Mug Brownie

 by Spastic
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20081201-002422-IMG_9032.jpg
By now I'm sure everyone and their grandmother has seen the Dizzy Dee microwave chocolate cake in a mug. However, whenever I've made it, I've found it to be somewhat gelatinous and, quite frankly, not really chocolatey. In its stead, here's a brownie recipe that I've been using for a while and with which I've gotten MUCH better result. Note: This really is more for those of you who prefer "fudgey" brownies to "cakey" ones.

Ingredients:
4 Tablespoons Flour
4 Tablespoons Sugar
2 Tablespoons Cocoa powder (Note: don't use cocoa mix or quik, it shouldn't have any sugar)
2 Tablepsoons Vegetable Oil (Don't use one with a strong flavor, eg olive, sesame, etc)
2 Tablespoons Water
Dash of salt
Mug
Microwave
 
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jummiephiewie says: Jun 13, 2013. 12:28 PM
Mjwaa,a llittle bit too much cacao and a too dry! But it was fine!
jillnez says: Jun 6, 2013. 8:21 AM
I had such a craving for chocolate tonight, and a candy bar wasn't going to do it. I looked up this mug brownie recipe (I've tried the mug cakes and it's almost always a hit or miss) to try out.

This recipe seemed simple and quick. I followed suggestions of halving the recipe, which was a good thing, because the few hot spoonfuls of this with some cold vanilla ice cream hit the spot just right.

I did a couple things different: used brown sugar instead of white, added about 1 1/2 Tbsp of Nutella, dash of vanilla, mixed it all in a small soup bowl using a whisk, microwaved it for 30 seconds on high (my microwave is an 1100watt oven), then nuked it for additional 15 seconds when it seemed too wet.

I didn't mix the nutella all the way, marbled it across the batter, and it turned out great because there were streaks of nutella that's had baked up into a shiny crust, like a brownie would've. In retrospect, I should've decreased the sugar (or eliminated it completely) since I had the nutella..turned out very sweet. But that also may be the brown sugar..I don't mind experimenting again!

