Small Batch Brownies
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These are the best small batch brownies ever! They’re gooey, fudgy, and have a gorgeous crinkle top. They’re made in one bowl, with no mixer, using just 8 ingredients and no melted chocolate. This recipe makes 8 perfect brownies!
Small batch recipes are so great, whether you’re running low on ingredients or just don’t want to have a ton of leftovers, this recipe makes just the right amount of brownies.
Got a sudden craving for brownies? All you need to make these is a bowl, a whisk, and a few simple ingredients.
Usually when I’m craving sweets but don’t feel like making a full batch of something, I love to whip up these small batch chocolate chip cookies.
But if I’m in the mood for something super chocolatey, my go-to recipes are edible brownie batter or these small batch brownies!
Why You’ll Love These Small Batch Brownies
- Short on ingredients? Or maybe you only have one egg left? Then these small batch brownies are the perfect recipe for you! Just a few pantry staples and no melted chocolate – just cocoa powder!
- This recipe has been tested using regular butter and dairy free butter and is delicious both ways.
- These brownies are freezer friendly, so if you are looking for an even smaller portion, you can easily freeze any leftovers.
- No mixer or fancy equipment required for these small batch brownies!
Ingredients Needed
- Cocoa Powder: for best results, use unsweetened dutch process cocoa powder. If you only have natural cocoa powder, that will work fine.
- Flour: This recipe calls for all-purpose flour. I haven’t tested the recipe gluten free so I can’t say for sure how it will turn out. Readers have reported great results when using gluten free 1-1 baking flour in my classic fudgy brownie recipe, so that’s what I would recommend trying if you’d like to make these gluten free.
- Butter: regular butter or dairy free/vegan butter will work in this recipe. It has been tested both ways!
- Chocolate Chips: chocolate chips are optional. I like to use semisweet (regular or vegan), but you can also use milk or dark chocolate chips. You can also chop up a chocolate bar and use chocolate chunks instead.
Step By Step Instructions
Note: Full ingredient measurements and instructions can be found in the recipe card at the bottom of this page.
Step One: Prepare an 8×4 loaf pan or 9×5 loaf baking pan with parchment paper, leaving some over the sides to make it easy to remove the brownies from the pan. Preheat the oven to 350°F.
Step Two: In a large microwave-safe bowl, melt the butter. Add in both sugars and whisk until the mixture pulls away easily from the sides of the bowl as you mix, with a paste-like consistency.
Step Three: Whisk in the egg and vanilla extract.
Step Four: Add flour, cocoa powder, and salt, then whisk until just combined. Stir in the chocolate chips.
Step Five: Pour the batter into the parchment-lined pan, spreading it around in an even layer and bake for 20-36 minutes.
Let the small batch brownies cool completely before slicing!
Expert Tips
- Properly measure your flour and cocoa powder – If you over-measure your flour or cocoa powder, the small batch brownies won’t be as fudgy, and will be drier and more cakey. I recommend weighing both ingredients with a kitchen scale or using the scoop and level method.
- Don’t over-mix the batter: over-mixing can change the texture of your brownies and even cause them to sink. You should whisk in the dry ingredients only until the last specks of dry ingredients have disappeared.
- Don’t over-bake the brownies! It can be tricky to know when to take brownies out of the oven. The first thing to look for is whether the brownie batter jiggles if you shake the pan. If it does, they need more time, and if it doesn’t, you can do the toothpick test. If a toothpick inserted in the middle of the brownies comes out covered in batter, they need more time. The toothpick should not be completely clean but should have just a few wet crumbs on it.
- Let the brownies cool completely before slicing: The brownies will continue to set as they cool, so resist the urge to cut into them right away to avoid a gooey mess. They will be much easier to slice once they’ve cooled as well.
Storage Instructions
These small batch brownies can be stored at room temperature covered and un-sliced in the pan or sliced in an airtight container for up to 4 days. After that they can start to dry out.
To freeze, slice the brownies and place them in a ziplock freezer bag. Let them thaw at room temperature when ready to enjoy.
More Small Batch Recipes You’ll Love
If you make this recipe, let me know how it went in the comments below, I’d love to hear from you! You can also tag me on Instagram or Facebook so I can check it out!
