These small batch, cast iron skillet brownies are perfect for sharing with someone special. They’re fudgy and indulgent, studded with thick swirls of tahini and finished with flaky sea salt for a flavor combination that will have your taste buds singing.

So you might be wondering, why is a dietitian posting a brownie recipe? And why isn’t it a “healthy” version?

I’m switching gears today and posting a butter/flour/sugar filled treat, with the caveat that it’s a small batch version because this is so much more my style than a lightened up recipe.

Regardless of how many times I hear that a black bean brownie is “just as good” or that you “wouldn’t even taste the difference”, I just don’t buy it you guys. I’m a sucker for a great brownie and I wanted to pull out all of the stops here!

Eat it, love it, and give thanks for the beautiful creation that is brownies.

Small Batch Desserts

I love the idea of small batch baked goods because while yes, I do enjoy the occasional treat as much as the next person, I don’t need a week’s worth. We’re a two-person household so more often than not, half the batch inevitably goes to waste. Yes I could freeze, but this usually just isn’t that appealing to me later. Clearly I’m a high-maintenance dessert eater… but here we are.

This recipe bakes up in the cutest 6″ cast iron skillet so the presentation is spot on for a special occasion. Valentine’s Day perhaps? I found them on Amazon after making this pizookie recipe at a friend’s house and promptly deciding that I needed to have these in my kitchen too. I can think of so many fun uses for them like baked eggs or maybe even personal pizzas. So fun!

Ingredients

Here’s everything you need for making these small batch, cast iron skillet brownies. You probably already have most of them on hand!

Wet Ingredients:

Butter
Cane sugar
Egg
Vanilla extract

Dry Ingredients:

All-purpose flour
Unsweetened cocoa powder
Baking powder
Pinch of fine sea salt

Extras:

Chopped dark chocolate (I used 65%)
Tahini + Honey
Instant espresso powder (optional, but I love it in anything chocolate)

I like using a liquid measuring cup to melt the butter, then adding all of the other wet ingredients right in. Since all of the ingredients are in such small quantities you can use a small bowl for the dry ingredients before mixing everything together and transferring it into the skillet.

Hello, beautiful tahini swirl!

What’s a good tahini substitute?

While tahini is highly recommended here (it did make it into the title after all), any nut butter would work . You can go classic with peanut butter, or mix things up with cashew or sunflower seed butter. Note that the color and texture will vary, and you may need more or less honey to get that sticky consistency that allows you to swirl it in.

You can also leave the tahini/nut butter out altogether although I love the contrast it provides, especially since the cast iron skillet is black.

Other recipes featuring tahini:

I have a plethora of recipes featuring tahini so if you love it as much as me, be sure to check these out too! I promise it won’t be one of those obscure ingredients that you never use.

For a fun dessert for two, look no further than this sweet and salty skillet of goodness. I hope you love it as much as I do!