Have you heard of “Brownie Brittle”?
Bags of this crunchy, chocolaty treat have been appearing in specialty food stores and higher end delicacy shops. Not technically a brittle nor a bark (a brittle is made with melted sugar of any type, and bark is poured-chocolate based) it’s a very thin crisp brownie, broken into shards. The thinness intensifies the chocolate flavor, and tiny chocolate chips are a nice surprise in every bite.

However, if you’ve bought brownie brittle before, you’ll know it can get costly. (It can be more than a dollar per ounce!) Planning a party? Better plan on more than one bag, in most circumstances. Guests love it for the novelty, hosts love it because you can pair it up with almost anything for a delicious dessert. It compliments coffee, ice cream, mousse, gelato, and even a thin spreading of peanut butter for kids.

Starting steps you’ll need to prepare your brownie brittle

1.  A large cookie sheet, like 11 x 17 inches (Sheet must be large enough to spread the brittle batter very thinly, or it won’t work--thin brittle is crispy brittle)
2.  Tin Foil is a MUST.  You HAVE to line the cookie sheet with tin foil or else your brownie brittle will never come off the sheet. To make the brittle easier to remove, spray the foil with cooking oil spray.
3.  Pre heat the oven to 325 degrees

½ cup flour
½ cup dark unsweetened cocoa powder
1 dash salt
¼ tsp baking powder
½ cup sugar
½ cup mini chocolate chips

Brownie brittle tastes great, but is lower in fat thanks to the help of chia gel. The unique gelling property of the seeds allows them to replace half of the vegetable oil you’d normally use in this recipe, without changing the flavor or consistency.

See how the seeds sit apart from each other in the spoon? That’s water around them, but it has been turned into gel by the soluble fiber on the outside of each seed. The brown or white shell you see in the photo is insoluble fiber. These two kinds of fiber help with digestion, without adding the heaviness of whole-wheat.

How to make chia gel:

1 tablespoon of dry chia seeds
9 tablespoons of filtered water

Just add the filtered water to the seeds in a re-seal-able container. Shake or stir to prevent clumping. Wait 10 to 15 minutes…and your chia gel will be ready to use. It’s as easy as that!

Once the oven has pre heated to 325 degrees, you can combine the wet and dry ingredients. It’s important to bake this right away to achieve the best texture.

You want crisp, snappy brittle so be sure to make it as thin as you can. That’s why the chocolate chips are mini – large chips would make the brittle too thick. Use a spatula to help spread the batter evenly over your cooking oil sprayed tin foil.

Now you’re ready to bake!

Remove from oven and cut into squares.

Return to the oven for 5 minutes and then let cool. The brittle should be crisp now. See how thin it is in the photo above. Peel the brittle from the foil and break into chocolate shards.

TIP:

If your batter was a little too thick in a few places, don’t worry! The center of the brittle can be especially prone to this. You can test the brittle by trying to break it. If it bends instead of snapping, it’s not done. It’s an easy fix! You can return it to an oven at 250 degrees for 20 minutes and then cool and break.

½ cup flour
½ cup dark unsweetened cocoa powder
1 dash salt
¼ tsp baking powder
½ cup sugar
½ cup mini chocolate chips

Separate the eggs. Lightly whip the egg whites with a whisk, as shown. They should be lightly bubbly and frothy. You will not be using the yolks in this recipe, so you can set them aside for a different recipe, or discard.

Add the ½ cup sugar to the egg whites. Stir in 2 tablespoons vegetable oil and 2 tablespoons chia gel* to the mixture. You can whisk everything together.

How to make chia gel:
1 tablespoon of dry chia seeds
9 tablespoons of filtered water

Just add the filtered water to the seeds in a re-seal-able container. Shake or stir to prevent clumping. Wait 10 to 15 minutes…and your chia gel will be ready to use. It’s as easy as that!

Next, combine the flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, and salt in a bowl.
Once the oven has pre heated to 325 degrees, you can combine the wet and dry ingredients. It’s important to bake this right away to achieve the best texture.

Once the wet and dry ingredients are stirred together, add the mini chips. Stir just enough to combine, and you’re ready to spread the batter onto the prepared tin foil in your cookie sheet. (Be sure to spray cooking oil onto the tin foil to help it peel away when your brittle is done)

It’s important to spread thinly!
You want crisp, snappy brittle so be sure to make it as thin as you can. That’s why the chocolate chips are mini – large chips would make the brittle too thick. Use a spatula to help spread the batter evenly over your cooking oil sprayed tin foil.

Now you’re ready to bake!
Bake at 325 for 20 minutes. Remove from oven and cut into squares.

Return to the oven for 5 minutes and then let cool. The brittle should be crisp now. See how thin it is in the photo above. Peel the brittle from the foil and break into chocolate shards.

TIP:
If your batter was a little too thick in a few places, don’t worry! The center of the brittle can be especially prone to this. You can test the brittle by trying to break it. If it bends instead of snapping, it’s not done. It’s an easy fix! You can return it to an oven at 250 degrees for 20 minutes and then cool and break.