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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 was so excited to try this recipe! I followed everything exactly only halved the recipe since I had just one stick of butter. They came out very dry and crumbly. What could have gone wrong? I only baked for 20 minutes. Could the butter/chocolate/sugar mixture have been too warm when I added the eggs? The batter did seem to get grainy at this point. Thanks!! I’m ready to try them out again 🙂
Hey Teresa,
So sorry you had issues with the brownies. Next time I would use the full recipe as baking can become finicky when cutting in half. Please let me know if you have any other questions! xTieghan
Perfection! I’m making more to send to my boys in college!
Aw so sweet! I am so glad these turned out so well for you, Brandie! I hope your boys love them just as much! xTieghan
The best brownie I have ever had Making sure to leave them at my daughters house when I leave lol
Haha I am so happy these turned out so well for you, Marie! Thank you! xTieghan
While these do taste delicious, the baking time was way off for me. I had to bake them for almost an hour and they still seemed pretty underdone. I prefer my brownies a little firmer so these were a little too rich and fudgy for me.
Hi Alex! I am really sorry to hear that! If there is anything I can help with, please let me know! Otherwise, I hope you love some other recipes of mine! xTieghan
These are AMAZING! I’ve made them several times now and absolutely love them.
I was wondering if I could use a baking bar of semi-sweet chocolate, chopped up, instead of chocolate chips. Would that affect the brownies and would it be a 1 to 1 ratio? I wasn’t sure if I would need to add anything if I used bar chocolate instead.
Thanks SO much!
Hey Jenn,
That would work, I would just use an equal amount of chocolate. I hope you love the recipe, please let me know if you have any other questions! xTieghan
These are the best brownies ever! I made them for my sons lunches this week and they are so stoked!
Thank you for trying these Camille!! So happy these turned out so well for you! xTieghan
I baked them tonight and it was delicious. I have a go to recipe but it has a bit to much sugar. This one in the other hand just the right amount of sweetness. Thank you again for a wonderful recipe!
Thank you for trying this one, Karla! I am really glad these turned out so well for you!! xTieghan
Yes girl! These brownies were a hit! Thank you for working so diligently to create this perfect recipe for us.
Love that!! Thank you Amy! xTieghan
Best brownie recipe I’ve been searching years for!
Yes!! Love to hear that, Courtnee! xTieghan
Absolute perfection! Way too good, I am moaning with delight! These are the best brownies ever! Enjoying warm with your coffee no churn ice cream. Great job Tieghan.
Thank you so much Kristen! xTieghan
Sublime
Thank you so much Judy!! xTieghan
Brownie Lovers, this is the recipe for you!! Honestly, I didn’t think they could be that good but they are. My husband says they are the best he has ever had. That is saying a lot, he is the ultimate brownie consumer and a critical one at that. Great job again Tieghan! My chocolate loving family thanks you too!
Wow that is so amazing to hear!! Thank you so much for trying this one, Cindy! xTieghan
These are amazing. Have made them a couple times now. Exactly how moist should they be? They seem to come out more on the fudge-like side, dense but definitely hold their shape/are not runny. Toothpick/knife test no matter how long we keep them in does not come out very clean. First time I baked maybe 10-15 mins or so extra, the second used the whole 30 mins. It didn’t seem to make much difference honestly other than the first batch were a bit tougher in texture versus drier which we didn’t like at all. Still ate them though cuz brownies. Second batch is better I just worry they may be too raw. I am not used to such fudgy brownies. Just wanting to check!
Hey Amber,
Thanks so much for giving this recipe a try! These definitely are on the fudgey side, the only thing I would recommend is to cover with foil and bake a little longer, but not too long so they don’t try out. You could also use a large pan. I hope this helps! xTieghan
These were easy and delicious!
Thank you Sonia! I am really happy to hear that! xTieghan
Made these tonight to go in the No Churn Fudge Brownie Coffee Ice Cream tomorrow and wow, they’re amazing! So fudgy, soft, and chocolatey. I baked mine in a 9×13 glass pan and bumped the temperature down 25 degrees and cooked them until they were set so they wouldn’t burn on me. Such an easy recipe! I’ll be returning to this one for sure.
Yes! That is super great to hear! Thank you so much for trying this Rebecca! xTieghan