Mug Brownie

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

Step 1 Mixing

Add the sugar, flour, cocoa, and salt to the mug and mix. Then add the oil and water and mix the dry and wet ingredients together. Be sure to be thorough, there's a tendency for clumps of the dry ingredients to form

Comments

[slycat88]

Since I have to be gluten free, I wasn't sure if this recipe would work for me. To my delight, it has. Using a gluten free blend of flours (by Carol Fenster, 1000 G.F. Recipes), and subing butter for the oil and milk for the water, I now have a quick and yummy brownie. Yes the texture is different than regular flour, but it works. Now all us G.F. people have a quickie recipe too! THANKS! P.S. I even tried it with "special dark cocoa powder", let me say one word, YUM.

[lydierosie]

This is so good, I followed it exactly as it said and it turned out perfectly!

[justme67]

Just finished making these with one change. I substituted melted butter for the oil. They're not bad. If you are craving something chocolate and just can't wait for the time it takes to make a full pan of brownies, these will do in a pinch. Oh, I also made mine in a ramakin instead of a mug, microwaved on high for 1 min. 15 seconds.

[AussieAnglerGal]

i have made this heaps. but the oil kinda turned my stomach, butter next time
never the less, drroooooll

[ivegotthejoy]

Alternate version for max. yumminess!

*skip the salt
*add a scoop of peanut butter
*add a dash of milk
*no veg oil- 1TBS butter
*1 LESS Tbs of flour and sugar
*microwave 55 seconds
*chocolate chips
= gooey yumminess

less dry than other version

[wifeandmommy83]

yummmmm! I just got braces (they hurt like hell) and wanted something squishy and chocolate. this totally hit the spot! I cooked it for 30 seconds and then again for 30 seconds. I left it mooshy, and it tastes amazing!

[sprice33]

i tried this recipe last night, and let me tell you it was absolutely amazing!!

i followed the directions exactly by using real baking coco, and i substituted the water for milk, and took out the salt. i added some choc chips and marshmallows. then cooked it for roughly 1 and 1/2 minutes...checking every 30 seconds.

it came out perfect, gooey on the inside and a bit crunchy on the outside. my brownie was still a little moist when i took it out of the cup so it just looked like chocolate mountain and i added a scoop of vanilla/chocolate ice cream.

great recipe =]

[schumi23]

sound deicious!
I would recommend keeping the salt though, cause (i think) that it helps bring out the flavors, but doesnt make it salty

[acullop]

I made it with cocoa mix...surprisingly it worked? haha. I just didn't add a lot of sugar. greatest idea ever!

[ecoole]

I really want to make one of these but have no microwave!! :( Is there any way to adjust it to the oven with it still being just as instant and without just baking a standard brownie??

[Preetahari]

while making 5 minute chocolate cake or mug brownie u never mentioned to add baking powder then how come the cake or brownie rise please do the needful

[jguffin1]

Brownies typically don't have baking powder, because they don't rise. If you want your dessert to be fluffy and rise, you really need a cake recipe. If you think your brownie is rising and you don't want it to, you might be using self-rising flour and need to switch to regular all purpose or cake flour. Not sure if this answers your questions.

[jakebaldwin]

So.. I just tried this. I had a craving for an instant brownie. I wasn't sure if it would work, so I halved the recipe as a test. I don't know if that was the issue, but it's cooling right now, and right after coming out of the microwave it looked like cooling volcanic rock. Through the many bubble holes (pores?), I could see what looked like water that had separated from the mix while heating.
...
Letting it cool...
Yeah, it's still all rubbery and it looks like volcanic rock. Tasty... but not brownie-like.
I think I screwed up somewhere.

[jguffin1]

If you halved the recipe, the cooking time may have been way too long. I cooked mine about 1 min 15 seconds and it still looked gooey, but I trusted it was cooked and allowed it to cool. It was perfect. If you halved it, you may have tried to cook until it looked "done" and came out with the volcanic rock. :( Try it again maybe, and make a full recipe . . . share with a friend! (Although, it really isn't that big a brownie.) :)

[deckpro101]

this is difficult to make with a plastic fork

[hippiechick74]

Try mixing with a chopstick. I used one for mine, and it worked perfectly! :o)

[lphilman]

This is de-lish! I used self rising flour and added a cap full of vanilla extract. Other than that, followed recipe to a T. Nuked it twice for 30 secs. Came out like a cakey brownie yet still moist!! Great recipe!! Thank you for sharing this divine recipe!