Small Batch Brownies
Ingredients
- 6 Tablespoons (79 g) butter, melted, (regular or dairy free)
- ½ cup (100 g) granulated sugar
- 6 Tablespoons (75 g) light brown sugar
- 1 egg
- ½ Tablespoon vanilla extract
- ⅛ teaspoon salt
- 5 Tablespoons (40 g) all-purpose flour
- 6 Tablespoons (32 g) unsweetened cocoa powder
- ⅓ cup semisweet chocolate chips, (regular or dairy free)
Instructions
- Prepare an 8×4 or 9×5 loaf baking pan with parchment paper, leaving some over the sides to make it easy to remove the brownies from the pan. Preheat the oven to 350°F.
- Place the butter in a microwave-safe bowl and heat in the microwave until melted (or melt butter over the stove). Add in both sugars and whisk until the mixture pulls away easily from the sides of the bowl as you mix, with a paste-like consistency.
- Whisk in the egg and vanilla extract.
- Add flour, cocoa powder, and salt, then whisk until just combined. Stir in the chocolate chips.
- Pour the batter into the parchment-lined pan, spreading it around in an even layer and bake for 26-36 minutes. The top should be crackly and a toothpick inserted in the middle should come out with just a few wet crumbs on it, but not covered in batter or completely clean. The batter should also not be jiggly in the pan.Let the brownies cool completely in the pan before slicing.
Equipment
Video
Notes
The calorie information provided for this recipe is an estimate. The accuracy of the calories listed is not guaranteed.
Just made these yesterday and I already can’t wait to make again. I followed the recipe to a T and they came out perfect. Love that it’s small batch too. Officially obsessed!!!
So happy you enjoyed these brownies! Thank you for your sweet comment 😍
What can you use instead of Egg? Got an egg allergy.
You could try it with applesauce, ripe banana, aquafaba, or a flax seed egg!
It turned out great although i made some tweaks to the recipe so the outcome was some succulent fudgey brownies but lord have mercy on the amount of sugar used in the recipe it was too sweet for my liking, please let me know can i use less sugar & get similar outcome or my end product would be too off
Hi Aditya! I haven’t tested them with less sugar so I really can’t say. but I’d imagine it may affect the crinkly top. You could try to reduce each type of sugar by just 2 Tablespoons. Also using salted butter rather than unsalted, and be sure to use unsweetened dutch processed cocoa powder if you want to make them less sweet.
I always use much less sugar than the online cookie recipes call for. Turns out fine.
These are the best brownies ever and taste like they came straight what from a bakery. I’ve shared the recipe and then it’s been reshared. Everyone loves it! Followed the recipe exactly except for adding about 1/3 c of pecans. Yummy!!! Thanks for sharing!!!
Hi Tamie! Your comment made me smile! I’m so glad you enjoyed these!
These turn out well in a 6” round tin. Perfect for a small family gathering. Thank you for the fabulous recipe 💕
Hi Patsy! I’m delighted you loved the recipe! Thanks for letting me know! 🥳
I made this with a slight variation. I added Ghirardelli caramel and chocolate chips on top. Very, very good!
Hi Jill! Caramel with this sounds delicious! Thank you for your review!
Quick ask—was the butter supposed to be warm, or cooled before adding it into the mixture? I cooled mine and I think it messed with the texture of the brownies. Also, why is there no baking soda added in this? Just curious. Overall a great recipe though!
Hi Annika! No need to cool the butter. There’s no baking soda because these brownies are supposed to be dense and fudgy, not cakey, so no leavener is necessary.
Quick question. We love these brownies but mine never crackle on top , what am I doing wrong? Also what are the metric measurements? I do the scoop and level method but my scale only does g and oz not tsp or tbs
Hi Dotty! Thank you for your review 😊 For the crackle top, make sure that you are vigorously whisking the butter and sugars until they form a paste that pulls away from the bowl, and make sure you are vigorously whisking the egg into the sugars very well!
I’ve made these twice over two nights and they are so good! Incredibly easy and I like that they make a smaller amount. The outside is crispy and chewy and the middle is soft and fudgy. My baking times were bang on 36 mins using both a glass and metal loaf pan. Not sure why they were the same, but the results were equally great.
