Hello friends! I hope you’re still keeping well in these strange times!

Today I thought it would be fun to share a small batch recipe, as I know that ingredients can be scarce, and you may not have as many people available to share your treats with. This brownie recipe makes 6 regular sized brownies….but if you decide to simply cut it into 2 pieces, I won’t be judging you! :P

All the ingredients get whisked together in one bowl, and they bake up in about 15 minutes. Perfect for when your sweet tooth hits, and you need some chocolatey goodness asap!

small batch brownies

yields: one 9x5 (or 8x4) loaf pan of brownies - about 6 servings
recipe: Kelsey Siemens

ingredients

1/4 cup (56 g) salted butter, melted

3/4 cup (150 g) granulated sugar

1 tsp vanilla extract

1 large egg

1/3 cup (42 g) all purpose flour

1/4 cup (20 g) cocoa powder

optional: 1/4 cup mix-ins: chocolate chips, chopped nuts, etc

flakey salt, for topping

to make the brownies

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Line a 9x5 (or 8x4) loaf pan with parchment paper and brush with oil or butter to grease it; set aside.

In a medium mixing bowl, whisk together the melted butter and sugar until smooth and creamy. Add the vanilla extract and egg, and whisk again until smooth. Add in the flour, cocoa powder and optional mix-ins (I used slivered almonds in mine!), and stir together with a spatula. Don’t forget to scrape the sides and bottoms of the bowl to ensure everything gets mixed in properly. Scrape the batter into the loaf pan.

Bake for 15-18 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the middle comes out with a few moist crumbs. For a gooey brownie, stay on the 15 minute side….but for a crunchier outside, bake for the full 18 minutes. Remove from oven, immediately add flakey salt, and allow to cool on a cooling rack for 5-10 minutes before carefully removing from the pan using the parchment paper.

a few tips

• Try not to overmix the batter once you add the dry ingredients, as that can make them tough.

• When lining with parchment, I cut a rectangle that is the exact width of the long side (9 inches), with enough length to come up the sides and about 1/2 inch over, so you can easily grab it to lift the brownies out. The batter is thick enough that you don’t have to have the parchment come up the short edge of the pan too. Check my instagram tutorial for a full video of how to do so!

• Using a 9x5 loaf pan will yield a thinner brownie, and an 8x4 will result in a slightly thicker one! Use whatever you have onhand - you may need to adjust the bake time just a wee bit, so keep an eye on it!

• I advise err-ing on the side of “underbaking” these brownies, as they’ll continue to bake a bit once you remove them from the oven. It’s fine if they don’t look fully set when you remove them from the oven!

happy brownie baking!