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The BEST Crinkle Top Brownies.
Watch the How To Video:
Because there is a lot to celebrate today, and because it’s FRIDAY…and because everyone knows that Friday’s deserve chocolate.
So if there was ever a classic brownie recipe to have in your back pocket, it’s this one. Trust me on this. They remind me of the brownies I’d eat as a kid, and I’m really not sure there’s anything better. These are light, a little fudgy, extra chocolate flavor, perfectly sweet, and they have the most flakey, crinkly top ever. Oh my gosh, SO GOOD.
Before I dive into the delicious details, let me explain the reason I am sharing them.
As most of you know by now, my younger brother Red took home his first Olympic gold medal last week in Men’s Snowboard Slopestyle in PyeongChang, South Korea. If you missed my recap post, you can read part one here and part two here. I said from the start that I wasn’t going to make any fancy Olympic themed food. One, because I am not good with decorating food in fancy ways, and two, because I just didn’t have any great ideas.
That said, after returning home from Korea last week, I felt the need to create a recipe that I knew Red would love. I mean, he did win GOLD, so a celebratory dessert is certainly in order. Right?
Yes, yes, yes. For sure.
Here’s the thing, Red’s a semi picky eater, and doesn’t like anything fancy. His favorite desserts are Special K-Bars (cookbook recipe), chocolate chip cookies, and brownies.
I have a lot of brownie recipes on HBH, but I don’t have one brownie recipe Red would actually eat. Red likes his brownies simple. Chocolate, no frosting, maybe some powdered sugar, and preferably eaten slightly warm. So basically the brownies my mom would make us when we were kids. The ones that came straight out of the Betty Crocker box.
Not going to lie, I loved them too…which is why I am SO excited about these brownies. I really cannot stress enough just how good they are.
When I set out to make these crinkle top brownies, I thought for sure that I’d make them first try and they’d be perfect. I think I felt so confident because I’ve made a hundred and one brownie recipes. But guys, I tested these brownies over and over and over. It was so important to me that they would have the perfect texture, not be dense or cakey, and have the most flakey, crinkly top.
They needed to be perfect, just like the ones I remember eating as a kid with my brothers.
It took a while, used up a lot of eggs…and even more butter.
Like two full days of testing, way over a dozen eggs, probably pounds of butter. Six batches later (possibly more, I lost count), I finally got them right. My freezer is now full of brownies. It’s awesome and very dangerous.
So what’s the secret to that perfect texture and crinkly top?
Real melted chocolate, semi-sweet chocolate chips, and a good amount of whisked eggs.
The chocolate is obvious, but the whisked eggs? You need those to create that crinkly top. Whisking the eggs prior to mixing them in the brownie batter creates air within the eggs that helps to create that crinkly top. It might seem like an unnecessary step, and a waste of a clean bowl, but just trust me on this, it’s what makes these brownies great.
While that and all the semi-sweet chocolate…and butter.
YUMMMMMM.
Red has yet to try these brownies, seeing as he’s still in South Korea, but I’m feeling pretty confident that he’s going to love them.
Speaking of Red, he is competing one last time tonight in Men’s Snowboard Big Air, alongside two of his USA teammates, Kyle Mack and Chris Corning. Kyle is a super close friend of the family, who’s honestly almost like another brother. Pretty excited for the both of them, but I have my fingers crossed for Kyle on this one, as Big Air is much more his event. Make sure to watch tonight at 8pm EST on NBC!
Annnddddd with that, I’m thinking these brownies are the perfect chocolate treat to eat while cheering the boys on.
Lastly, if you make these Crinkle Top Brownies, be sure to leave a comment and/or give this recipe a rating! Above all, I love to hear from you guys and always do my best to respond to each and every comment. And of course, if you do make this recipe, don’t forget to tag me on Instagram! Looking through the photos of recipes you all have made is my favorite!
Crinkle Top Brownies
Servings: 20 brownies
Calories Per Serving: 252 kcal
Nutritional information is only an estimate. The accuracy of the nutritional information for any recipe on this site is not guaranteed.
Watch the How-To Reel
Ingredients
- 2 sticks (1 cup) salted butter
- 2 cups semi-sweet chocolate chips
- 1 1/2 cups granulated sugar
- 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
- 2 teaspoons instant coffee granules
- 4 large eggs, at room temperature
- 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
- 1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
Instructions
- 1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Line a 9×13 inch pan with parchment paper.2. In the microwave, melt together the butter and 1 1/2 cups chocolate chips (stir at 30 second intervals) until melted and smooth. Stir in the sugar, vanilla, and instant coffee. 3. In a small bowl whisk the eggs for 1 minute until bubbly on top. Stir the eggs into the chocolate mix. Add the flour, cocoa powder, and baking powder. Stir until just combined. Stir in the remaining 1/2 cup chocolate chips.3. Evenly spread the mixture into the prepared baking pan. Bake for 28-30 minutes or until the brownies are just set. Let cool (or not) and dust with powdered sugar. Enjoy!
Notes
*For extra thick brownies, bake them in a 9×9 inch square baking dish and bake for 30-35 minutes.
The BEST, enough said.