Thank you for your review 😊
Can I please know the baking time and temperature, if I bake these in the air fryer? Thank you, can’t wait to try these!
Hi Zin! I haven’t tested these in the air fryer or baked in an air fryer at all so I can’t say! A quick google search suggested reducing the temperature by 25 degrees (so 325 degrees) and baking time by 25%, so you could start there. good luck!
I’ve been trying to find the perfect sweet to bitter brownies and I finally found it. I did have to bake mine for about ten more minutes due to using a glass pan but nothing went wrong. I’ll be doubling the recipe tomorrow since everyone loved them, this is now my go to recipe.
Hi Kat! Thank you so much for your review 😊 So happy to hear you enjoyed these brownies!
My go-to weekly desert! This recipe is so easy to follow and makes the most fudge brownies!
I do have a question in regards to the nutritional information. Is the calories per brownie or whole batch ?
Thank you
Thank you for your lovely review! The calories value is based off the serving size if you were to use a 8×4 pan and cut it evenly into 8 brownies; One of those brownies would be about 223 calories. If you were to cut them into smaller or larger portions, that would change the nutritional value.
I made these brownies. It had crackly top and was yummy too but it became chewy instead of being fudgy. Where did I go wrong? Did brown sugar make them chewy?
Hi Zoya! It sounds like you may have over-measured your flour and/or cocoa powder! Try weighing measurements using metric since even 1-2 extra Tbsp can make a difference. Hope this helps!
I was craving chocolate and these were perfect! Cooked 25 minutes and the center was just slightly on the soft side, where you needed a fork to eat it, but I like it that way. It was hard not to eat half the pan myself!
Thanks for your review 🤗
Outstanding brownie! Finally someone perfected the fudge brownie and taste just like Ghirardelli! For me though a little too sweet and would lessen one of the sugars next time and a little less salt too. Can’t wait to make this again!
Hi Danie! Thank you for your review 🤗
These brownies are AMAZING!! I was hungry for some chocolate so I decided on brownies. I made this small batch recipe and was blown away. The brownie is rich and fudgy and chewy. I added walnuts to mine so they had a little crunch. Absolutely loved these and will absolutely baaking them again
Hi Christine! Great call on adding the walnuts, so happy to hear you enjoyed these brownies! Thanks for your kind review 😊
On first try I used 4 tbsp of Hersheys Dark Cocoa instead of 5 tbsp of regular cocoa because that’s what I had. Anyways, it turned out AMAZING. Tasted just like the dark chocolate Ghirardelli mix that I love.
The brownie in general had the crisp flaky texture on the oukitside with a soft buttery rich inside.
Thanks so much for sharing your recipe!
Hi Kira! I’m so happy to hear you enjoyed these brownies 🤗 Thank you for your review!
The. Best. Brownies. Ever. I double the recipe, add 1/2 cup of sour cream and 1-2 tsp of instant espresso powder, and bake in an 8×8 pan. I have people request these for holiday, special occasions, birthdays, etc. I will probably never make another brownie recipe ever again. So rich and decadent! 10/10.
Hi Brook! Thanks so much for your review 🤗 So happy to hear this is your go-to brownie recipe!
If I use gluten free flour how many tablespoons should it be?
Hi Ghada! If you use the 1:1 gluten free flour, then it will be the same as regular flour (5 tablespoons). For other gluten free flour brands, you will need to see what they recommend as a ratio substitute.
Love love loved these brownies!
I didn’t have any white sugar, so I just used a 1/2 cup of brown sugar instead (in addition to the amount of brown sugar required in the recipe) I also didn’t have any vanilla, but despite all those omissions, they turned out amazing!
I also really appreciated having a small batch recipe!
Thanks for your review Arianna! Glad you enjoyed these 😊
The most decadent brownies I’ve had in my life!
Thanks for your review 🤗
Can you check your measurements for metric, I think they are wrong – we have just made a gloop!
Hi Michelle! Not sure what happened – I’ve made these dozens of times using the metric measurements so I can confirm they are correct. And as you can see from all the 5 star reviews they have worked for hundreds of others! Sorry I can’t be of more help!