These Crispy Top Fudgy Brownies are soft and fudgy with a crispy, sweet top. Baked in parchment paper so that even the sides are soft and chewy. Addictively delicious.
Brownie Lovers
My husband doesn’t care for most desserts, with the exception of brownies. So, I make brownies on a regular basis since I want to be a sweet wife (read between the lines: I like dessert and it’s a great excuse to have more dessert around).
I have made him multiple homemade brownies …. a friend’s family recipe, a brownie pudding, caramel brownies, Nutella brownies …. he hasn’t liked any of them. He has said things like, “too much chocolate”, “too much sugar”, or “not my favorite”.
My husband is a boxed brownie fan. To him, that’s the gold standard to which nothing can be matched.
Crispy Top Fudgy Brownies
On my mission to make a brownie that he would like, I made these tasty little confections.
Recently, I took them to a cookout. Several people there told me that these were some of the best brownies they had ever eaten. Multiple people asked me for the recipe.
Let me tell you about how to make these brownies so special:
Crispy Tops on Brownies
The trick to making the top crispy is to beat the eggs and sugar until they are thick, and light yellow in color. Trust me on this. The top turns out to be a crunchy, sweet delight.
Soft Edges
My husband and I do not care for typical brownie edges, so these are baked at 325 degrees, in a pan lined with parchment paper. This way, the edges stay nice and soft.
If you’re in the ‘I like more edges’ camp of brownie lovers though, don’t use the parchment paper.
Fudgy Brownies
There are several tricks that make these brownies extra fudgy.
First, I only use 1/4 teaspoon of levaner (baking powder). This means that they rise a tiny bit, but are mostly fudgy.
Second, I use more cocoa powder than flour. This makes them extra chocolaty.
Truth
Well friends, full disclosure here, my husband says he still prefers boxed brownies …. fail for him, but win for me, because these things are amazing.
I adore the crispy, sugary top and fudgy bottom! They remind me of Brownie Pudding in the form of a brownie. They are a delicious and fun twist on regular brownies!
7/3/20: This recipe has become quite a hit in person and on my website, so I have updated it with new photos, and made a few tweaks to the recipe that make the brownies thicker and fudgier, while still having a crispy, crunchy top, and therefore being all around amazing.
Crispy Top Fudgy Brownies
Ingredients
- 3/4 cup butter melted, then cooled so that it is no longer hot, but is still liquid
- 1 1/2 cups sugar
- 3 large eggs
- 1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 1/3 cup all purpose flour
- 3/4 cup cocoa powder
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 teaspoon baking powder
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Line a 9×9 pan with parchment paper so that the paper is coming up over the sides.
- Melt the butter, then allow it to cool so that it is no longer hot, but is still liquid. I usually melt the butter first, then place it in the freezer while I'm working on everything else.
- Add the eggs and sugar to a stand mixer fitted with paddle attachment. Beat until the mixture is light yellow and thick, about 5-7 minutes.
- Mix in the vanilla until just combined.
- In a medium sized bowl, whisk together the flour, cocoa powder, salt, and baking powder.
- On low speed, slowly mix flour mixture into egg mixture until just combined.
- Then, still on low speed, slowly pour in cooled butter until just combined.
- Spread evenly in prepared baking pan.
- Bake for 30-32 minutes, or until toothpick inserted into center of pan comes out with just a few crumbs. Do not over bake.
- Allow to cool in pan for 2 minutes, then use parchment paper to lift brownies out of pan and let cool on rack.
Disclaimer: All nutritional information provided on this website is an estimate only and is not guaranteed.
If you enjoyed these Crispy Top Fudgy Brownies, you should check out these other SugarSpicesLife recipes:
Brownie Pudding
Skillet S’mores Brownie
Triple Chocolate Cookies
Flourless Chocolate Torte
Chocolate Chip Cookie Cake
Amazon items used to make these Crispy Top Fudgy Brownies:
- Kitchen Aid Mixer Except for the microwave, this is the most used small appliance in my kitchen. I love it. Adore it.
- Parchment Paper If you don’t use parchment paper to make your brownies, you are missing out on amazing brownies.
I wish you could have added pictures from the process as it is a way to guide the person following the recipe. I do not have cup measurements so I converted them online to grams. I also don’t have a KitchenAid so I did not have a paddle attachment so I just used an electric whisk. I tried to not over mix with it. The batter ended up being too think to move into the baking pan, I wonder if the eggs were large enough (I used large eggs) but maybe I should have added one more. Oh well, they… Read more »
I hope the brownies were still tasty! This batter is very thick and a medium to light brown color. It looks almost like a cake or muffin batter – you have to spread it with a spoon or spatula since it’s too thick to spread on its own. If it was thicker than that I was thinking, was the butter still liquid?
I tried this recipe but my batter is so watery,i follow exactly the ingredients but my batter is so watery😢
Hmmm, it’s a pretty thick batter. Were your eggs thickened after whipping them? That’s my first thought. Otherwise I’m not sure what could’ve happened unless your measurements for the sugar, flour, or cocoa powder was off.
I made this today and you are so right about this recipe being amazing! Thank you…this is the best brownies me and hubby had and we are definitely keeping and sticking to this recipe. ❤️👍👍
Yay, I’m so glad! Thanks for sharing 🙂
Is this brownie sweet? Can i lessen the sugar. What is the effect on other ingredients?
Hi! Yes, the brownies are sweet. I have never lessened the sugar. If I were going to try, I would try reducing the sugar by ~1/4 to 1/3 cup and not changing anything else. If I were going to reduce it more than that, I’d assume I’d have to start adjusting multiple things to keep the texture the same.
I followed it to a T and they came out very cake like. Can anyone trouble shoot? It was still good
I’m not sure! A couple of thoughts though…. Maybe try cooking them a couple of minutes less. If they cook too long they can dry a bit which could make them cake like. Second thought, were the eggs and sugar very thick? If they weren’t quite thick enough that could potentially cause an issue. Also, the flour/cocoa powder and butter need to be mixed until JUST combined, so they could also be stirred in which might help too.
Hey! Great recipe. This is my go to brownie recipe. Can you please tell how many calories they are tho?
Helloo, im looking for a lemon bars recipe with the texture of chocolate brownies crisp top and fudgy in the middle. And just powdered sigar topping. Can you help me? Thank you
Is there really only a third of a cup of flour in this recipe?!?
Yes!
where are we meant to add the melted butter ?? It’s in the ingredients but not the actual recipe
Qt the very end, right after mixing in the dry ingredients
I’ve been trying for AGES to get crispy top, fudge brownies and this was a winner! Finally after testing 20+ recipes, yay!