Last week my friend Nancy (Tag Sale Tastes) and I were discussing our favorite brands of packaged cookies. I was going on and on about Oreos, while Nancy clued me in on something a little more upscale — Sheila G.’s Brownie Britte, a cookie she’d found at Houston’s Central Market. Nancy was so in love with Sheila G.’s Brownie Brittle that she sent me a bag. Holy Guacamole! This was good stuff. And while Todd didn’t particularly care for it (he thought it was a little sweet), Fuzz loved it and even requested I pack some in her lunch box to share with friends. Needless to say, our 4 ounce bag was gone in a day.
Rather than drive to Central Market for more, I decided to try coming up with my own version. What I liked about Sheila G.’s was that the flavor was very much like a brownie and the texture was extra crispy without being greasy or having any sort of burnt taste. After making 5 different versions, I settled on this one. It’s not exactly the same as Sheila’s, but it’s really good. And Todd liked it, too! I think Fuzz still likes Sheila G.’s better, but she won’t admit it.
- 2 large egg whites
- 1/2 cup granulated sugar plus 1 ½ teaspoons granulated sugar
- 1 1/2 tablespoon of Hershey’s Dark cocoa powder
- 1/4 cup of vegetable oil
- 1/4 teaspoon of vanilla
- 1/4 teaspoon of salt
- 1/4 teaspoon of baking powder
- 1 tablespoons of nonfat dry milk powder
- 1/2 cup all-purpose flour — make sure to aerate and stir before measuring.
- 1/2 cup of dark chocolate chips plus a couple of tablespoons extra
- Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F. Line a heavy duty 13×18 inch baking sheet with nonstick foil or parchment paper.
- In a mixing bowl, whisk the egg whites until foamy. Gradually whisk in the sugar, then whisk in the cocoa powder, oil and vanilla until smooth. Whisk in the salt and baking powder (making sure the baking powder doesn’t clump), then whisk in the nonfat milk powder. Add the flour and stir until smooth, then stir in ½ cup of the chocolate chips.
- Empty batter onto the lined cookie sheet and spread as thinly as possible using the back of a spoon or scraper. Sprinkle a few more chocolate chips into areas where they did not clump together (the chips tend to congregate). Remember to try to make the bark as thin as possible.
- Bake on center rack for 20 minutes. Remove from oven. With a pizza cutter or knife, cut into pieces without separating – you want shards, similar to what you’d get if making peanut brittle. Return to oven for 5 minutes.
- Remove from oven and let cool completely. Pull apart. At this point, it should be completely crisp. If you are left with a few thick, chewy, pieces, return them to the oven and bake at 250 for 20 minutes, then re-cool. If your batter is thin enough the first time, you should not need the second bake.
{ 32 comments… read them below or add one }
What a good idea!!
Sue, I have a really good cookie brittle in The Daily Cookie, but I didn’t think of doing a brownie version. If you try this, let me know. I’ve made it 5 times varying the amount of ingredients, but there’s always room for improvement. I’m hoping people experiment and post results.
I can’t wait to try this recipe this weekend! They look fabulous!
We like the one bowl oatmeal cookies from last week so much, I baked a second batch yesterday.
This one looks good and maybe I can bake it while my grand daughter naps this afternoon. I’ve never heard of anything like them before.
Rhonda, I’m so glad you liked those! Did you use grapeseed oil or another type of vegetable oil?
Good luck with the bark. Also, if you just want a small batch, the recipe halves well.
Great idea – looking forward to trying it!
What a fun idea, haven’t heard of making brownie brittle. Kevin doesn’t even like crunchy cookies, but that won’t stop me from trying it.
Looks like it would be fun wrapped up for gifts.
This I have to try!!!!! I don’t have Hershey dark cocoa but I think when I make it I will use a touch of the chocolate extract that you, Anna, MADE me get! LOL.
Oh we tried some brownie brittle at costco a few months ago and it was divine! I couldn’t bring myself to buy it but I sure will try your recipe!!
