Egg White Brownies
These Egg White Brownies are rich, fudgy and dense with a texture that melts in your mouth thanks to the delicate structure of egg albumin. I almost always have leftover egg whites (mostly from making lemon curd, chocolate chip cookies and these sprinkle sugar cookies), and this is how I turn them into an easy indulgent dessert. I often freeze leftover egg whites, and they work great in this recipe after thawing which makes this a very resourceful idea. This recipe is based off of my go-to Shiny Crust Fudge Brownies that are perfectly fudgy and set and have that shiny crinkle crust on top every single time. I doesn't use a ton of ingredients, it comes together quickly and also bakes up in about 25 minutes. If you like baking brownies, check out my Better Than Box Mix Brownies Recipe or my Thick Cocoa Brownies. For you prefer thicker brownies, check out my ultra decadent Best Homemade Brownies.
WHY THIS RECIPE WORKS
- Quick & easy - this is an easy homemade brownie recipe! All you need is 7 simple ingredients and 5 easy steps.
- Resourceful recipe - you'll never have any waste from leftover egg whites once you know how easy it is to make these fantastic fudgy brownies.
- No mixer - you can make these brownies with just a bowl and a whisk. It's so simple that it is my go-to recipe.
- Few ingredients - this doesn't make an overly decadent brownie that uses loads of butter, so it's the perfect thing to whip up when you don't have much in the house, but you still need a sweet chocolate treat.
- Fudgy chocolate brownies - these are not cakey at all! They have the fudgiest texture and stay moist for days without drying out.
- Rich chocolate flavor - you can expect intense chocolate taste thanks to bittersweet chocolate and not a lot of flour.
WHAT MAKES THE SHINY TOP ON BROWNIES?
The shiny crust that forms on top of baked brownies is a result of dissolved sugar crystals that recrystallize as they dry at the surface during baking and reflect light. The crust can only form once the sugar is sufficiently dissolved, or if there is enough very finely milled sugar in the batter from melted chocolate which can dissolve very readily. This is why box mix brownies form that crust so easily: because they contain very fine sugar in addition to powdered sugar. Brownies made with melted chocolate form this shiny crackly top much easier than brownies made with cocoa powder only.
INGREDIENTS FOR EGG WHITE BROWNIES
Here are some notes about the ingredients. For a full list of ingredients, check out the recipe card at the bottom of the page.
- All purpose flour - regular all purpose flour is perfect to make fudgy brownies. Use unbleached flour which will give you that nice dense texture.
- Pure vanilla extract - vanilla is lovely to enhance the flavor of the chocolate. I like this Madagascar Bourbon Vanilla extract.
- Salted butter - the best brownies that have a chewy fudgy texture are made with butter. I love to use salted butter as it adds another element of richness, but you can also use unsalted butter and then add another ¼ teaspoon of salt.
- Granulated sugar - simple fine white granulated sugar keeps these brownies moist. If you reduce the sugar they will not be as fudgy and they are less likely to have the shiny crust.
- Egg white - 3 egg whites from large eggs will provide majority of the moisture and structure in this brownie batter. It is different from using whole eggs in the way that it sets the texture. It gives it an extra soft bite that melts in your mouth.
- Dark chocolate - It is important to use bittersweet chocolate otherwise the brownies will be too sweet. Anything between 70 and 85% cocoa solids will work. I prefer bittersweet chocolate or extra dark chocolate, and these bittersweet chocolate callets are very convenient.
- Cocoa powder - this is optional. This recipe does not require cocoa powder as it is a chocolate-based recipe, but I have added 1 tablespoon of cocoa powder in place of 1 tablespoon of flour to boost the chocolate taste even more and it is lovely. Make sure you measure out only a tablespoon because if you add any more without adjusting the other ingredients, then the brownies may turn out more dry. This Dutch Process cocoa powder is really nice for brownies.
