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The BEST Crinkle Top Brownies.
Half Baked Harvest At Home
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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
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
Nutrition
Nutritional information is only an estimate. The accuracy of the nutritional information for any recipe on this site is not guaranteed.
Did you make this recipe? Please rate & comment below.
The BEST, enough said.
My very favorite brownie recipe!
Thanks so much!! xTieghan
Can I replace the coffee granules with something else?
Hey Amberly,
You can skip the instant coffee. I hope you love the recipe. Please let me know if you have any other questions! Happy New Year! xTieghan
This recipe looks amazing! If I live at higher altitude do I need to make any adjustment?
Hey Elisa,
No adjustments needed, I hope you love the recipe! Happy Holidays! xTieghan
Made these last weekend for a group of friends and they all loved them! So fudgy and delicious. The best brownies I’ve made!
Thank you so much Katelyn! xTieghan
Holy yum! This may be the best brownie recipe I’ve ever made. The instant coffee granules make the flavor of the brownies so much more rich and of course, tastes like heaven when paired with some vanilla ice cream.
Thank you Meagan! I am really glad this recipe turned out so well for you! xTieghan
I’ve made these brownies three times so far! They are absolutely delicious. This last time I had an overabundance of satsumas and so I threw some zest and juice into the mix. I had a rough time putting the batter in the oven it was so yummy! Thank you for being my go-to recipe!!
Thank you Kate! I am really glad this recipe turned out so well for you! xTieghan
I’m always skeptical about brownie recipes. Too many of them end up with a grainy texture or they’re too sweet. Wow was this recipe good. I can easily say it was hands down the best brownie I ever tasted.
Thank you so much Christine! xTieghan
We made these spur of the moment tonight (night 2 of “Election madness”). Hit the spot! The coffee adds such an amazing richness. I’d say one important note: Along with these brownies you NEED at least one of the following:
1. Fresh Whipped Cream
2. Big Scoop of Vanilla Ice Cream
3. A Glass of Milk
Or all three!!!
Yes!! So happy these turned out so amazing for you, David! Thank you for trying them! xTieghan
How much butter in gramos??
Hey Ale,
There are 113 grams in 1 stick of butter. I hope you love the recipe, please let me know if you have any other questions! xTieghan
Making these with my kids today! 🙂
Thank you Mandy! I hope you all enjoy these! xTieghan
Holy smokes these brownies are so simple and incredibly delicious! I only had unsalted butter on hand but supplemented with 1/4 teaspoon salt & they turned out great
Amazing! I am really glad you enjoyed these brownies, Chloe! Thank you! xTieghan
You said 2 cups to semi sweet chocolate but in the instructions you only instructed 1/2 cup to melt with butter and 1/2 cup for mixing later.
Hey Alyn,
In step 2 you are going to use 1 2/2 cups of the chocolate chips and in step 3 you are going to use 1/2 cup of the chips, so all of the 2 cups of chocolate chips is accounted for:) I hope you love the recipe, please let me know if you have any other questions! xTieghan
Have you tried these with gluten free flour? Do you think they would work? Thanks!
Hey Sharon,
I would recommend using Cup4cup GF flour for this recipe. I hope you love the recipe, please let me know if I can help in any other way! xTieghan
Oh. My. Goodness.
These were as good as I’d hoped they would be! Wow!
Thank you so much Noelle! xTieghan
I would love to make these but we are allergic to eggs. ? any suggestions on what we can use to substitute? Would aquafava work? If so how much? And should we whip it?
We make your vegan chocolate chip cookies weekly and love them so much so I’m wondering if I can do the same for this recipe. Thank you for all.
Hey Marcelle,
So sorry, the key for the crinkle top in these brownies is the eggs. You could certainly try a substitute that you enjoy. Please let me know if you give the recipe a try! xTieghan
These are delicious. Mine are a bit crumbly, did I bake too long or not enough?
Hey Angela,
Thanks for trying the recipe, I am thinking you bake a little too long. Please let me know if you have any other questions! xTieghan