And yes, any warm dessert MUST be eaten with ice cream.
agentkabra39clues says: Jun 2, 2013. 1:27 AM
Little purple baking girl, I did it your way so I did a sub of butter for oil and I also read the other comments and put milk instead of water. Then I made the mistake of adding the baking powder that you told everyone to use. THE BROWNIE EXPLODED IN THE MICROWAVE!!!!!! I tried it again without the baking powder and it was perfect. I have a suggestion for everyone. I suggest to do it in a bowl first and then tip it into the mug so you know if you have mixed it properly and to sieve the flour and cocoa powder. I also think you should check out yoyomax12 on youtube she is amazing and does really good tutorials that are quick and straight to the point.   https://www.youtube.com/user/yoyomax12
ProlapseoftheBowel says: May 29, 2013. 6:06 PM
These brownies are fantastic. I really enjoyed it when the sun was obliterated by swirling storm clouds and locusts began falling from the Heavens. Provided perfect atmosphere for me to begin my morning ritual of summoning The Dark Prince through my microwave. As the first bubbles ascended I could already see the brownie mix hardening into a rock-solid vessel for Lucifer. Never have I used such a perfect recipe for all my demon-summoning needs, Betty Crocker comes second on my ritual list now, thank you.
LittlePurpleBakingGirl says: May 24, 2013. 8:01 PM
This is sooooo good I made an account JUST to comment! I have a suggestions for you all. I did basically the recipe with a sub of melted butter for veggie oil. Yes it tastes like brownie, but really, it was a small amount and very little. I added a half of a tablespoon of baking power...and voila!!! It was puffy like any brownie. Than I left it in the fridge overnight to harden and finish (this is not needed, it's a tradition) and it was the BEST BROWNIE EVER. I am one of the worst cooks, and I can make this perfectly. Let me say, whoever whoever made this is a genius!
rainbow_narwhal says: May 20, 2013. 8:58 PM
Oh yeah and make sure you mix it really well... I ended up with a layer of flour at the bottom, but it was still delicious!
rainbow_narwhal says: May 20, 2013. 8:56 PM
This was utterly delicious, I made an account just to comment! I made this when I got home from school, it was rich, decadent and gooey. A great treat! I read the comments beforehand so I added milk instead of water. I also microwaved it for another 10 seconds after the minute was up because it was still a little too gooey for me, but that might just be my personal taste or my microwave. I will recommend this to all my friends!
cnielsen3 says: Apr 23, 2013. 5:32 PM
this was so good i made an account to comment. i did change a few things, like 1 of the tablespoons i did hot cocoa mix instead of cocoa powder, instead of the oil i used melted butter, and i used milk instead of water. i also put some chocolate chips on top until they melted and spread them around till it was like frosting. MMMMMM!!!!!!coudnt have been better(but i would to 1/8 tsp of salt instead of a dash because the 1st time i did to much because it wasnt clear but other than that it was the most delicious thing ive ever had!!!)definently will satisfy your brownie craving. :D
joshr123 says: Apr 4, 2013. 12:42 PM
Nuke it for a 1:35. Idk if it said the time but that is what I do.
emmaaeri says: Mar 16, 2013. 5:12 PM
just made it, and I accidently put 2 tablespoons of water and milk! I think that that's why it takes a little moist, but overall it tastes like a brownie!
emmaaeri says: Mar 16, 2013. 4:33 PM
How long can you microwave it?
Mayak says: Mar 16, 2013. 1:05 PM
It wasn't bad at all! It hit the spot while I was craving chocolate brownies. I just really wish I read the comments first though because there were a lot of good suggestions.
Mahekun says: Mar 5, 2013. 2:43 AM
I've tried many mug brownies and while the texture of this one is nice and moist, the taste is simply not there. I also had to cut back on the sugar to 2 tbs - 4 is WAY too sweet.
gailllc says: Feb 26, 2013. 10:57 AM
Tip for the haters: When measuring such small quantities, it is so easy to throw off the recipe with even just a little bit more or less of an ingredient. If your flour is super dry, if you are measuring liquids with different types of measuring spoons/cups, how fluffy and/or lumpy your cocoa powder is. Do your best to measure accurately, then adjust the recipe as needed for YOUR measuring style and ingredient conditions.
ijarritos says: Feb 16, 2013. 11:10 AM
The brownie is awesome! It tastes sooo good! I made an account just to comment on this! I used butter instead of olive oil and milk instead of water and it was the best! Going to try again!
clizard98 says: Feb 2, 2013. 4:47 PM
This is a GREAT recipe, the only thing I would add/change is to use milk instead of water. When you mix it up, be sure to really scrape the bottom edges, where the dry ingredients tend to stick. That's most likely the reason for some of the negative comments.
TheEdibleCow says: Jan 28, 2013. 9:55 AM
I've tried this a few times and WOW! Really WOW!!! Thanks for sharing this INCREDIBLE recipe!
egee2 says: Jan 27, 2013. 8:48 PM
Tried this recipe this evening and it was very tasty and easy! I tweaked it a little by adding some dark chocolate syrup, the kind they use to make drinks, adding like 20 seconds to cook. Tasty indeed!. I want to do a dark chocolate version with seasalt on top.
jjcohen444 says: Jan 26, 2013. 6:54 PM
I just tried this and it was INSANE. Ultramoist... almost like a chocolate shortbread soaked in hot pudding . Crazy good but I altered it a bit.

Instead of oil, use butter.
reduce the amount of sugar to 3 tbsp.
reduce the amount of flour to 3 tbsp and use whole wheat flour or coconut flour might work too
reduce the amount of coco powder to 1.5 tbsp
add in 2 tbsp of chocolate complete (vegetable based, gluten free, natural sugar protein powder by Juice Plus or any other protein powder that doesn't taste disgusting will do... good luck :)
top with a teaspoon of organic coconut oil and microwave for approx 2 mins or until top looks cooked (light brown and cracked)
finish with a thin pat of butter and a sprinkle of Himalayan sea salt, organic sugar and organic cinnamon.

