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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.
Made an 8×8 pan of these this morning and they are already half gone! Excellent brownie recipe.
Haha I love that! Thank you Laura!
Hi do those freeze well?
Yes, they freeze great!! Please let me know if you have other questions. Hope you love this recipe! Thanks! 🙂
i know this is like a lot of extra work for you but it would be so amazing if we could have the nutritional information in your recipes… i do love love your site and devour your recipes but yeah id love to have this little extra someday if possible…
Hi Amalia! I have been considering adding it, but I like that my recipes focus on eating whole foods, not on the fat content or amount of calories. I hope you can understand!
I made the double-thick version in the 9×9 for company. It took about 1 hour and not the 30-35… but omg it was well worth the wait. We gobbled up warm with good quality vanilla ice cream and dare I say… hot fudge. You could have heard a pin drop in the dining room if it weren’t for the scraping of plates. A definite keeper! Merci!
I am so glad you liked these Cyn! Thank you!!
Hi! Would unsalted butter sticks work as a substitution for salted butter???? Would I need to add salt to the recipe if I do?
HI! Yes, unsalted butter works, 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! 🙂
Im hungry after see your recipes post 😀
Thank you!
I have asked questions before but do not see an answer. What an I doing wrong? Are your baking recipes adjusted for altitude?
Hi Cat! My recipes will work at a higher altitude, so no need to change it. I hope you enjoy these brownies!
They look delicious.
Thank you!
Would it taste the same (if not better ?) if I replace the chocolate chips with chopped up baking chocolate instead? This looks really good and I am going to bake this later today. With boys out of school due to the nor’easter storm, this will be perfect. Thanks again.
HI! You can use an equal amount of chopped chocolate, but I would use a semi-sweet variety to ensure the brownies are sweet enough. Please let me know if you have other questions. Hope you love this recipe! Thanks! 🙂
I stumbled across this recipe, and will be making it either today or tomorrow. It sounds fantastic! Would I be able to bake this in an 8×8 in. pan? If so, for how long? Thank you!
Sure, but they will be much thicker than the ones in the photos. I would bake 30-35 minutes. Please let me know if you have other questions. Hope you love this recipe! Thanks! 🙂
any idea on the calories in these? i’m sorta dieting right now and i know this is definitely not the thing to go ahead and eat right now but I NEED TO I HAVE TO I MUST have them 🙂
Hi Amalia! I do not have the caloric information for these brownies, but I find online food calculators work great! So sorry about this. Please let me know if you have any other questions!
Made it, and my family loved it *esp after cooled in the fridge :)) Thanks for the recipe!
Thank you Lala!
Absolutely delicious and easy to make! My mom, who doesn’t even like brownies, LOVED these. They are moist, dense, but also have a touch of that coffee flavor. Will definitely make again!
Thank you so much Emma! I am so glad you liked these brownies!
Are your recipes adjusted for high altitude? I am at 7300 ft. You must’ve higher than that.
HI! These will work great at your altitude. Please let me know if you have other questions. Hope you love this recipe! Thanks! 🙂
The tops of my brownies didn’t look as crinkly as yours, I probably didn’t whisk the eggs enough. Nonetheless, these brownies were amazing!! I made them for a group of people and everybody was raving about them!
I am really glad you enjoyed these Emily! Thank you!