Learn the tips and tricks for making the best fudgy brownies with crackly tops. These rich & dense brownies have a shiny crispy top that's worth the effort!
*Thank you OXO for sponsoring today's post so I can share this fudgy brownies with crackly tops recipe with all of you.*
My favorite comfort food is fudgy brownies with crackly tops.
Those CRISPY, CRACKLY, SHINY TOPS are to die for!
So, what type of brownies do YOU like?
Fudgy ooey gooey brownies? OR crackly brownies?
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Sometimes, I like to make these brownies just so I can eat the tops and nothing else...hahaha.
These brownies are DENSE, RICH, FUDGY and insanely CHOCO-LICIOUS, just the way brownies were intended.
Seriously, look at this perfection...
I am NOT sure about the science behind getting crackly tops on top of the brownies.
But after a lot of trial and error, here are two very IMPORTANT things I have figured out about making perfect fudgy brownies with crackly tops:
- When I made brownies with just cocoa powder, the brownies were more cake-like and didn't have the shiny crispy top. So, you definitely NEED to use baking chocolate or chocolate chips in your brownie recipe to get that crispy top.
- You also need to CREAM the butter and sugar first until the mixture is pale and fluffy (takes about 5-6 minutes of beating). Most importantly, you need to MIX the heck out of your batter after adding the eggs (about 5 minutes). This adds a lot of air into the mixture and allows a crispy meringue layer to form on top of the brownies.
To make these fudgy brownies with crackly tops, you will need the following ingredients:
⅔ cups all-purpose flour
1 cup granulated sugar
½ cup + 2 tablespoon unsalted butter (at room temperature)
7 ounces melted dark chocolate or semisweet chocolate
1 tablespoon cocoa powder
½ tablespoon espresso powder
2 tablespoon warm water
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 large eggs
Notes:
- Don't over-mix after adding the dry ingredients or else the texture of the brownies will change!
- Don't over-bake or else the inside of the brownies will become more cake-like rather than staying fudgy.
- The butter needs to be at room temperature. I tried making these brownies with slightly cold butter and the results were not as great.
And here are the steps:
Step 1:
In a deep mixing bowl, cream butter and sugar until the mixture is pale and fluffy.
Step 2:
Add the eggs and vanilla extract and mix again for another 5 minutes.
Step 3:
In a small bowl, mix together the espresso powder with water.
Step 4:
Add this espresso mixture into your batter and mix until just combined.
Step 5:
Add the melted chocolate and mix until just combined.
Step 6:
In a separate bowl, whisk the flour and cocoa powder.
Step 7:
Add this dry mixture into the brownie batter and mix everything until just combined.
Do NOT over-mix!
Step 8:
Pour this batter into a square pan (Dimensions: 8in x 8in x 8in) that's lined with foil paper and sprayed with oil.
Use a spatula to spread the batter evenly over the entire pan.
Step 9:
Bake at 350 degrees for 35-40 minutes or until an inserted toothpick comes out covered in some sticky crumbs.
Let the brownie cool down. Then, cut it into square pieces.
And you are done!
By the way, these brownies are a small way in which I am trying to support a wonderful organization called Cookies for Kids'
Every year, OXO supports this organization through their #OXOGoodCookies program, where they encourage everyone to bake a difference with OXO.
For each blog post dedicated to this campaign, OXO will be donating $100 to Cookies for Kids' Cancer.
I used OXO's cake pan and brownie spatula to make my brownies today.
If you liked this recipe, you may also like some of these other brownie recipes...
Gooey brownies (Chocolate Cherry Brownies)
Recipe
How to make fudgy brownies with crackly tops
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Ingredients
- ⅔ cups All-purpose flour
- 1 cup Sugar Granulated
- ½ cup + 2 tablespoon Butter Room temperature, Unsalted
- 7 ounces Dark chocolate Melted, Or semisweet chocolate
- 1 tablespoon Cocoa powder
- ½ tablespoon Espresso powder
- 2 tablespoon Water Warm
- 1 teaspoon Vanilla extract
- 2 Eggs Large
Instructions
- In a deep mixing bowl, cream butter and sugar until the mixture is pale and fluffy.
- Add the eggs and vanilla extract and mix again for another 5 minutes.
- In a small bowl, mix together the espresso powder with water.
- Add this espresso mixture into your batter and mix until just combined.
- Add the melted chocolate and mix until just combined.
- In a separate bowl, whisk the flour and cocoa powder.
- Add this dry mixture into the brownie batter and mix everything until just combined. Do NOT over-mix!
- Pour this batter into a square pan (Dimensions: 8in x 8in x 2in) that’s lined with foil paper and sprayed with oil. Use a spatula to spread the batter evenly over the entire pan.
- Bake at 350 degrees for 35-40 minutes or until an inserted toothpick comes out covered in some sticky crumbs.
- Let the brownies cool down. Then, cut it into square pieces. Enjoy!
Video
Notes
- Don’t over-mix after adding the dry ingredients or else the texture of the brownies will change!
