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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 chocolatey, 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 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.
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 9x13 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 9x9 inch square baking dish and bake for 30-35 minutes.
The BEST, enough said.
Can you make the batter ahead of time to bake later and still get the same results?
Thanks!
Hey Melissa,
Yes, that will work just fine for you. I hope you love this recipe, please let me know if you give it a try! xTieghan
Hi. How do I adjust ingredients for 8” x 8” square pan?
Hey Valerie,
I would cut the recipe in half if you are going to use an 8 inch pan. I hope you love this recipe, please let me know if you give it a try! xTieghan
THESE ARE THE BROWNIES FROM TOUR CHILDHOOD. Just add chopped walnuts (at least according to my childhood). I’ve made these a handful of times and have always omitted the instant coffee because I never seem to have that in my pantry. I’m sure they’re even better with the instant coffee, though. These are full proof every time. Don’t bother with boxed brownies full of lord-knows-what chemicals, these are even better.
Hey Shannon,
Happy Wednesday! I am thrilled that this recipe was enjoyed, thanks a bunch for giving it a go! xTieghan
These are my go-to brownies. I started keeping them in the freezer for self-control purposes – and discovered (unfortunately?) that they are AMAZING frozen. Thanks for the recipe!
Hey Jacque,
Thanks so much for giving this recipe a try, I am so glad it was enjoyed! Have a wonderful weekend:) xTieghan
This brownies are AMAZING. The taste is pure perfection. I had a bit of trouble though- I had to rebake after taking them out of the oven because they weren’t done. These will now be my go to brownies! Thank you for another great recipe!
Hey Michelle,
Happy Monday! Thanks so much for making this recipe, I love to hear that it was enjoyed! xxTieghan
I made this and liked the texture as it was not too dense. My son loved it too. For his birthday, he wanted something a little different and suggested I make a brownie carrot cake. So I used this brownie recipe to form the base and added on your carrot coconut cake on the top and baked it. It was fantastic and so rich! I added a mascarpone cream cheese buttercream on top – divine! Have tagged you in my IG
Hey Aru,
Awesome! I am delighted that this recipe was enjoyed and truly appreciate you giving it a try! xTieghan
I’m not much of a baker, I made these with high hopes and 3 minutes into baking I realized that I forgot the sugar! Threw the hot ass batter back into the bowl, added sugar, hoped for the best and they still turned out great (somehow). Thanks for the foolproof recipe!
Hey there,
Awesome! I am delighted that this recipe was enjoyed and truly appreciate you giving it a try! xTieghan
Perfect! Used a glass pan and baked for 40 mins
Hey Maria,
Fantastic!! I am so glad this recipe was enjoyed, thanks a lot for making it! xTieghan
Very flavorful but they were just complete mush 🙁 I even baked 5 minutes longer and they couldn’t hold their shape at all.
Hey Rachael,
Sorry to hear this, was there anything you may have adjusted in the recipe? Please let me know if I can help in anyway! xTieghan
Baked these for 35 mins now and they’re still mushy. Using a glass baking pan. ?
Hey Melody,
Glass pans will always require additional baking time:) xTieghan
Would coffee grounds work instead of instant coffee?
Hey Emily,
So sorry, coffee grounds will not give the same results, you either want to use the instant coffee or just omit it. I hope you love the recipe, please let me know if you give them a try! xTieghan
I’ve tried many brownie recipes from both scratch and box mix and this is now my GO TO brownie recipe! I’ve changed it up with dark chocolate, dark cocoa, semi-sweet, it doesn’t matter! It’s all good and always a hit…constant compliments. Thanks for making my baking skills look good!
Hey Pearl,
Awesome! I am thrilled this recipe was enjoyed, thanks a lot for making it! xTieghan
These were delicious. Unfortunately i had to add 20 minutes to the cooking time, after taking the out after 30 minutes the brownies were liquid in the center. After reading the reviews I noticed that other people had to increase their cooking time also. Tieghan – did you use a convection oven when you baked these brownies?
Hey Christine,
I am so so glad to hear that this recipe was enjoyed and I appreciate you giving it a try!! Sorry these took you longer than expected. I used regular bake for these, did you bake them in a glass pan? This will require extra time. xxTieghan
This recipe is such a huge hit with the family… I have to make it EVERY TIME they come over hehe – I was wondering if it would be possible to make them in a mini cupcake tin? Trying to make them more “COVID” friendly for an outdoor get together. Thanks!!
Hey Mansi,
So so glad this recipe was enjoyed, thanks a lot for giving it a try!! Yes, these would be great as mini cupcakes! xxTieghan
I wrongly melted all the choco chips….
but it was still sooooo gooooood!!!
Only thing is it’s kinda too sweet for me eventhough I used dark chocolate….
Do you think I can use less sugar? Or texture will be completely different if I can change amount of sugar?
Hey there,
Happy Monday! I am so glad this recipe was enjoyed, thanks a bunch for making it! Sorry, I would not adjust the sugar here. xTieghan
Very good and easy to make! Would make again. Mine however didn’t crinkle on top. Do you have any suggestions?
Hey Anna,
Fantastic!! Love to hear that this recipe was enjoyed, thanks a lot for making it! The key to the crinkle top is to whisk the eggs like crazy:) Have a great Sunday:) xxTieghan
I baked this in a glass 9×13 pan and 31 minutes was not nearly long enough. I’m guessing 35-38? I’ll try it again because they had a really good flavor!
Hey Linda,
Thanks so much for giving this recipe a try, I am delighted that it was enjoyed! Usually things take longer to bake in glass dishes. Have a fantastic week! xTieghan