Question: When doubling boxed brownie recipe how long should it cook for?

May 16, 2011

Answers

Bev's picture

I never hesitate to double a recipe like brownies, but baking time depends entirely on the pan in which you plan to bake the brownies. If you use a large enough pan that the batter will be the same depth as it would normally be (in the single batch baked per the instructions) there is no need to adjust the time at all.

If you use the same pan called for in the single batch instructions, however, or a pan that's only slightly larger, then your brownies will be thicker and will require more time to bake. You'll need to figure the exact time by trial and error based upon the size and material of the pan you select.

When I double the recipe or reduce the pan size to make a thicker, chewy brownie, I use the wood toothpick method to test the brownies, cooking until the toothpick inserted near the center comes out with small moist crumbs on it rather than wet batter. Don't wait till the toothpick comes out 'clean.' At that point your brownies will be too dry.

Resist the urge to bake brownies in a pan that's nearly as large as your oven. This will inhibit the circulation of hot air around the brownies and they'll bake unevenly yielding disappointing results like burned bottoms and hard dry edges.

janine berkson's picture

Thank you