Brownie Bowls

Brownie bowls are my new favorite thing. I made them twice this past weekend. They give wondrous new meaning to the phrase “brownie sundae.” I blame Nigella Lawson. She introduced me to her version in Nigella Kitchen (by the way, if you don’t have that cookbook, stop reading this, hop on over to the online bookstore of your choice, and buy it now). Now I’ve got my own version (I had to do some tweaking – I’m not a huge fan of the malted milk powder Nigella uses in hers). I’ve served them twice with great success – they were gobbled up within minutes.

I’m planning to make them again this weekend, when my parents come to Grand Rapids to meet Eli’s parents (Yes, that’s right – the parents are “officially” meeting. What that means, I will leave to you to work out for the moment). Anyway, my brownie bowl pan makes six of these addicting little desserts. Six people, six brownie bowls – what could be more perfect? Such a dessert as this should have everyone feeling relaxed and comfortable by the time Meet the Parents, the Watts-Harkema Edition, is over…even Eli.

Now that I’ve made my argument for brownie bowls, I have to throw the one caveat at you: they require a special pan. But before you get uptight about the need for new special equipment, let me just say that this is not an expensive pan. We’re not talking about a trip to Williams-Sonoma, here. I’ve provided a link to Amazon, where you can purchase one for about $10. You might also find one at your local craft or cake supply store. And oh, it’s worth it. I mean, brownies are delectable, regardless. But a brownie shaped like a little bowl just the right size to hold a generous scoop of ice cream? How can things possibly get any better? They can’t.

The pan bakes the brownie bowls upside down, creating the bowl shape by means of a rounded convex indentation in the bottom of each cavity. They look like giant cupcakes when you take them from the oven, then you turn them out of the pan and voila – you have perfect little bowls made of brownie.

I’ll show you.

They start out like this:

And end up like this:

I realize you can’t see the indentation in this photo, because I took it with the ice cream already in it. But you get the idea. They’re darned cute, aren’t they?

You can fill them with any ice cream (Salty caramel, anyone? Mint chocolate chip?) and of course, toppings are endless. So far, we’ve stuck with vanilla ice cream and chocolate syrup, but I may change it up this weekend.

The batter is made – unusually so – in a saucepan rather than a mixer. You’ll get exactly enough for the six cavities in the pan. The time involved is also minimal – mix in 10 minutes, bake in 12. Easy dessert, as it goes.

I’m sure there are multiple additional uses for the pan – I’ve just been so captivated by the brownie bowls that I haven’t branched out yet. I have ideas, though, oh yes… Use sponge cake or pound cake batter, and you’ve got a shell for strawberry shortcake (is it June yet?). Use cookie dough, and you have a cookie bowl. Use scone dough, and fill with lemon curd. Use cake batter, and you have individual birthday cakes perfect for filling with someone’s favorite ice cream. Note that I haven’t actually tried any of these, so I can’t guarantee them…yet. But you can trust the brownie bowls for starters. As far as I’m concerned, they alone are enough to warrant the purchasing of the pan.

Brownie Bowls


9 tablespoons unsalted sweet cream butter
1 cup plus 2 tablespoons evaporated cane juice or sugar
1/2 cup boiling water
4 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1 cup plain yogurt
1 large egg
1 cup unbleached all-purpose flour
1/4 teaspoon kosher or sea salt
1/2 teaspoon baking soda

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Spray the six cavities of a dessert shell pan with oil.

In a saucepan over medium heat, melt the butter. Add the sugar and stir until dissolved. Reduce heat to low.

In a glass measuring cup or a large mug, dissolve the cocoa in the boiling water. Add to the butter mixture and stir well to combine.

In the same measuring cup or mug, whisk together the yogurt, egg, and vanilla. Add to the batter and whisk well to combine.

In a bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda, and salt. Add to the batter and whisk until smooth.

Use a ladle to fill each cavity of the pan 3/4 full. Bake 12 minutes, until the tops are set and feel spongy to the touch.

Remove from the oven and cool on a rack 10 minutes or so. Remove from pan.

To serve, slice off just the very bottom of each bowl – this will allow them to sit flat on a plate and not wobble. Fill with ice cream, fruit, toppings, whatever fancies you.