These homemade brownie crisps are thin, crisp, and super chocolatey. Deliciously addicting, they come together with simple ingredients in just over 30 minutes. All you need is a bowl and a whisk!
I first had brownie crisps in 2015 while waiting in an airport lounge while traveling to Mongolia.
I found myself snacking on a bowl full of them and couldn’t stop thinking about them after!
After countless test rounds, I’ve managed to nail the balance of rich, brownie flavor and a crisp, crunchy texture, recreating them at home.
Why you’ll love this recipe
- Simple ingredients – Ten simple ingredients are all you need, and I’m willing to bet you have most, if not all, of them on hand!
- Easy steps – There’s no need to pull out a mixer or fancy equipment. Just combine the ingredients, pour the batter onto a baking sheet, and sit back while the oven does the rest.
- Bold flavor – Thanks to a secret ingredient, these are the richest brownie crisps you’ll ever taste.
I’ve gone through all the trial and error for you and am sharing all my tips and tricks below!
If you like crispy desserts, you might as well whip up a batch of thin and crispy chocolate chip cookies, too. After all, you can never have too much chocolate, right?
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Pin ItKey Ingredient Notes
- Flour – I use all-purpose flour for the base of the batter. I haven’t tested this recipe with other types of flour, but imagine a 1:1 all-purpose gluten-free flour would work.
- Unsweetened cocoa powder – I’ve tested these brownie crisps with both natural cocoa and Dutch processed cocoa and didn’t notice much of a difference. So, use whichever you have on hand!
- Cornstarch – Typically, cornstarch in baked goods, like cookies, adds more tender crumbs. However, in this case, it actually helps to dry out the brownies, creating a crisp, crunchy texture.
- Instant espresso powder – This is technically optional, but I like to include it to enhance the chocolate flavor. It won’t make your crisps taste like coffee, unless you bump up the amount included to a full teaspoon, which I sometimes like to do. Also, if you’re worried about the caffeine, decaf espresso powder works just as well.
- Egg whites – I find that this works best to achieve the ultimate thin, crispy texture.
- Granulated sugar – Like the other ingredients, the use of granulated sugar over other types of sugar is intentional. Sugar is not only for sweetening the batter, but also crucial for a crisp texture.
How to make brownie crisps from scratch
Before you begin, preheat the oven to 300°F. Then, line a baking sheet with parchment paper and set it aside.
- Whisk the egg whites, sugar, and vanilla extract in a medium bowl until a foamy consistency forms.
- Whisk the dry ingredients in another bowl.
- Mix the dry ingredients into the bowl of wet ingredients just until smooth.
- Stir in the melted butter.
- Pour the batter onto the prepared baking sheet.
- Spread the batter evenly with an offset spatula as thinly as possible.
- Bake until the batter sets, about 25 minutes.
- Cool the cookie completely on a wire rack before removing from the parchment paper.
- Break up the crisp into smaller pieces once it is cooled. If you want cut-out shapes, be sure to cut them while they’re still warm.
Create shapes
I like to use a knife or cookie cutters to create fun, even shapes. Make sure to cut the crisps right away while they’re still warm and soft, though. If you wait until they’re cool, they’ll already be too crisp and will break.
Tips for Success
- Be really careful not to get any fat into the batter (other than the butter). I found that using as little fat as possible was the best way to ensure a thin, crispy texture.
- Use parchment paper. I’ve tested this recipe with both parchment paper and silicone mats, and my final verdict is to go with parchment paper. I found that when I use a silicone mat, I have to either bake longer or bake the batter twice, removing the mat on the second bake.
- Spread the batter evenly. I use an offset spatula to spread the batter into a thin, even layer. The thinner you spread it, the crispier the brownie chips will be!
- Cool completely. The brownies will become firm and crisp as they cool. If you serve them while they’re still warm, they’ll be softer, more like my almond brownies.
Storing Tips
Once cool, transfer leftover brownie crisps to an airtight container or sealable bag. They will stay fresh at room temperature for up to 5 days, if you can manage not to eat them all at once!
FAQs
Of course! Jazz up your brownie crisps by folding in mix-ins or sprinkling them over the batter before it cools. Some great options include chopped nuts, chocolate chips, coconut flakes, sprinkles, toffee bits, Andes mints, and chopped candy.
I like to eat my brownie crisps on their own, just like I would chips. However, they also make for fun dippers with dessert dips or chocolate hummus. Or, sprinkle them over ice cream for a crisp topping.
More Brownie Desserts
Brownie Crisps
Ingredients
- ½ cup (60 g) all-purpose flour
- ¼ cup (25 g) unsweetened cocoa powder either natural or Dutched
- 1 tablespoon (8 g) cornstarch
- ½-1 teaspoon instant espresso powder Note 1
- ¼ teaspoon coarse kosher salt
- ¼ teaspoon baking soda
- 2 (70 g) egg whites
- 1 cup (200 g) granulated sugar
- ½ teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- 2 tablespoons (30 g) unsalted butter melted
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 300°F (150°C). Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
- In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, cocoa powder, cornstarch, espresso powder, salt and baking soda. Set aside.
