Ask anyone what their favorite brownie recipe is and you might be surprised to find they actually have an answer. Not all brownies are made the same, and nuances in ingredients can play a major role in changing the texture and taste of this dessert staple.
One of our favorites is the Crinkle Top Brownies from the blog Half Baked Harvest, written by Tieghan Gerard. Why are these one of our favorites? We’ll let Gerard explain – “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.”
We agree.
The surprising thing about this recipe, besides the delicious crinkly top, is that it calls for 2 teaspoons of instant coffee. You can’t just use any old instant coffee, though. If you’re looking for the best, Alpine Start is where you should start.
There’s always a few packets of Alpine Start instant coffee in our box of camping supplies, but when it’s time to make these brownies we snag a few and happily sacrifice them for the sake of this recipe.
The ingredients and steps to make these other worldly brownies is below (copied from Half Baked Harvest), and you can head over to the site for the full details.
When they’re done and ready to eat, we love adding a scoop of ice cream from High Point Creamery.
Ingredients
- 2 sticks salted butter
- 2 cups semi-sweet chocolate chips
- 1-1/2 cups granulated sugar
- 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
- 2 teaspoons Alpine Start instant coffee
- 4 large eggs
- 1/2 cups 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 and dust with powdered sugar.