- Salt - I always use fine table salt for baking as the finer crystals disperse and dissolve readily. If you use kosher salt, you will need to use twice as much since it is less dense, and it doesn't have the same impact on flavor enhancement compared to iodized salt for baking.
HOW TO SLICE BROWNIES CLEANLY
One of the most common questions that readers ask me is "how do you get such neat slices on your brownies?". Here are my 5 steps for cutting brownies so that you end up with clean edges. You can read this article here for the full detailed instructions, as well as watch a step-by-step video.
1) Line your baking pan with parchment paper.
2) Let the brownies cool completely.
3) Remove brownies from pan to a flat cutting surface, such as a large board or clean chopping block.
4) Use a sharp, straight, thin-bladed knife and run it under very hot water, then wipe it dry before slicing.
5) Carefully wipe the blade clean with paper towels or a kitchen cloth and repeat step 4 between each slice.
STEP BY STEP INSTRUCTIONS: HOW TO MAKE EGG WHITE BROWNIES
- STEP 1). Melt chocolate. In a large bowl over a pot with ½-inch of simmering water, stir together chocolate and butter until completely melted, smooth and glossy. You can also melt it in the microwave with 20 second bursts and stirring each time. Set it aside and keep it warm (no need to let it cool).
- STEP 2). Mix egg whites and sugar. Combine egg whites and sugar in a large bowl and beat with a wire whisk or a handheld mixer on medium-high speed until thick, pale and the sugar feels mostly dissolved when you rub some of the mixture between your fingers. It will take about 2 minutes. I like to do this by hand with a whisk. Just whisk as vigorously as you can for 1-2 minutes until the mixture is lightened in color. Mix in vanilla and salt.
- STEP 3). Combine egg mixture and chocolate. Add the warm chocolate mixture and mix well with a spatula or the whisk until evenly combined. The mixture should tighten up and become glossy when the chocolate is thoroughly incorporated.
- STEP 4). Add dry ingredients. Sift in flour and cocoa powder to remove lumps and fold it in gently until well incorporated and smooth.
- STEP 5). Bake! Scrape batter into prepared pan and use a small offset spatula to smooth out the surface. Bake for 22-25 minutes until slightly puffed and a toothpick inserted someplace between the edge and the center comes out with a few moist crumbs attached. Do not over-bake!
- STEP 6). Cool. Transfer pan to a wire rack and let cool completely before slicing. Refrigerate for an hour after cooling and slice with a hot dry knife for the cleanest slices.
How to make MOIST fudge brownies from scratch:
When it comes to a moist and fudgy texture, it's about the sugar and how it is dissolved. Dissolve sugar = syrup = bound water = moistness. Lots of recipes tell you to "dissolve" sugar in melted chocolate and butter, but I don't care how long you stir it or how hot that butter is, sugar will NEVER dissolve in melted chocolate! Sugar dissolves in water, not fat. In addition to that..., with the amount of sugar that goes into a brownie, it is technically a supersaturated mixture so it will never be completely dissolved anyways. Brownie batter is a very low moisture batter, unlike cake batter that has a higher water content.
EXPERT BAKING TIPS
- Use a kitchen scale. For best results, weigh your ingredients according to the measurements in the recipe card below using a kitchen scale.
- Use room temperature eggs. I can't stress this enough. Cold eggs will have a hard time dissolving the sugar, so make sure your eggs are at room temperature or even warm. I like to submerge them in a bowl of warm water for 10 minutes before baking.
- Mix the egg whites with the sugar first instead of stirring the sugar into the melted chocolate. Sugar cannot dissolve in fat, but it can dissolve in the water within egg whites.
- Whisk the egg whites and sugar thoroughly. This will help encourage the sugar too dissolve. The more you whisk, the more air you will incorporate and the thinner the crust will be on top (so thin it can flake off). I recommend whisking well, but don't try to whip if you want the crust to stick more.