- In another medium bowl, whisk egg whites with sugar and vanilla extract until foamy.
- Add the dry ingredients and mix until smooth.
- Then stir in melted butter.
- Pour the batter on the prepared baking sheet. Using an offset spatula spread the batter evenly into a thin layer. (Thinner you spread, crispier they'll be!)
- Bake for about 25 minutes. Transfer the baking sheet onto a wire rack to cool completely.
- If you'd like to cut the brownie crisps into nice even shapes, or cut out shapes with cookie cutter, do it right away when you bring it out of the oven. Brownie crisps are soft when they're warm and they crisp up as it cools.
- Store in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 5 days.
⭐️ Did you make this recipe?
Please leave a review and let us know how you liked it!
Tips & Notes
Nutrition
This post was originally published on October 22, 2015.
How much veg oil to put? Its not in ingredient list. Mine turned out cakey not sure why.
Sorry for confusion. It’s listed as butter in the ingredient list, but you can use the same amount veg oil as well. Both works great. I’ll correct it. How thin did you spread your batter? If it wasn’t spread super thin, then you may need to bake it longer to get them crispy.
What happens if i omit the cornstarch? Please n ty
Hi, Kathy. Without cornstarch, the cookies won’t crisp up.
Shinee, these are great! And, your description was perfect as well… coffee comes out perfect in these. 1/2 c sugar was plenty imo. I did throw in a small handful of choc chips. Now, I didn’t spread them thin enough. But still SO GOOD. and there will definitely be a next time. I can’t imagine them sticking to parchment… worked great for me. Thanks for this recipe. perfect as is!!!
Eyevii, so happy that you loved these crisps. Thank you for your feedback.
I’ve just attempted making these and they are in the oven now. My only question is how thin of a layer should I have spread the batter? I’m a little worried that it isn’t thin enough. It was a quick recipe and I can’t wait to see the results!
Hi, Stephanie. You can spread as thin as you want. I like to spread it as thin as I can so that they can get crispiest. Let me know how yours turned out.
Can I substitute flour with almond meal to make it gluten free?
Hi, Valailuk. Unfortunately, almond meal won’t yield the same result.
how do u cut the brownies so that it willnot break?why didnt u use any butter? just curious:)
Hi, Shan. So this’s not a traditional brownie recipe. It’s intended to be thin brownie crisps, like crispy brownie cookies. And therefore, they’re supposed to be crisp and breakable, and I don’t cut them, I just break them into smaller pieces. No butter, because I wanted it to be crisp and not soft.
Hi Shinee,
Thanks for the recipe! It tastes delicious! However, mine turned out a bit spongy and less crispy than I expected. The adjustment I’ve made is reducing sugar to 1/4 cup+1 tablespoon. Any idea for the sponginess?
Hi, Dee. Happy to hear you tried and liked the recipe. Unfortunately, I call for absolute minimum amount of sugar for this recipe, and reducing the sugar amount will cause the sponginess. It needs all the sugar for the crispness. Hope you give it another try with 1/2 cup of sugar. Thanks!
hi, can i use brown sugar? can i also put almond? what stage should i beat the egg white? just foamy? not soft? medium? stiff?plan making this on friday:)
Hi, Shan. Sorry for delayed response. I’ve never tested this recipe with brown sugar, so I have no idea if it’ll work or not. As for egg whites, foamy is sufficient. It doesn’t need to reach soft peaks, just thick foam is good enough.
should i butter the parchmenf paper? also, can i use 9×9?
No need to butter the parchment paper. And 9×9 may be a tad small, if you want real nice and crisp cookies.
hi shinee,
What is the total weight of one recipe after baking?
Thanks a lot
Hi, Christine. I’ve never weighed the final product, so I have no idea.
I used parchment paper but the brownie stuck to it and couldn’t get it off. I ended up throwing it away. 🙁 i don’t have a silicone mat. Can i pour it directly on a cookie sheet or it will stick as well?
Oh no, Renee! So sad to hear yours stuck to the parchment paper. I’ve never had that happen to me. And as I mentioned in the post above, I actually prefer parchment paper over silicone mat, because the crisps are cooked better on parchment paper. On silicone mat, they turned out a bit soft, and I had to double bake. If you have non-stick cookie sheet, I think you can try it without parchment paper, but I’ve never tried it that way. Again so sorry for your experience, let me know if you give it another try.
Mine did the same.
Can you use coconut oil instead of veg oil ?
Yes, you can, Diana. Hope you’ll like it!
making them now found some veg oil ! Looking forward to these with my coffee 🙂
Awesome!! Hope you love them as much as we do. Let me know!
It looks delicious !! Why only egg whites ??
Hi, Alex. Egg yolks adds too much fat, and I wanted to make these crisps as crispy as possible. If you haven’t already, I suggest reading the post about, as I explained the reasons for each ingredient. Hope it helps. Hope you give it a try.