Your Grandma Definitely Used This Egg Rule When Baking Brownies

Brownies, when made well, are proof that alchemy exists. After all, how else can you explain the process by which cocoa, flour, sugar, eggs, and butter are transformed into a crackly topped, fudgy centered, deeply chocolate-y treat? There is simply nothing better than a good brownie. As for making brownies ... well, that's a bit more complicated. There are many ways to make brownies, and each baker has their own secret. Alton Brown, for example, bakes his brownies twice (seriously). And then there are all the different kinds of brownies — from cakey to fudgy or chewy — with each type calling for different ingredients and preparations. However, there is one baking trick that can benefit any and every batch of brownies: beating your eggs prior to adding them to your brownie batter. 

Now, this isn't exactly new advice, in fact it's probably a bit of baking guidance your grandma kept closely clutched to her chest, scribbled in the margins of her recipe book. It is a simple step of prep, but an essential one for creating a perfectly crackly top to your brownies. Essentially, pre-mixing your eggs before adding them into your mix helps prevent over working your batter, which can result in a tough or overly aerated brownie. It also helps to give your brownies that crispy, shiny, delicate, crackle top that is key to any successful batch. 

While simply beating your eggs is a great start to fantastic brownies, there is always room for improvement. So why not add a little sugar? Beating your eggs with sugar until they hit the ribbon stage (lighter in color, thick texture, and flowing from your whisk in ribbon-like drips) makes them easier to incorporate into your dry ingredients and helps reduce the need for mixing. Plus, ribboned eggs help to enhance that glossy, crinkly, crackly brownie top that just about everyone looks for in a perfect brownie.

Of course, this isn't the only egg trick you can use to boost your next batch of brownies. If you want a richer, denser brownie, for example, you can swap whole eggs for just the yolks. This adds a good bit more fat, which creates an extra level of decadence. You can also double your fun by beating your yolks and sugar to the ribbon stage. This contributes both richness and that essential crispiness to the top.