Perfect Crinkly Shiny Brownies

These are my absolute FAVORITE perfect, crinkly shiny brownies! This brownie recipe is mixed and baked in under an hour and will without fail give you that beautiful, glossy, paper-thin top. The texture of the edge brownie pieces is more chewy and they get more fudge-like the closer you get to the center — so good.

These will absolutely become your new favorite, no fuss, beautiful brownie recipe.

Key Delicious, Shiny Brownie Ingredients

Ten ingredients is all you need to make these gorgeous brownies! Let’s run down some of the ingredients that make these truly magical:

Dark Chocolate

Use a nice dark chocolate that’s made for melting. Chocolate chips will work in a pinch but they resist melting because of their ingredients (they’re meant to hold their shape!). If you have options, pick bars of chocolate, callets or discs as they’ll melt the easiest.

 I’m loving these baking chips and these are my most favorite Callebaut callets; I used the Callebaut when testing this recipe (delicious chocolate, melts beautifully — LOVE).

Whatever chocolate you use, make sure it’s good quality and can handle melting.

Dutch-Process Cocoa Powder

Double chocolate (both chips and unsweetened cocoa powder) mean these brownies have mega flavor. I love this Hershey’s Dark as it’s easy to find and yields beautiful flavor + color; you can however use any unsweetened cocoa powder you have on hand. When recipe testing this crinkly brownie recipe I used this King Arthur Flour unsweetened cocoa powder which is a gorgeous color and flavor (and definitely a splurge!).

Eggs

Use large, room temperature eggs as they will let you whip heaps of air into them. I often place cold eggs in some warm water to quickly bring them to room temperature.

Espresso

The first time I paired espresso with chocolate was when baking Ina Garten’s Beatty’s Chocolate Cake year’s ago and I fell in love! Adding espresso to chocolate baked goods really amps up the chocolate flavor and doesn’t necessarily produce an ‘espresso’ flavor.

You can use a tablespoon of fresh-brewed espresso or strong coffee *or* you can use espresso powder, this one is my favorite. If you use the latter, feel free to add additional espresso powder if you want to taste more of a coffee flavor (I wouldn’t do more than 2 teaspoons).

Vanilla Extract

You can either make your own vanilla extract (see here!) or get some really good quality vanilla extract — I don’t recommend imitation vanilla extract as I don’t love the flavor.

Why This Shiny Brownie Recipe Works

For the fudgy brownie recipe in The Cookie Book, I melted the sugar and butter together which also yields a shiny top. However, not with the consistency (or drama!) I desired.

Back in 2018 I created a crème fraîche chocolate chip cookie recipe which also melts the sugar to get a shiny top…but the recipe *also* has you really whip up the eggs. This chocolate chip cookie recipe consistently yields a shiny top.

While working on this brownie recipe, that particular cookie recipe led me to test omitting the sugar melting step and just focus on really whipping up the eggs. I found that whipping your eggs into a frothy frenzy is what creates a consistent, shiny top EVERY SINGLE TIME!

These shiny, crinkly brownies are so satisfying to bake!

Making Crinkly Brownies Q&A

What is the perfect brownie pan?

I absolutely love the 9×13 NordicWare baking pan for baking brownies. This larger pan will yield a chewier brownie around the edges of the pan with the middle brownies having a more fudge-like consistency, so everyone is happy.

If you want to make them in a 9×9 pan, this is my go-to…it is also NordicWare.

This recipe was tested in both size pans. The 9×9 brownies need to be baked a bit longer (as noted in the recipe) and will yield an overall fudgier, thicker brownie experience.

Do I have to use a mixer to get my eggs perfectly frothed?

Nope! You can use a whisk (this one is my favorite!). You will really need to whip the mixture until it is lighter in color, increased in volume and thickened (see the video and the photo above for a visual).

I tested these using both my KitchenAid stand mixer and my Breville handheld — both worked beautifully…although I wouldn’t mind the arm workout!

Can I omit the espresso in the brownies?

Yes, absolutely! No need to substitute.

How to Cut Perfect Shiny Brownies Every Time

The first rule for cutting perfect brownies is the hardest: let the brownies cool completely!

If you want super clean cuts, chill your brownies for several hours before cutting them.

Lastly, use a very sharp knife and clean + dry the knife in between cuts.

I tend to be impatient so my brownies are never perfectly cut, such is life.

Favorite Crinkly Brownie Equipment

9×9-inch (23×23-cm) pan for thicker, fudgier brownies

9×13-inch (23×33-cm) pan for chewier brownies around the edges of the pan and more fudge-like ones in the center

Electric Stand Mixer (I prefer the Artisan to the Professional)

Breville Handheld Mixer, this one has a bunch of speeds, dough hooks, whisks. I was never a fan of handhelds until I got this one!

Whisk, I love this whisk so much! The angles at the base really help you get into the corners when whisking

Bowls, these bowls are awesome for mixing, setting atop simmering water when melting chocolate and for weighing out ingredients before starting (if you’re so inclined!)

Spatula, in the video I use the confetti spatula from this set — it’s too cute!

Knife, love this chef’s knife with the white handle…you can also see it in the brownie video

More Delicious Bar Cookie Recipes

If Brownies and Chocolate Chip Cookies had a baby, you’d get these Ultimate Skillet Brookies

Sometimes I like vegan treats, so I created these Peppermint Vegan Brownies….you can omit the peppermint and make them more of a classic brownie experience

Chocolate Hazelnut Brownies with Coffee Ganache for when you’re feeling all in

S’more Cookie Bars because they’re fabulous

Crinkly, Fudge Brownie Cookies…not a bar cookie, but SO GOOD

Click here to see all of the brownie + bar cookies recipes on DisplacedHousewife!

A quick note on brownie safety! Most people desire a fudge-like consistency with their brownies. To ensure their safety, make sure they’re baked to at least 160°F (71°C) when tested with an instant-read thermometer. Enjoy your shiny, crinkly brownies!