients into wet ingredients to combine.

Pour into a greased cast iron skillet.

Bake for 35-40 minutes or until set.