Pumpkin Skillet Brownies

I haven’t tried to create a brownie recipe since I made the one for our book How to Feed a Family. The recipe–using zucchini and yogurt–was a big win with the toughest brownie critic I know, Scarlett.  So I just rested on my laurels. Then we started recipe developing, testing and making decisions about what would go into our second cookbook. So I made brownies again but this time using pumpkin puree.

These chocolate-y lovelies aren’t in the new book–Not because they weren’t good enough but because there were too many desserts to choose from and not enough spaces. They’re also not in the book because–don’t tell Ceri–but I didn’ tell her about them. Well, I guess she knows now.

Using coconut oil instead of butter, these brownies are every bit as moist and delicious. I swear on Betty Crocker. I also love how they’re made in a skillet. See, I have this theory that if you bake in a skillet then you don’t have to worry about portion sizes. In other words, throw some powder sugar on top or a big scoop of ice cream and serve this skillet warm with a bunch of spoons! There’s something so fun and decadent about just puncturing a crust with your spoon and diving in. It’s one of those one-in-awhile “treats” you do with the whole family–kind of like letting everyone wear their pyjamas all day. Maybe it’s something you do for Valentine’s Day. In your pyjamas, of course.