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Questions about halving recipes

17 years ago

I'm thinking about making the Outrageous Brownie recipe I always make, but I'm thinking about only bake half the recipe. DH's uncle passed away, and DH is heading up to Oklahoma for the funeral, and I thought I'd send along some brownies. It may be best to make the whole recipe, but it makes so much, I don't want to be left with too many brownies left over. Anyway, those of you familiar with sending food for funerals, do you send a lot of chocolate or just a little bit? I'm not sure how many people will be there.

My main question, though, is how do you determine the size and shape of the pan when baking half. The recipe calls for a a 13" x 18" x 1 1/2" pan. The closest to that I've found, and what I use, is what I think is called a half sheet cookie pan.

Sally

Here is a link that might be useful: Ina Garten's Outrageous Brownies

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Comments (10)

compumom
17 years ago
Yummy, people eat chocolate anytime, anywhere!
It looks to me like every ingredient is divisible and I might use a smaller sheet pan or use a 13x9 (lasagna type) pan and pour the mixture one inch thick.
lindac
17 years ago
Do the math....the 13 by 18 is 241 sq inches...an 8 by 8 is 64 sqyare inches....and an 8 inch round will make the round and square will be very close to the 120 square inches which would be half or the larger pan.
But...I would make the whole recipe and freeze half!
Linda C
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triciae
17 years ago
Yum, Sally! I'd make the whole recipe. I make Ina's brownies also & everybody gobbles them up. BTW, did you notice on the recipe that it's classified as "difficult"? Hmmm, I make good brownies...does that make me a gourmet cook?! rofl :)

Please give my condolences on the death of his uncle.

/tricia
foodonastump
17 years ago
9x13 is negligibly closer to 1/2 of 13x18 than 8" square plus 8" round, and it's only one pan.
azzalea
17 years ago
13 X 9 is a quarter sheet pan

13 X 18 is a half sheet.

So as others have said, you just need use a regular 9 X 13 pan for half that recipe. I'd use a throwaway pan, of course, so you don't have to remove the brownies, and they'll be easier for your husband to carry.
mustangs81
17 years ago
Sally, Other than freeze half, I don't have suggestions for you.

On another note about "halving recipes", I have used this calculator with success.

Here is a link that might be useful: Recipe Calculator
dixiedog_2007
17 years ago
Sally I'm with Linda on this one. I have made this recipe many times (and it is very good). The brownies would freeze very well.
sally2_gw
Original Author
17 years ago
I'm going to go ahead and make the whole recipe, but thanks for the answers. I decided I'd rather err on the side of over indulgence (grin) than not have enough, and yes, they do freeze very well. My only problem with freezing this particular recipe is that I discovered they are still just as edible frozen as they are room temperature! So much for freezing them so I don't eat too many of them. lol

That recipe calculator is cool. Thanks, Mustangs.

Sally
foodonastump
17 years ago
LOL, I have to admit I feel a little silly. Linda's "13 by 18 is 241" stuck out as so obviously off (one of those infamous typos... I know!!!) that I missed the tree for the forest or the forest for the trees or whatever that expression is. So here I was... 3.141592654*((8/2)^2)....

Thanks azzalea, yes 18/2=9!

But, I've never seen a 1.5" tall full sheet pan that the original recipe called for???
sally2_gw
Original Author
17 years ago
Me neither, Foodonastump, but the brownies do fit in the shallower pan - just barely. When I first made this recipe, I looked high and low for the specific pan she recommended, and just couldn't find it. I took a chance and bought a half sheet pan, and it worked. Actually, I feel a little stupid not thinking to do the math.

As for that "difficult" rating, I don't get it. The recipe I printed out from their website way back when had it rated "easy." It does have lots of steps, with chopping the nuts (unless you spring for the already chopped nuts), melting the butter and chocolate, and mixing the wet ingredients, the dry ingredients, etc., but what baking recipe doesn't have at least some of those steps. I don't know why they changed the rating, because it is not a difficult recipe. The only thing that's difficult about it is paying for the ingredients!

Sally

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