u/Electrical-Ad-7852

I’ve been messing around with a small batch brownie recipe using kefir and no eggs, and I’m trying to dial it in a bit.

Basically here are my limitations:

• I’ve got this tiny 4.5" x 4.5" baking dish dish that’s perfect for dessert for 2
• I'm not using an egg because a full egg seems like it’d be too much for that small amount of batter (but maybe I’m wrong?)
• I always have kefir on hand because I use it in my breakfast. But I don't regularly stock milk or other dairy

I made a batch last week and pretty good but it had two very much anticipated issues:

• It didn’t rise much
• The kefir tang came through just a bit too strong

To be clear, I’m not trying to force this into being a classic brownie. I kind of think of this more of as its own thing. I just want it to dial it in more and make it taste more balanced.

The recipe I used last week was roughly:

• 1/4 cup flour
• 1/4 cup cocoa powder
• 4 tbsp butter
• 1/4 tsp vanilla extract
• 1/4 cup kefir
• 1/3 cup sugar
• Baked ~25 minutes at 350°F

A few things I’m wondering:

• Flavor: What’s a good way to mellow out that kefir tang a bit? Would something like maple syrup or molasses help round it out? Or is this more about adjusting sugar/fat?
• Liquid: Would it make more sense to use mostly water (or something neutral) and just a little kefir for texture?
• Egg: What would actually happen if I just used one egg anyway in this small amount of batter? Too cakey? Weird texture?
• Leavening: Since kefir is acidic, would baking soda help with rise and the flavor? Or is baking powder the better move here?

Curious if anyone had some advice on how dial this in more.