American
Brownie Bites
These brownie bites stay fudgy because the batter uses less flour than a cake and comes out of the oven before the centers dry out. A toothpick should show moist crumbs, not wet batter and not a clean stick.
- Prep
- 15 min
- Cook
- 14 min
- Total
- 29 min
- Servings
- 12
- Difficulty
- Easy
Why you’ll love it
- A small amount of flour is what keeps the texture fudgy instead of cakey.
- Cocoa is mixed with melted butter and sugar first, which blooms the chocolate flavor.
- Mini cups bake quickly, so the clock matters more than it does for a full pan.
- Overbaking is what dries them out, so they come out while a pick still shows moist crumbs.
Ingredients
Ingredient amounts scale. Oven temperature and cook time do not. Salt, spices, and leaveners are a starting point after you scale. Taste and adjust.
Check the ingredients you still need, then add them. If nothing is checked, the full list is added. Saved on this device.
Instructions
- 1
Heat the oven to 350°F. Line 12 cups of a mini-muffin or standard muffin tin with liners. This batch fills 12 cups.
- 2
Whisk the melted butter, sugar, and cocoa in a bowl until the cocoa is fully wet and the mixture looks glossy.
- 3
Whisk in the eggs and vanilla until smooth.
- 4
Add the flour and salt. Stir only until no dry flour remains. The batter is thick and uses less flour than a cake batter on purpose.
- 5
Divide the batter among the 12 liners.
- 6
Bake 12 to 14 minutes. The edges should look set and the centers should still look slightly soft. A toothpick should come out with moist crumbs, not wet batter.
- 7
Cool in the pan 10 minutes. If you bake them until a pick comes out clean, they will eat like cake, not fudge.
Pro tips
- Do not add extra flour to make the batter look like cake batter. That extra flour is what turns these cakey.
- Pull them when the crumbs on the pick are moist. Carryover heat finishes the centers.
- A standard muffin cup works if you do not have a mini tin. Start checking at 12 minutes either way.
Easy substitutions
- unsalted butter
- neutral oil in the same amount, for a slightly denser bite
- vanilla extract
- 1/2 tsp espresso powder whisked into the cocoa
- all-purpose flour
- a 1:1 gluten-free baking blend
Storage and reheating
Storage
Keep in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 3 days.
Reheating
They are meant to be eaten at room temperature. For a warmer center, microwave one bite for 8 seconds. Longer than that dries it.
Nutrition
Estimates per serving, using standard ingredient averages and rounded to the nearest gram. This is not a lab analysis, and it shifts if you change brands or add sides.
- Calories
- 150
- Protein
- 2 g
- Carbs
- 16 g
- Fat
- 9 g
- Fiber
- 1 g
Budget friendly · Oven
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From the kitchen
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A heavy 12-inch skillet
Most of the chicken and steak recipes are written for one pan that holds heat. Stainless or cast iron both work.
An air fryer with a real basket
The air-fryer recipes expect a single layer. A crowded basket steams instead of browning.
A half-sheet pan
Drumsticks, potatoes, sausage, and carrots all use one. A dark pan browns faster than a very shiny one.
A sharp chef’s knife
These recipes do not need a specialty blade. A sharp 8-inch knife is faster and safer than a dull one.
A large cutting board
Big enough that the onion and the raw chicken are not sharing the same puddle.
Dry cups and a liquid cup
Desserts in particular expect level dry measures and a separate cup for milk.
An instant-read thermometer
Use it for poultry, pork chops, and meatloaf. Color is a weak guide.
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