- Don’t over-bake or else the inside of the brownies will become more cake-like rather than staying fudgy.
- The butter needs to be at room temperature. I tried making these brownies with slightly cold butter and the results were not as great.
Nutrition
An automated tool is used to calculate the nutritional information. As such, I cannot guarantee the accuracy of the nutritional information provided for any recipe on this site.
Jenny
These look delicious! I love fudgy brownies.
Abeer Rizvi
Trust me, this will become your "go to" brownie recipe! It's insanely delicious!
Danica
Fudgy brownies are definitely my faves/
Abeer Rizvi
And that crackly top just makes them even more irresistible
Chrissa
Oh yum! Those crackly tops are speaking to me right now. I wish I had one as my lunchtime dessert!
Abeer Rizvi
hahaha! Those crackly tops get me every time too. Even looking at these pictures makes me want to make another batch again
Rae
Going to try this recipe for my special Christmas "peppermint brownies."
I think these would work great for a cookie/baked goods Christmas goodies exchange. Thanks for posting this just in time!
Abeer Rizvi
That flavor combination sounds delicious! Please share a picture when you make those brownies
Samantha
Wow - these look AMAZINGLY GOOD. Saved.
Abeer Rizvi
Thanks.. I hope you try them soon
Stacey
I always wondered how to get those pretty crackly tops! I can't wait to make these, my hubby will be so happy!!!
Abeer Rizvi
These brownies definitely get a big thumbs up from the guys... trust me!
Eftychia
Mmmm, yummy! My kids will love these brownies!
Abeer Rizvi
Both, kids and adults would love these brownies
Sara
Pinned this one, thank you for sharing, this is my kind of brownie too!
Abeer Rizvi
Thanks for sharing. These are truly the best brownies ever... those crackly tops make it worth all the work
Laci Harper
These look amazing! Have you ever substituted veg oil for the butter?
Abeer Rizvi
I have tried that but I really think butter is the way to go. It makes these brownies richer.
May B
I seem to don't get the flour thing, self-rising, all purpose doesn't specify? confused
Abeer Rizvi
My recipes will always use all-purpose flour unless I specifically mention a different kind of flour. This recipe is made with all-purpose flour
Laura
This brownie is excellent. I have finally gotten a flaky top out of a brownie recipe instead of a bland chocolate cake! Taste is great too. However, I have a question: The flaky top is extremely fragile and will break off if touched, even lightly. I want to sell this brownie in my shop, but I'm afraid it will crumble if taken home. Any advice or tips?
Thank you!
Abeer Rizvi
Yay! So happy to hear you liked it! I have never sold these brownies. So, unfortunately, I am not much help there...hehe.
Tracy
Thanks for this recipe lil miss Cake Whiz! I made it today and it was fantastic! I'm making it again tomorrow but going to use unsweetened baking chocolate instead of chocolate chips and see how it turns out
Abeer Rizvi
Woohoo! I am so happy it turned out well for you. Let me know how it goes with your little experiment. My readers and I love hearing about people's results and feedback:)
Tracy
For now, the original recipe has an incredible texture, top and taste! I experimented and over baked them. They were dry and crumbly with no shiny top. I have a feeling the top would not have a shine whether they were perfectly baked or not. I think you need the extra sugar from the chocolate chips to get the awesome crackly top. I will try again another day.
Abeer Rizvi
Thanks for letting me know! If I find any other chocolate that works better, I would be sure to update my recipe
Heather
Thank you for sharing this recipe! Apparently once in the past I made brownies with a crackly top that my kids loved. They have been asking for them again but after trying several recipes I was unable to recreate them. Then I found this recipe - success! The kids and I love them.
Abeer Rizvi
YAYYYY! Reading this made me so happy. Those crackly tops are the best!
Vivi
In your instruction cream butter and sugar until mixture is pale and fluffy.. are you using mixer or hand whisk? When you mix dry ingredient only using spatula? Because i've try many brownies recipe there's no cracky in my brownies.. do you have this recipe with gram?
Abeer Rizvi
Hi Vivi, I always use a mixer in pretty much all my recipes. You can use a stand mixer or hand held mixer. As for dry ingredients, you can use a whisk or spatula to mix them together. And yes, these brownies are different that regular brownies because they will have crackly tops. That's what makes them so special.
I am sorry I don't have this recipe in grams. I always use measuring cups in my recipes.
Hope you enjoy these brownies!
JO
When you say 'Sugar' what kind of sugar have you used? Thank you.
Abeer Rizvi
I use granulated sugar.
Sylvia Haider
In the instructions, you note an 8x8 pan, but later on below, you note a 9x13 pan. In some recipes, size does matter due to the specifics (ie you need height in some for batter to rise, etc) but some don't. Is 9x13 ok?
Lastly, is it okay to double or should one do two batches?
Thanks!
Abeer Rizvi
I highly recommend using an 8x8x2 square pan for this recipe. If you double this recipe, you can use a bigger pan.