Are you team cakey or fudgy brownies? There seems to be a lot of debate between the two. But for me…I’m neither! I’m team crackly top brownies! Why?!
Because I’ve never tasted a bad brownie that has a shiny, glossy sheen to it.
Seriously, nothing beats the crispy crust slowly melt in your mouth as it mixes with the gooey, chocolatey softness.
It’s heaven in one bite. 
If you are also on team crackly top brownies – then these brownies are perfect!
I’ve spent months and months… and many more months experimenting and researching how to achieve a fail-proof crackly top brownies.
I ended up going into this rabbit hole trying to find egg/butter substitutes by adding aquafaba (like in my vegan chocolate cake), grated zucchinis (for more moisture), avocados(for added fats), etc. I was complicating everything and nothing worked.
But when I scraped all the ingredients that didn’t make sense, it slowly started to come together.
The first step in achieving that coveted glossy, crackly top is to understand the science behind it. Was it a specific ingredient (sugar, fat or eggs) producing the crisp top? Or was there a specific method of mixing the dry and wet ingredients together?
The answer? Sugar.
The sugar molecules rise to the top of the batter, drying a thin layer on top. But the type of sweetener used is crucial. Unlike, my banana bread or Korean rice cakes, where different sweeteners can be used interchangeably, the brownie is a bit more sensitive.
Because the top layer needs to dry out, the sugar with the least amount of moisture, such as granulated sugar, is ideal. But if you’ve been on my blog before, I try my best to use refined-free sugars, like coconut sugar or maple syrup. Maple syrup, a liquid sweetener, was definitely not worth experimenting with but coconut sugar was an interesting alternative. It’s not as dry as granulated sugar but doesn’t have as much moisture as brown sugar.
But the tricky thing about coconut sugar is, the extra moisture it contains causes the sugars to not fully dissolve into the melted chocolate as quickly. This might seem minute to some people but it’s an important step. The times I was impatient and skimped this step resulted in a less prominent crisp crust. So be patient because it will be worth it!
Crispy, crackly tops on a fudgy, gooey brownie – these delicacies will just melt in your mouth! Best enjoyed with your hands or with a big scoop of ice cream!
quick notes
- Flax egg is a natural egg substitute typically used in vegan baking. Similar to eggs, flax egg helps bind ingredients together by forming a gel-like substance when combining ground flaxseed with water.
- Make sure to purchase ground flaxseed, or flaxseed meal. If you only have whole flaxseeds on hand, you can ground them in a coffee grinder or blender.
- As mentioned above, coconut sugar has a higher moisture content than granulated sugar. Therefore, the sugar will take longer to fully dissolve into the hot chocolate mixture. Be patient as this step is important in achieving that photogenic crackly top.
- To make ½ cup of oat flour, blend about ½ cup + few extra tablespoons of rolled oats in a blender or food processor until fine.
- Arrowroot is a type of starch that acts as a binder for gluten-free desserts. Unlike it’s popular counterpart, cornstarch, arrowroot is not genetically modified or highly processed.
- Make sure brownies are completely cool before cutting into them.
CRACKLY TOP VEGAN BROWNIES (GLUTEN-FREE)
serves 8×8 pan
Flax egg
- 3 tbsp water
- 1.5 tbsp ground flaxseed, or flaxseed meal
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease a 8×8 brownie pan and set aside.
Combine the water and flax meal and set aside for 10 minutes. The mixture will start to thicken.
Wet ingredients
- ¾ cup (135g) chocolate chips
- 3 tbsp neutral tasting oil (I used grape seed oil)
- ¼ cup applesauce
- ½ tsp espresso powder (optional)
In a heatproof bowl, add ingredients above and set it over a saucepan of simmering water, making sure the chocolate mixture does not touch the water. Occasionally stir until smooth.
- ¾ cup coconut sugar
Once the chocolate mixture is smooth, add coconut sugar and flax egg and stir. Leave over simmering water for 5 more minutes while stirring until sugar has dissolved.
Dry Ingredients
- ½ cup (45g) oat flour
- 2 tbsp arrowroot flour
- 1 ½ cup (162g) almond meal
- ½ tsp salt
- ½ tsp baking soda
While the sugar is dissolving, mix the dry ingredients together. Create a well at the bottom of your dry ingredients and pour in the chocolate mixture. Stir until combined.
Pour the mixture to your brownie pan and bake for 33-35 minutes. Let it completely cool (30-45 minutes) before cutting into it. Enjoy!
p.s. If you like this recipe, click the icons below to share and leave a comment below! Make sure to tag me @girlmeetsradish & #girlmeetsradish so I can see what you are making!
