Chili-Chocolate Skillet Brownies
Fudgy brownies baked in cast iron over settled coals, with enough chili to keep the sweetness in check.
- calories
- 385
- weight
- 2.8 oz
- cal / oz
- 138
- protein
- 4 g
- serves
- 8, scales
- prep
- 15 min
- cook
- 25 min
- total time
- 40 min
- water
- 60 ml cold
- cost
- $$
Calorie and protein figures are my own estimates, good enough for planning a food bag and not meant as precise nutrition data.
- Dessert
- Campfire coals
- Dutch oven
- Grill grate
- Car camping
- Basecamp
- Vegetarian
- Nut free
- Real dishes
- Pre-mix at home
- Needs a cooler
- Actual cooking
Ingredients
| All purpose flour | 3/4 cup | |
|---|---|---|
| Unsweetened cocoa powder | 1/4 cup | |
| Baking powder | 1/2 tsp | |
| Fine salt | 1/2 tsp | |
| Chili powder | 1 tsp | start at 3/4 tsp if you are unsure of the crowd |
| Cinnamon | 1/2 tsp | |
| Brown sugar | 1 cup | packed |
| Unsalted butter | 1/2 cup | plus a knob for greasing the pan |
| Semisweet chocolate chips | 1 cup | |
| Powdered whole egg | 6 tbsp | plus 6 tbsp cold water, stands in for 3 eggs |
| Vanilla extract | 1 tsp | |
| Flaky sea salt | a large pinch | carried in a small tin |
Method
- Burn the fire down until you have a settled bed of coals with no standing flame. Tall flame scorches the bottom before the middle sets.
- Stir the powdered egg into 6 tbsp of cold water in a cup and let it sit five minutes while you set up.
- Melt the butter in the cast iron skillet at the edge of the coals. Add half the chocolate chips and stir until smooth, then pull the pan off the heat.
- Stir the brown sugar into the warm butter and chocolate. Let it cool until you can hold a hand over it, then stir in the egg mixture and vanilla.
- Add the premixed dry bag and stir until just combined. Overworking it makes the crumb gummy. Fold in the rest of the chips.
- Grease the skillet if you scraped it out, or mix in a bowl and pour into a greased pan. Level the top and scatter the flaky salt over it.
- Set the skillet slightly off the hottest coals, cover with a lid or foil, and bake 20 to 25 minutes. Rotate it a quarter turn every five minutes.
- Pull it when the edges are firm and the center still looks soft. Rest 10 minutes before cutting or it runs.
Brownies are forgiving about heat but not about heat from below. Cast iron over settled coals gives you a slow, spread-out bake; open flame gives you a burnt floor and raw middle. Cover the pan so the top sets from trapped heat instead of waiting on the bottom to catch up.
Two changes from a kitchen version. Powdered egg replaces cracked shells, which means nothing leaks in the food box and the wet side of the recipe is a measured pour. The dry ingredients get mixed at home, so at the fire ring you are combining three bags instead of measuring cocoa and spices by headlamp. The chili is not decoration either. It cuts the sugar enough that a second square still goes down after dinner.
Packing
Combine flour, cocoa, baking powder, salt, chili powder, and cinnamon in one labeled bag at home. Brown sugar goes in a second bag, powdered egg in a third. Butter and chips ride in the cooler in hot weather.
Variations
- Swap a chipotle powder for the chili powder if you want smoke instead of heat.
- A tablespoon of instant espresso in the dry mix makes the chocolate read darker.
- Bake in a lidded dutch oven with coals on the lid for a more even top.
https://camprecipes.com/chili-chocolate-canyon-brownies