Oh my. We’re doomed. My young friends Reilly and Alden just showed me how they make single serving brownies, in a mug, in a microwave. Takes 5 minutes.

We did experiment a bit. Turns out that you really should not use extra virgin olive oil for this recipe, it’s too strongly flavored. Corn oil or canola oil work best. A pinch of salt helps make the chocolate more chocolate-y. I’ve added some vanilla and a tiny bit of cinnamon; you could also add a speck of instant coffee to take it up a notch.

The brownie lacks for structure (no egg) but that’s okay because it’s contained by the mug. When it’s done, it’s HOT. Perfect for topping with a little vanilla ice cream or whipping cream. The trick is getting the cooking time right for your microwave. Every microwave oven model is different.

Our 1000 watt microwave cooked these brownies in a mug perfectly at a minute 40 seconds. If you have a stronger microwave it will likely take less time. Enjoy!