The Ramekins

• Most ramekins are the familiar plain-white variety used for individual souffles, but you can find them in a wide variety of other shapes and colors. Special-purpose ramekins can be as small as 1 ounce or 2 ounces in capacity, but the most common sizes for home use are 4, 6 and 8 ounces. The 4-ounce size makes a modest brownie for one person; the 6-ounce size is close to a normal portion; and the 8-ounce size is large enough to either share or eat in two sittings.

Preparing the Ramekins

• Begin by spraying your ramekins with pan spray or greasing them lightly with butter or shortening. If your brownie recipe is especially rich, or if it's filled with sticky treats such as chocolate chips or caramel pieces, you should also dust the interiors lightly with sugar or flour for added anti-stick effect. Divide the brownie batter between your ramekins, filling them no more than halfway. If you have extra batter, bake it in a second batch or freeze it for another day. Place the ramekins on a sheet pan so they're easier to handle, and slide them into a preheated oven. They're done in about three-quarters of the normal baking time for a pan of brownies, so test them earlier than usual.

A Few Tips

• Baking your brownies in ramekins has advantages beyond portion control. If you love the chewy edges of a brownie, these individual portions provide that delicious edge in every bite. You can also treat the ramekin as a serving dish and build a restaurant-style dessert by adding creamy fillings or fresh fruit to the brownie base. To have fresh-baked brownies available whenever you want one, freeze the brownie batter in the ramekins. Warm one in a pan of lukewarm water whenever you feel the need, then bake it in your oven or toaster oven. Frozen brownie batter makes a chewier, fudgier brownie and takes a few minutes longer to bake.

Alternatives

• If you make scaled-down brownies as a form of portion control, baking them in mini-muffin pans is an alternative method. Muffin pans are more convenient to handle than a large number of individual ramekins, and you can bake them either directly in the pan or in paper muffin cups. If you just like the convenience of having your brownies come out of the oven already portioned, most kitchenware stores sell special brownie pans with a non-stick insert that portions the brownies for you. When they have finished baking, just lift out the insert and wrap the brownies for storage.