Can I reduce the sugar in this recipe?

No. The sugar in this recipe is essential to achieving the rich, fudgy texture of these brownies. We tested this recipe with varying amounts of sugar, and the recipe below produced the best texture! If you reduce the sugar, the brownies won't be as fudgy and chewy (they'll be more puffy and cakey).

Can I double this recipe?

Yes - this recipe scales fairly well. We love making this recipe as written for two people, but you can use the 2x button in the recipe card below to double the recipe. If you double the recipe, bake it in an 8-inch metal pan for best results.

What can I use instead of a metal bread pan?

We've tested this small batch fudge brownies recipe in several different pans. A 9 by 5-inch loaf pan is our top choice; our favorite alternatives were a 7-inch square ceramic baking dish and a 6-7" cast iron skillet. If you use a different pan, you will likely need to adjust the cook time of this recipe, so keep an eye on the brownies as they bake! Glass pans, in particular, often require an extra 5-10 minutes in the oven. Different types of pans will also conduct heat differently: A cast iron skillet, for example, yields brownies with much thicker, crispier edges than a metal bread pan.

What's the best type of cocoa powder for brownies?

We prefer dark, unsweetened, Dutch process cocoa powders for a small brownie batch. We love this recipe with King Arthur's Double Dark Cocoa Powder or Black Cocoa Powder . You can use a lighter cocoa powder (like Hershey's, Nestle, or ALDI brands), but the brownies won't be as rich and complex, and they'll be a bit lighter in color (they'll still taste great, though!)

How do I know when the brownies are done?

Brownies are notoriously finicky when it comes to judging done-ness, but there are a few key signs to look for! When brownies are ready, the edges will be slightly puffed up and just beginning to pull away from the sides of the pan, and the top will be somewhat shiny and crinkly, with a few thin cracks running across the surface (similar to gingersnaps or brown sugar cookies ). You can also test for doneness by inserting a toothpick or cake tester into the center of the brownies: If it comes back mostly clean (a few crumbs are ok; you just don't want any big globs or streaks of batter!), the brownies are done. Just keep in mind that if a toothpick hits a chocolate chip, it will come back covered in chocolate - so you may need to poke a few different areas of the brownie to get a good read. These brownies are meant to be quite fudgy, so even when they're fully cooked, they will still be fairly soft and moist in the center! These brownies will also set up as they cool - after a few hours at room temperature, the centers will be much firmer than they are when they're fresh out of the oven.

Can I make these brownies dairy free?

Yes! Use a high quality olive oil or some melted coconut oil in place of the melted butter (similar to our coconut oil chocolate cupcakes !) Some dairy free butters are also good baking substitutes for regular unsalted butter. Omit the chocolate chips entirely, or use your favorite dairy-free chocolate chips or chopped walnuts in their place.

Should my egg be brought to room temperature?

Generally, yes: We recommend letting eggs for sweets like brownies or cakes/cupcakes come to room temperature for an hour or two before mixing them into the batter. A room temperature egg will "shock" the batter less and incorporate more evenly, keeping the temperature more consistent and resulting in a taller, more even rise (see this in action in our post on making the best homemade cupcakes !) That said, the impact in this particular recipe is pretty negligible: In our testing, the small batch brownies baked with a room temperature egg rose just slightly more than the brownies baked with a cold egg, and we couldn't tell a difference in a blind taste test. If you have the time and the inclination, go ahead and let your egg come to room temp on the counter before making this recipe (just like you would in other desserts, like cakes or cupcakes). But if you don't have time to bring the egg to room temperature here, don't worry about it — the brownies will turn out just fine!

Why are my brownies cakey and not chewy?

If your brownies turn out cakey, it may be because too much flour was added to the batter. If you measure your ingredients - especially dry ingredients like flour and cocoa - by volume (with measuring cups) instead of by weight (with a kitchen scale), it's easy to over-measure and end up with a too-thick batter. For perfect-every-time brownies, we recommend using a kitchen scale and following our weight measurements! Cakey brownies can also result if you make any changes to the recipe. If you reduce the sugar, if you use all white sugar (instead of the brown sugar), or if you add extra components that aren't listed in the recipe (like stirring some chocolate syrup or melted chocolate into the batter, or adding cornstarch), this recipe can turn out fluffy and cakey, rather than fudgy.

Small Batch Brownies

Description

These easy small batch brownies are rich and chewy, with thin, crispy edges and added texture from some chocolate chips.

Ingredients

Scale

70 grams unsalted butter, melted (5 Tablespoons)
80 grams sugar (about ⅓ cup)
80 grams brown sugar (about ⅓ cup)
1 egg (if you have time, let it come to room temperature on the counter for an hour first!)
35 grams all purpose flour (about ¼ cup when measured by scooping and leveling)
40 grams cocoa powder (about ⅓ cup)
pinch of kosher salt (about 1 gram or ¼ teaspoon)
2 grams vanilla extract (½ teaspoon)
85 grams chocolate chips (½ cup), plus extra for topping

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Instructions

Heat oven to 325° Fahrenheit and line a metal loaf pan with parchment paper.
In a mixing bowl, stir melted butter, sugar, and brown sugar together. Add the egg and stir until you have a smooth mixture.
Add flour, cocoa powder, salt, and vanilla extract to batter and stir to combine. Stir in chocolate chips, then transfer batter to your prepared pan. Top with a few extra chocolate chips.
Bake at 325° F for 40 minutes, until brownies are glossy and crackly on top. Let brownies cool completely, then slice and enjoy!

Notes

Please use a kitchen scale! Measuring ingredients by volume (with cups) is notoriously unreliable; For best results, use a kitchen scale to measure your ingredients by weight using the gram measurements provided above. If you don’t have a scale, measure your flour with the scoop-and-level method for best results.

Equipment. This recipe works best with a metal loaf pan (both 4.5" x 8.5" and 5" x 9" pans worked well in our testing). If you don't have a metal loaf pan, you can use a small (6-7" across) cast iron skillet or a ceramic baking dish. Brownies baked in cast iron will have a slightly tougher, more pronounced crispy edge; brownies baked in a ceramic dish will be a bit fudgier throughout. You can a glass baking dish if you need to, though you may need to extend the cook time; in a glass baking dish, the brownies also won't rise quite as much.

Additions and Substitutions. Use white chocolate chips or chopped nuts (walnuts, almonds, pistachios) in place of some or all of the chocolate chips. Use melted coconut oil in place of the melted butter if you like.

Store extra brownies in an airtight container on the counter for up to 3 days, or in the freezer for up to 2 months.

How do you tell when brownies are done? When brownies are cooked through, they'll be slightly puffed up at the edges, and wrinkly and crackly on top, with some small cracks just beginning to form across the surface. You can also use a toothpick or a cake tester to check for doneness: If it comes out almost-clean (with just a few crumbs attached) the brownies are ready to be pulled out of the oven (just keep in mind that you might have to test the brownies in a few different places because of the chocolate chips studded throughout!)