How To Bake a Brownie for One
Do you really need a reason to bake a single dark, chocolatey brownie? One that requires only pantry staples and a toaster oven? A brownie that you don’t have to share? Fine, I’ll give you a few — it’s better than a box mix and only takes about 20 minutes total to make, bake, and cool. Brownies are the champions of chocolate cravings, and this one is chewy, chocolatey, and fast.
Tips For Baking a Brownie For One
- Use a toaster oven for baking a brownie.
- Go for a metal pan to give the brownie crispy-chewy edges.
- If you don’t have a metal pan, choose a small oven-safe ramekin instead.
- Melt the butter in the baking pan on top of the toaster oven.
The New Easy Bake Oven
Baking in a toaster oven has a few benefits. Toaster ovens heat more quickly than standard ovens and more evenly than microwave ovens. A small toaster oven won’t heat up the whole kitchen when it’s really too hot to bake. And baking in a toaster oven is fun. The small size reminds me of my Easy Bake Oven, but it works about a thousand times better.
Metal Baking Pans for Texture
A tiny metal baking pan isn’t standard kitchen equipment (unless you’ve got an 8-year-old at home, in which case, borrow a cake pan from their Easy Bake Oven set), but a metal pan is the standard for baking brownies because it heats quickly, resulting in crispy-chewy edges that a glass baking dish just won’t match. That being said, feel free to use a small oven-safe ramekin that holds about 3/4 cup if you don’t have a small metal pan. Mini pie pans are great for this brownie and can churn out mini pies for your next pie party.
A Bonus Butter Tip
You can melt the butter for these brownies in the baking pan on top of the toaster oven while the oven preheats, which also does butter duty to grease the pan for baking.
How To Bake a Brownie for One
Makes 1 large brownie
Nutritional Info
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons
unsalted butter
- 2 tablespoons
self-rising flour
- 2 tablespoons
packed brown sugar
- 1 tablespoon
granulated sugar
- 1 tablespoon
unsweetened cocoa powder
- 1
large egg yolk
- 1 tablespoon
cold coffee or water
- 1 teaspoon
vanilla extract
- 1 tablespoon
semi-sweet chocolate chips or chopped walnuts (optional)
Equipment
Toaster or regular oven
Mini metal square or round pie pan
Brush
Small mixing bowl
Small whisk or fork
Small spatula
Instructions
Heat the oven and prep the pan: Arrange a rack in the middle of a regular or toaster oven and heat to 350°F. Place the butter in a mini square or round metal pie pan and place the pan on top of the toaster oven or inside the regular oven as it heats to melt. Pour the melted butter into a small heatproof bowl. Use a brush to coat the pan with the residual butter left in the pan; set aside.
Mix the dry ingredients: Whisk together the flour, brown sugar, sugar, and cocoa powder in a small bowl until thoroughly combined.
Add the wet ingredients: Add the melted butter, egg yolk, coffee or water, and vanilla. Stir with a rubber spatula to combine. Do not overmix.
Bake the brownie: Pour the batter into the prepared pan. Top with chocolate chips or walnuts if using. Bake for 15 minutes for a gooey center or 20 minutes for a cakey brownie.
Cool the brownie: Remove from the oven and cool for 5 minutes before enjoying. Serve with ice cream, if desired.
Recipe Notes
Self-rising flour substitute: Whisk together 1 cup all-purpose flour, 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder, and 1/4 teaspoon fine salt. Measure out 2 tablespoons for the brownie. The remaining can be stored in an airtight container for future use.