Brownies a la Mode

Microwave brownies a la mode are the answer when you want warm chocolate without firing up the oven. The whole batter goes into an 8-inch dish, six minutes in the microwave, and dessert is on the table while a regular brownie pan would still be preheating.

A tablespoon of corn syrup is the secret ingredient hiding in this batter. It pulls double duty by adding moisture that keeps the brownies from drying out under microwave heat, and it gives that fudgy, slightly chewy texture that microwave bakes usually miss.

Use a heat-resistant non-metallic dish, glass works best. Microwave heat cooks unevenly, and a square dish gives you a more uniform finish than a round one. Test for doneness with a toothpick at the 6-minute mark and add a minute only if needed. Microwave overcooking happens fast and turns brownies into bricks.

The a la mode finish is the move. A scoop of cold vanilla ice cream on a warm just-baked brownie square gives you contrast in temperature and texture that no plain brownie can match.

Pro Tips

• Sift the dry ingredients together before adding wet. With no oven heat to even things out, dry pockets in the batter stay dry in the finished bake.
• Let the brownies rest 5 minutes after microwaving. Carryover heat finishes the centers without overcooking the edges.
• Cut squares with a hot dry knife wiped between cuts for clean edges.
• Don’t crowd the microwave. The dish needs to sit on the turntable with room around it for even cooking.

Variations

• Stir in a half cup of chocolate chips or chopped walnuts before microwaving for extra texture.
• Drizzle warm caramel sauce over the ice cream for a brownie sundae.
• Add a teaspoon of espresso powder to the dry ingredients to deepen the chocolate flavor.