truly insane.
thumphrey1 says: Jan 26, 2013. 7:27 AM
Absolutely DELICIOUS burnt my mouth three times eating it while it was too hot !!
- couldn't resist it- me and my brother both loved it :)
Thanks !!!
moonsblaze says: Jan 24, 2013. 4:21 AM
I love this recipe. First time I tried it I added cinnamon and nutmeg and it made it a bit too dry. The second time I substituted coffee for the water. Turned out great! :D
evindrews says: Sep 28, 2011. 4:09 PM
WTF??? (what the fudge...) I accidently over cooked my brownie and I tried it, it tasted like canola oil!?? ):
Catnip216 in reply to evindrewsJan 23, 2013. 3:11 PM
Mine tasted like oil too, and I also used canola. I might try less of it next time, or using a different kind of oil, maybe melted butter
Catnip216 in reply to Catnip216Jan 23, 2013. 3:12 PM
Didn't realize the comment was a couple of years old, haha, apologies
wmarceaux says: Dec 20, 2012. 1:19 AM
Tried this twice. First try was fantastic, second time I might have added too much water and oil, there was water at the bottom of the brownie. Still delicious though!
Added marshmallows to mine both times for that delicious s'mores taste.
JacqiSack says: Dec 17, 2012. 6:30 PM
This is the absolute worst thing I've ever put in my mouth. I followed the recipe exactly, and all I could taste was flour and vegetable oil blended with really unsweet cocoa.. Blegh... my bottomless pit of a chocolate eating child even spit it out. I do NOT recommend this recipe. I do however recommend that if you do decide to make it... use some of the different alterations people have mentioned in the comments.
nbeverley says: Dec 14, 2012. 9:27 PM
i've used a few different recipies for this and they all turned out very bland and terrible. This one is the best i have had so far, but the mix did not fit in a normal mug. I had to make it in a bowl instead.

Also, if you're Australia, substituting Milo for the cocoa powder and putting in a little less sugar works brilliantly!
craigMccraigpants says: Dec 5, 2012. 9:59 PM
this tastes like poop skin.
xtinajayne says: Oct 18, 2012. 1:38 PM
Hot damn, YUM! never making a whole batch of brownies again!
bigmac_thethird says: Sep 4, 2012. 9:16 PM
For some reason, when I've combined the ingredients, the color is paler and it's a lot smoother. When it's done it looks weird but usually tastes okay. I wonder if it is because of my cocoa.. The last time I tried this it smelled like cheerios and tasted like complete sh- i mean- a failed attempt at a microwaved dessert item. I have been using olive oil up until now and that might be the reason. I tried again with vegetable oil as well as less water, and it looked a lot better, but tasted pretty much the same. Still not as rich as I would like. May try adding some chocolate syrup next time.
murphy6464 says: Sep 1, 2012. 8:50 AM
this is awesome and it tastes good aswell!!! i didnt have all the ingredients so i used sunflower oil and hot chocolate powder and it really works!! this recipe is awesome!! now when i am bored i now know what to do!! thanx
Dodadoo says: Aug 7, 2011. 9:11 PM
I use hershey's cocoa...what brand do you use? it never turns out like I expect it to be..itdoesnt taste that good
PurpleKat in reply to DodadooAug 21, 2012. 1:59 PM
I've made these with several different types of cocoa. Hershey's was okay, nothing to write home about. I switched over to Gheredelli (sp?) on a whim and OMG HEAVEN.

Since the cocoa is so important to the flavor of the brownie, it makes sense that a higher quality cocoa will give you a more chocolatey and enjoyable brownie. I suspect that a lot of the differences in review here are due to people using different cocoas.

(I have used hot chocolate mix too, and that comes out pretty good.)
kparks2 in reply to DodadooAug 26, 2011. 12:12 PM
don't listen to the recipe to much i use the instant coco it tastes a lot better and is easier because it's the perfect amount of sugar
heyitskiera says: Aug 19, 2012. 4:24 PM
Amazing! We used a gluten free all purpose flour recipe and they are wonderful!
tbrewer5 says: Aug 11, 2012. 4:06 PM
OH MY GOODNESS! I needed a brownie fix bad so I used this recipe except I didn't have the cocoa powder! I used 3 dove dark chocolate silky smooth promises instead, and added a little vanilla extract and cinnamon, and brown sugar for the sugar... Decadence! It tasted like a super-moist brownie cake, perfect for a choco-quick fix. it was like chocolate heaven in a bowl (i used a bowl instead of a mug). Thanks for this rad recipe!
tgower1 says: Jul 12, 2012. 5:35 AM
This is my fav! I add chocolate chips to mine as well lol
Never liked microwaved desserts but this recipe changed my mind!! and its so fast! :D
Atraxi says: Jul 9, 2012. 12:41 PM
I just tried this and it was great! I only had to add a little bit more of water so that the batter thinned a bit.
stonekatie12 says: Jun 25, 2012. 6:43 PM
What kind of flour is used? All purpose or self rising?
juliandea says: May 23, 2012. 8:29 PM
I've been doing individual servings like this for a while in the name of portion control and wanted to find something for my partner's birthday. I did this up using all organic ingredients. The only substitution I made was 2 T melted organic butter for the oil. When it came out, I let it cool a bit, then added homemade organic banana ice cream on top, raking the brownie up into the ice cream. Perfect treat! Thank you so much!!!
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