- Measure flour accurately. Too much flour leads to a dry brownie so be sure to use a scale or use the spoon and sweep method without packing the flour into the measuring cup.
- Sift the flour to remove lumps which helps it incorporate evenly and minimizes how much you will need to mix it in.
- Do not use raising agents like baking soda or baking powder. Brownies are meant to be dense and using leavening will create gases that can make the brownie seem dry.
- Watch the baking time. In all my experience, most standard 8-inch pan brownie recipes take between 20 and 25 minutes when baked in a metal pan. Start checking after 20 minutes. A skewer should not come out clean. Instead it should come out with a few moist sticky bits attached. If it comes out clean then the brownies may be over baked, and if it comes out with wet batter then they are still a bit raw.
- Let brownies cool completely. Although it might be tempting to eat them warm from the oven, brownies reach their maximum fudginess when completely cooled. This is because the cocoa butter in the melted chocolate needs time to recrystallize which gives these brownies that nice fudgy, stick-to-your-teeth texture.
- Cool before slicing. If you cut your brownies while still hot, the steam will escape and the sliced brownies will dry out faster than if you let them cool before slicing.
RECIPE FAQ
I use intense 85% chocolate here which makes perfectly chocolaty brownies. You can also use 70% bittersweet chocolate, but do not use unsweetened. If you choose to use semisweet chocolate, just note that they will certainly taste much sweeter.
Yes, you can use unsalted butter. I really love making brownies with salted butter because it adds another level of richness and offsets the sweetness while still maintaining the fudgy texture. I highly encourage you to try this recipe with salted butter!
Brownies can be chewy or fudgy, or a blend of both. Brownies get their chewiness from the right amount of sugar, and a higher ratio of sugar:butter, as well as a higher ratio of chocolate:butter. More butter gives a softer fudgier texture, while more chocolate and more sugar gives a chewier texture thanks to the hard cocoa butter content. Cocoa butter is harder than butter at room temperature so it will give more resistance to the bite, creating the perception of chewiness. More butter will make brownies soft and melting for a fudgier texture.
Again, it's about dissolved sugar. Whisk the sugar into the egg whites first. This will help it dissolve some, and also the bonds between sugar and egg proteins is what creates the thin tissue like crust. To help this along, always use room temperature (not cold) eggs. The warmer temperature helps sugar dissolve. The longer you whip the eggs with the sugar, the thinner and shinier the crust will be.
TIP: to bring eggs to room temperature quickly, submerge them in warm water for 10 minutes.
This recipe requires melted chocolate. Melted chocolate gives a fudgier texture because of the cocoa butter content that has a higher melting point. If you prefer to make brownies with cocoa powder only, then check out my Better Than Box Brownie Mix recipe which have a chewier texture.
Yes you can! If you'd like to add chocolate chips, I would recommend ½ cup of dark chocolate chips. Just fold it into the finished batter before baking.
If your brownies turn out dry, then it is most likely because they are over-baked. These brownies are ready when a skewer inserted into the center comes out with a few moist sticky crumbs attached - not wet batter, and NOT clean. If the skewer is clean then the brownies are over-baked and if the skewer has wet batter then they are still raw.
The number one reason why these would turn out dry is if they are over-baked. Check on the brownies at 25 minutes. Also, take care to measure the flour accurately.
Brownies keep really well at room temperature as long as they are stored in an airtight container to prevent drying out. If you plan to keep them for more than a couple of days, then store them in the fridge.
Brownies will sink in the middle if you over-beat the eggs and sugar. When you beat the eggs, you are incorporating a lot of air which will cause the batter to soufflé or puff up in the oven. As the brownies cool, the air bubbles will collapse and they will fall. To prevent this, be sure to only beat the eggs for 1-2 minutes and then bake the brownies evenly. If you think your oven runs hot, then bake at a slightly lower temperature for a longer time. If the oven is too hot, the brownies will puff up and over-cook on the edges while the center is still raw.