This post was originally published on February 23, 2018
I have made this recipe two times in two weeks. I’m obsessed! This is the ultimate brownie recipe!! My only tweak is that they take my oven 40 min to be just set. Thank you!!! ?
I am so glad this has been turning out so well for you! Thank you! Stay well! xTieghan
Can I substitute olive oil instead of butter in this recipe?
Hi Zaina,
I do not think olive oil would give you the same results as the butter, so sorry! I hope you love the recipe, please let me know if you have any other questions! xTieghan
Hi i only have unsalted butter how do i adjust for that in this recipe ?
Hi Sara! Just add a pinch of salt, maybe about a 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt. Please let me know if you have other questions. Hope you love this recipe! Thanks! xTieghan
First time making & having homemade brownies, so delicious! Thank you!
Thank you so much Glinda! xTieghan
Second time making this recipe in less than a month because it is SO good!! so quick and easy, and this time I made them with dark chocolate chips and they have an even richer flavor! We love the crunchy top and soft middle, and we have to hide them from ourselves or we’d eat them all in one sitting. Served it with some ice cream on the side for a perfect Monday night treat. Only regret is not finding this recipe sooner because my boyfriend wishes I had been making this recipe instead of the (still tasty) boxed brownie mix.
Ah that is so amazing to hear! Thank you so much for trying this, I am really glad you are loving this one! I hope you are staying well! xTieghan
Hey can I use margarine instead of butter? It’s all I have during this quarantine!!
Hi Karen,
Yes that works! I hope you love the recipe! xTieghan
Hi! Just made these brownies today and they came out more cakey than expected, but the chocolate flavor was still good! I don’t want to rate them just yet as I did change up the recipe a bit (I was concerned about the amount of butter and am not used to using that much in a baking recipe). Instead of 2 sticks of salted butter (which is 16 tablespoons), I used 10 tablespoons of Smart Balance buttery spread (about 1.25 sticks of butter). I also reduced the granulated sugar to just 1 cup (I believe the chocolate chips already add some sweetness), omitted the instant coffee (I had none on hand), and baked for 30 mins. Would the reduced butter or type of butter affect the consistency and texture of the brownie? I know stick butters are generally more dense and fat than tub butters. I’d greatly appreciate some input!
Hi Christine,
Sorry you didn’t enjoy the consistency of the recipe, but yes the butter substitute that you used would create a different texture as well as omitting the sugar. Totally fine to leave the instant coffee out, but next time I would recommend just using the 2 sticks of butter and the sugar that the recipe calls for in order to get the right texture. Thanks so much for trying the recipe, please let me know if you have any other questions! xTieghan
If I use sweetened cocoa powder, how much should I cut the sugar by?
Hi Maheen,
I would cut the sugar by 1/4 cup. I hope you love the recipe, please let me know if you have any other questions! xTieghan
Oh, these are delicious! I just made them and the coffee is perfect in it. Yum!
Thank you Amber! I am so glad you enjoyed these! xTieghan
My brownies did not have much of a crinkly top and I am not sure why. I had to.cook them for longer than 30 minutes until the toothpick came out dry. They were very goey and was not sure if this is how they were supposed to be? I accidentally melted all of the chocolate chips before I realized that 1/2 cup should have been added later so not sure if this affected them. I had trouble getting the parchment paper to stay and looked up what to do and it said to spray the bottom of the pan, then added the paper.
Hi Carol! Is there anything else you could have done differently? I would love to help you out! xTieghan
Will omitting the coffee ruin the brownies?
Hi Audrie! No, it shouldn’t. The coffee is used to enhance the flavor, so I would recommend using it if you like it! xTieghan
O. M. G. These are so freaking good! One question though…I made mine in a 9 by 13 pan and they were a little gooey, which I’d rather that than dry, but what can I do to make them not fall apart? Just bake longer?
Hi Kate,
So glad you enjoyed the recipe! Yes just bake for about 5-8 more minutes. Please let me know if you have any other questions! xTieghan
Hi! Sorry if this was asked already but I am making these tomorrow and just discovered that I have Cacao powder not cocoa powder. With Covid 19 and it being sooo inconvenient to go to market for just one thing right now, I’d like to know if using cacao is okay or would it ruin the brownies? Thanks in advanve for responding 🙂
Hi Iris,
You can use the Cacao powder in place of the coco powder, my mom would actually prefer them this way:) I hope you love the recipe, please let me know if you have any other questions! xTieghan
Hello! Looks great, would it be possible to switch out the flour with a gluten free flour? Specifically Bob’s Red Mill gluten free flour.
Hi Jims! I have not tried it, but I believe it should work well! Please let me know if you do try! xTieghan
These were incredible!!!! My boyfriend loves brownies, and I’ve been trying to find a recipe that is delicious and not out of the box. And boy, did I find it with this recipe! They are chocolatey, fudgy, gooey, and the crinkle top is perfect. My boyfriend was very impressed and I will definitely make them again. The instant coffee adds a rich, complex flavor to it. They were super rich and so delicious. I cooked them for 28 minutes and they were a little underdone, so I would probably cook them for 30 minutes next time. Amazing recipe. Thank You!!!
Hi Katie! I am so glad you both loved these brownies! Thank you so much for giving them a try! xTieghan