Do you actually need a reason for baking a single dark, chocolately brownie? One that requires just pantry staples and a toaster oven for preparation?A brownie that you need not share with others? Fine, I will give you a few of them —  it is better than a box mix and only take about 20 minutes in total to make, bake and cool them. Brownies happen to be the champions of chocolate cravings, and this one is chocolatey, chewy and quick.

he New Easy Bake Oven  

Baking in a toaster oven provides a few benefits. Toaster ovens heat more faster than standard ovens and more evenly than what can be done by microwave ovens. A small toaster oven will not heat up the entire kitchen when it gets really too hot to bake. And baking in a toaster oven is enjoyable. The small size makes me remember my Easy Bake Oven, but it works far better. 

Metal Baking Pans for Texture

A small sized metal baking pan is not the standard kitchen equipment (unless you have an 8-year-old at home, in which case, you will have to borrow a pan from their Easy Bake Oven set), but a metal pan is the standard for baking brownies as it heats up fast, resulting in crispy-chewy edges which a glass baking dish simply will not match. Having said that, feel free to use a small oven-safe ramekin that has the capacity to hold about 3/4 cup in case you do not have a small metal pan. Mini pie pans are perfect for this brownie and can prepare mini pies for your next pie party.

A Bonus Butter Tip

You can melt the butter required for these cin the baking pan on the top of the toaster oven when the oven preheats, that also does butter duty to grease the pan for baking.   

Heat up the oven and prep the pan: Put a rack in the middle of a regular oven or toaster oven and heat it to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Put the butter in a mini square or round metal pie pan and keep the pan on the top of the toaster oven or inside the regular oven as it gets heated to melt. Drop the melted butter into a small heatproof bowl. Take a brush and use it for coating the pan with the residual butter that is left in the pan set aside.

The Way To Bake a Brownie for One

Makes One large sized brownie

Things You Need

Ingredients

• 2 tablespoons of unsalted butter
• 2 tablespoons of self-rising flour
• 2 tablespoons of packed brown sugar
• 1 tablespoon of granulated sugar
• 1 tablespoon containing unsweetened cocoa powder
• 1 large sized egg yolk
• 1 tablespoon of cold coffee or water  
• 1 teaspoon full of vanilla extract
• 1 tablespoon containing semi-sweet chocolate chips or chopped walnuts (optional)

Equipment

• Toaster oven or regular oven
• Mini metal square or round pie pan
• Brush
• Small sized mixing bowl
• Small sized whisk or fork
• Small sized spatula

Instructions

• Heat up the oven and prepare the pan: Place a rack in the middle of a regular oven or toaster oven and heat it up to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Keep the butter in a mini square or round metal pie pan and put the pan on the top of the toaster oven or inside the regular oven as it gets heated to melt. Drop the melted butter into a small sized heatproof bowl. Use a brush for coating the pan with the residual butter that has been left in the pan; set aside.
• Perform the mixing of dry ingredients: Stir together the flour, sugar, brown sugar and cocoa powder in a small bowl until the ingredients get thoroughly combined
• Add up the wet ingredients: Add the egg yolk, melted butter, coffee or water and vanilla. Stir them with a rubber spatula for combing the ingredients. Take care not to overmix them.
• Bake the brownie: Drop the batter into the prepared pan. Top it with chocolate chips or walnuts when using. Perform baking for 15 minutes for a gooey center or bake for 20 minutes for a cakey brownie.
• Cool down the brownie: Remove the brownie from the oven and allow it to cool for 5 minutes before enjoying it. Serve the brownie with ice cream, if you desire so.

Recipe Notes

Self-rising flour substitute: Stir together 1 cup of all-purpose flour, 1 1/2 teaspoons of baking powder, and 1/4 teaspoon containing fine salt. Measure out 2 tablespoons for preparing the brownie. You can store the remaining part in an airtight container for future use.