To get neat clean squares when you slice the brownies, run a sharp knife under hot water and wipe it clean between each slice. Read my detailed 5 steps for how to perfectly cut brownies here.
If you love brownies, check out these recipes!
Triple Chocolate Brownies Fudgy Grain Free Brownies Olive Oil Brownies with Date Fudge Frosting Fudgy Buckeye Brownies Outrageous Fudgy Chocolate Chip Cheesecake Brownies The BEST Small Batch Fudge Brownies Homemade Cosmic Brownies Recipe!More brownie recipes please!
Looking for more brownie recipes? Try these:
Video
Egg White Brownies
Ingredients
- 5 ¼ oz (150g) bittersweet chocolate with 70% cocoa solids
- 6 tablespoon (84g) salted butter
- 3 large egg whites (about 100g), at room temperature
- 1 cup (200g) granulated sugar
- 1 teaspoon (5ml) pure vanilla extract
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ½ cup (71g) all-purpose flour
- 1 tablespoon (6g) cocoa powder
NOTE: for best results use a kitchen scale to weigh the ingredients.
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 350°F. Line a 7x7-inch or 8x8-inch square metal baking pan with parchment paper leaving a 2-inch overhang at each side and secure the sides down on the edge of the pan with ¾-inch binder clips. Brownies baked in a 7-inch pan will be slightly thicker and require 2-3 minutes longer in the oven.
- In a large bowl over a pot with ½-inch of simmering water, stir together chocolate and butter until completely melted, smooth and glossy. You can also melt it in the microwave with 20 second bursts and stirring each time. Set it aside and keep it warm (no need to let it cool).
- Combine egg whites and sugar in a large bowl and beat with a wire whisk or a handheld mixer on medium-high speed until thick, pale and the sugar feels mostly dissolved when you rub some of the mixture between your fingers. It will take about 2 minutes. I like to do this by hand with a whisk. Just whisk as vigorously as you can for 1-2 minutes until the mixture is lightened in color.
- Mix in vanilla and salt. Add the warm chocolate mixture and mix well with a spatula or the whisk until evenly combined. The mixture should tighten up and become glossy when the chocolate is thoroughly incorporated.
- Sift in flour and cocoa powder to remove lumps and fold it in gently until well incorporated and smooth.
- Scrape batter into prepared pan and use a small offset spatula to smooth out the surface. Bake for 22-25 minutes until slightly puffed and a toothpick inserted someplace between the edge and the center comes out with a few moist crumbs attached. Do not over-bake!
- Transfer pan to a wire rack and let cool completely before slicing. Refrigerate for an hour after cooling and slice with a hot dry knife for the cleanest slices.
You posted this recipe on the same day I made carbonara with 6 egg yolks - fate! Easy and delicious. Even my husband (who doesn’t like sweet food) ate a quarter of the tray straight out of the oven
Another winning recipe! I don't usually refrigerate my brownies, but because I slightly underbaked them, I followed those instructions and the brownies are even better after a night in the refrigerator than they were warm out of the oven (my preferred brownie eating temp).
Would this work tweaked to the cheesecake/red velvet flavored recipes?
Hi Jeremiah! Not quite sure what you are asking, but you can add red food coloring if you want.
Do you think it's possible to freeze the batter and bake later?
Hi Megan! I have not tested that, so I cannot recommend freezing the batter.
I have tried so many brownie recipes and these are hands down my all time favorite. I’ve made many others that are good and fudgy but these are the perfect balance between fudgy and chewy which I believe is a necessity in a brownie! I’m so happy I have so many eggs whites in my fridge!!!! My husband and neighbors are in awe.
Thank you Jackie! I'm so glad you enjoyed the recipe 🙂
Hi, do you think this works with a gluten free flour blend?
Hi Barbara! Yes, many readers have reported success with King Arthurs and Bobs Read Mill gluten free flour.
Can I use liquid egg white from the carton in this recipe?
Hi Ursula! Yes you can.