[njohnson23]

I tried this and mine came out perfectly delicious, I put it in for the suggested minute and it was still a little gooey so as most people figured out, a minute and 15 seconds in a pretty good amount of time to bake it for. Thanks! I love it! Much easier than making a whole batch a brownies when I just want one right now.

[bdalrymple]

Well, I figured it was definitely time to give it a try. Substituted hot cocoa for actual cocoa powder and I do NOT recommend this at all. Well, for anyone trying to obtain a decent brownie. If you're just after a mug of chocolate sludge, go right ahead.

[evindrews]

...Well, it says in the recipe COCOA POWDER not hot chocolate mix, don't be so critical.

[shirleyewejest]

She was SAYING she substituted and that her substitution is not recommended. She's not dinging the actual recipe.

[Kikkoman56]

i used actual cocoa powder as well, and the instructions given for cooking time will produce just sludge. But if you microwave it for a few more minutes till when you tilt the bowl the batter does not move its done. Makes it much more nicer while still being moist.

[ZyZZyvette]

Yeah I used 4tbsp hot chocolate mix and 2 tbsp sugar (to compensate for having less cocoa and more sugar in the mix than would be in the cocoa) and after two minutes it still wasn't quite brownielike, but it was tasty and good enough for an Emergency Brownie. Next time I will have to try microwaving it a minute or so longer.

[lyoung20]

I made mine with melted Earth Balance instead of canola oil (I am out) and it turned out wonderfully! I put a small scoop of peanut butter on top after microwaving. ^_^

[bsmith79]

This is a great recipe but I made a few changes and while adding a few extra calories it vastly improved the recipe :]

I did the regular 4 tbspn flour/sugar w/ 2 tbspn coco
I changed it to just 1 and 1/2 tbspn oil (I tasted to much of it in the original recipe)
2 tbspn half n half instead of water
no salt
and a couple of mini marshmellows mixed in.

Super gooey and delicious after 3 minutes in the microwave. Smells heavenly and I'm about to dig in :)

[evindrews]

WTF??? (what the fudge...) I accidently over cooked my brownie and I tried it, it tasted like canola oil!?? ):

[mbradbry]

Very nice!! I put the mixture into 2 silicon cupcake moulds and added vanilla and checked each after 20 seconds in the microwave and that seemed to be enough time. Really nice consistency! Thank you for this :)

[ladymo0se]

I'm eating this as I type and it's FANTASTIC! I think I put it in the microwave a few seconds too long, as it tastes like the chocolate was just on the verge of beginning to burn, but it's otherwise delicious! I added a splash of vanilla and a couple tablespoons of chocolate chips. It came out moist and delicious and the perfect balance between fudgey and cakey! Definitely going to be doing this more often.

[Facsimile]

This looks delicious, I will definitely try this. :)

[smcdonnell]

I just made this and it turned out dry and crumbly, not moist at all :(
What seems to be the problem?

I used all-purpose flour. Could it be because I didn't mix the ingredients properly? (I started with dry, then wet)
It found it hard to, though, because the mixed ingredients were dry and clumpy, it was impossible to get rid of the clumps. Decided to just microwave it anyway to see if it'll turn out moist, but it didn't! :(

Also I used 3 tbsp of sugar instead of 4 because I don't like too-sweet stuff.

Do I have to sift the ingredients or something?

[kparks2]

When u make it try adding a tiny bit more water and microwaving it for a little less time .... and if u feel like it might help drop a couple choco chips in there i make this for my siblings all the time

[kbrescia]

what altitude do you live at?

[acollins7]

Mine comes out perfect when I put the wet ingredients first! :)

[davIRE]

i would hazard a guess that your microwave is more powerful than the authors. try putting it in for a shorter time

[Dodadoo]

I use hershey's cocoa...what brand do you use? it never turns out like I expect it to be..itdoesnt taste that good

[kparks2]

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

[lfinley]

This is great, so much chocolate flavor. Never again will I have to do without when I have that chocolate crave.

[jstro78]

with ice cream on top...this recipe is the BEST!!! so simple and easy-great for a chocolate fix in a pinch ;) thanks for sharing!!

[red thread]

i am sitting at my kitchen table now, enjoying the fruits of your instructable...
i was a bit short on cooking oil (finished the bottle of canola) but i just added a few drops of vanilla extract and everything came out fine after a minute fifteen in the microwave.

i also recommend putting it in only for twenty to thirty seconds at a time and checking back....don't want to end up with something rock solid at the bottom of our favorite mug now do we?

[asmith92]

Mine came out with a crusty top and gooey inside - just like the molten cake brownies I used to get as a kid. <3 Loved it!

(I also double the recipe, as I used a soup mug. And I'm a glutton.)