ALERT!! This is an its-so-easy-its-dangerous alert! And so delicious too! This Hot Cocoa Mug Brownie for One literally takes less than 5 minutes to make and its made with things you already have on hand! Proceed at you’re own risk…you’re going want to make these every single night!
Some days you just need a quick dessert but you don’t want to be stuck in the kitchen for long and you don’t want loads of leftovers. This is a perfect for dessert for two, for empty nesters, for a quick treat for the kids when you’re trying to not eat dessert or for a good mini dessert on your cheat day.
This is the recipe that my mom always rolls her eyes about. I mean, you guys it is crazy delicious, but my mom doesn’t want to hear it. There’s a story behind that that I’ll get to.
Empty Nesting
My parents are empty nesters and trying to take better care of themselves which means a lot of smaller portions. In fact, I’ve learned an important lesson for the future, empty nesting isn’t all it’s cracked up to be. I mean, it is awesome, my parents love their stage of life as grandparents, but they also miss being needed and miss having their kids around. Most of us live out of state so it’s definitely an adjustment.
Cooking for Two
In addition to all of that after cooking for 5 kids over the last 40 some odd years it’s weird to just cook for two. And most of the time it isn’t all that worth it. I remember in college feeling like it was hard to have a real meal because you can’t cook most recipes or you’ll eat the same thing for a week. Mom is also just flat out tired of cooking by this point which I’m hearing a lot of empty nesters aren’t as in the mood for cooking anymore.
Surprise!!
Hot Cocoa Mug Brownie for One was born and watch out, Dad became obsessed. Every time a college student where my parents were serving as Bishop (the leader of a college branch of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints) brought up food, my dad would insist on the apartment coming to their house so my mom could teach them to make Mug Brownies. My mom is always willing to help, but he wouldn’t ever remember to talk to her about it first, so people would show up and now my extra shy mother is teaching strangers when she wasn’t always planning on it.
Haha, oh she was not a fan!!
However, she is a fan of how delicious these are! And they are perfect for college students! They are cheap, easy, and so delicious they will impress an apartment of guys or girls you and your roommates are trying to woo!
How Do You Like Your Brownie?
Are you an edge person or a chewy center piece person? I am a recently converted edge person. With this brownie in a mug, you get a little of both the crispy edge and the chewy center, which is heaven for me! Then there are all the toppings! I’m down with just a plain brownie, but I’m not opposed to topping it with all sorts of deliciousness. Here are some ideas for toppings:
- whipped cream (of course…no brainer!)
- chocolate chips
- mini marshmallows
- a dollop of peanut butter (actually add this before baking in the microwave and it gets all warm and melty)
- crushed candy cane
- sprinkles
- hot fudge
- caramel
- butterscotch sauce
- toffee bits
- mini M&Ms
You can top them with whatever makes you the happiest! Desserts should be happy!
What is in Hot Cocoa?
Most hot cocoa mixes have the same 3 basic ingredients:
- Confectioners’ sugar
- Unsweetened cocoa powder
- Powdered milk or nonfat dry milk powder
Some hot cocoa mixes include a little bit of salt and some include creamer. We prefer Stephen’s Gourmet Hot Cocoa for our mug brownies, but we have used Swiss Miss as well. Just don’t use the sugar free or no sugar added varieties. Those just don’t turn out right.
Flavors Galore
I’m not sure how widespread Stephen’s hot cocoa is throughout the country, but it is huge here in Utah. It is manufactured here, and people are pretty loyal to their Stephen’s hot cocoa. The fun part is that they have loads of different flavors, everything from milk to dark chocolate, chocolate raspberry, chocolate with hazelnut, cookies and cream, chocolate mint truffle, white chocolate, English toffee, salted caramel. Those are just some of our favorites. The good news is that all of them can be used in this mug brownie! I want to try them all!
So Easy Its Dangerous
I mentioned at the beginning that this is so easy and delicious its dangerous. Here is the whole process…mix all the ingredients together in a microwave safe mug for 90 seconds, top with whatever toppings you want (or no toppings at all). That’s it! Now head to the kitchen and make one…like right now! Go!
Brownie RECIPES
Looking for more brownie recipes? Try our Pecan Pie Brownies, Copycat BYU Mint Brownies from Scratch, Caramel Brownies from Scratch, Peanut Butter Caramel Brownies, Peanut Butter Oreo Cheesecake Brownies, Our Best S’mores Brownies, Cookies and Cream Brownies, or Cosmic Brownies Copycat!
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Hot Cocoa Mug Brownie for One
Ingredients
- 6 Tablespoons of Hot Cocoa
- 4 Tablespoons Flour
- 2 Tablespoons Melted Butter
- 3 Tablespoons Water
- 1/4 Teaspoon Vanilla
Instructions
- In a hot cocoa mug, mix together all of the ingredients plus any additional mix-ins if desired until smooth.
- Place in the microwave for 90 seconds. Do not over cook.
- Serve with whipped cream, sprinkles or any toppings you'd like.
Nutrition
It’s so hard to find anything on your site through my phone. The text is so small and I had to search through so many tags on the recipe index to find something as simple as desserts. Then when I did find it, the dessert page is filled with things like salads and dinners. Not mobile friendly at all, which is sad because I know there’s great recipes, I just can’t find them.
Hi Rachel! I’m so sorry. We are in the middle of a site redesign for this very reason. If there is anything specific you are looking for, let me know and I can send you a link.
Do you actually make the hot cocoa and then add the 6 tbsp or are you adding 6 tbsp of dry hot cocoa mix?
Just tried it and its dry cocoa mix.
Dry hot cocoa mix
OMG i hate you love you this is soooo good. I melted choc chips on top as soon as it came out. Thank you!!
Right?! I warned you that you would want to make it every night! It’s just too delicious and too easy! Glad you enjoyed it!
Empty nester here, every word you said is true. It’s so hard to adjust recipes down to portions for just two, especially for desserts. How do you divide an egg for instance. And you are also right that cooking has become a chore and just not worth it a lot of the time. I can’t wait to try this recipe and hope to see more like it in the future! Thank you so much!
I can’t wait for you to try this Robin! Let us know how it goes!