Karen, let me know how it works with a different brand of cocoa. Using natural or Dutch (acid vs. alkaline) might make a difference in the texture, so it will be interesting to see how natural works…or just another brand of Dutch. It might not be any different.
Allison, I actually went to Costco hoping they’d have it, but I didn’t see it. It seems exactly like something Costco would sell.
oh my gosh how creative and delicious!
This is something new to me. Did it remain crispy even after a day? Thanks.
Hi Ela,
Yes, it stayed crispy. I think the lack of egg yolks helps in that department.
For Halloween, I think after breaking up the bark, you could drizzle on melted orange-colored white chocolate for a holiday look. Then all you need are some clear Halloween-decorated bags & you’ve got great goody bags.
Funny you guys mention Costco…after reading this post this morning, I was at Costco and there was a big bag of Sheila’s Brownie Brittle staring me in the face…had not heard of it before reading about it here this morning…took it as a sign I should buy:-). It was addicting and tasty! I think it was a 16 ounce bag (still in car…didn’t trust it in here with me:-) and was 6.89. This was in MD in case anyone is wondering and not all Costco’s carry the same stuff!
I’m going to have to check Costco again. I did find it at Central Market here in Austin, though.
At my Costco it was on an end display by the Ghiradelli brownie mix….not anywhere near the other packages cookies or bakery stuff!
Oh what a great idea! Brownie Bark! Brownies are my favorite treat, so I can’t wait to try this. And I love Martha’s idea to make this a Halloween treat with drizzled orange and white chocolate.
I have this in the oven as I write this. Thinking that this could be good at Christmas with the addition of a bit of mint extract.
Anna…. would an oatmeal cookie bark be possible?
Thank you for feeding my cookie passion with so many yummy recipes?
Hi Carolyn, I’m really looking forward to your opinion! Let me know if you think it needs to be thinner/crunchier/sweeter/less sweet, because there are lots of different ratios that can be used. Oatmeal bark would be fun! I’ve seen versions of it here and there (maybe called oatmeal brittle?) but I don’t remember trying it.
Hi Anna — this is fantastic. I think you have the correct ratios… it’s not too sweet, nice texture, good intense chocolate flavour… Thank you for another winning recipe! I’ll see if I can hunt down an oatmeal version.
Hooray! Glad you like it!!! I bought a bag of Sheila’s today and did a comparison. Mine is much thicker and more like a cookie, while hers is sweeter and brittle. It fits its name. I liked both. About that oatmeal version, I think I saw it in a Helen Corbitt cookbook, so I’ll go dig it up. Helen’s is more like an oatmeal lace cookie brittle and definitely more of a brittle than a bark.
Heh..heh…took my large bag from Costco to a dog agility trial I was competing in as it was WAY too dangerous to have at my place given I live alone…all that tried it agreed a better name for it would be Brownie Crack as it is INCREDIBLY addicting!
I just bought a 4 oz. package of this Brownie Brittle at Wallly World on sale for under $2.00. It’s awesome!
Omg this are the best you can buy them at Costco
Made these today. Came out great but any way to make them more chocolatey like Sheila G?
Hi Robin,
You could try adding more mini chocolate chips, that might help. Personally, I thought they had enough chocolate and I’m a chocoholic. Sheila’s seemed sweeter to me, and definitely lighter textured.
Hi Anna,
Loved the idea, and just pulled mine out of the oven. After reading the comments, i used 3/4 cup sugar, and no powdered milk. I must say they are VERY GOOD! Thank you for sharing!!
Thanks for the variation! Good to know for people who out of or don’t want to buy the dry milk.
Thanks for this recipe! I had this stuff before a Costco and it was amazing! I quadrupled this recipe and it turned out great!
Glad the quadrupling worked!
OMG Sheila’s Brownie Brittle. It is definitely addicting. I can’t stop sneaking into the kitchen for more. It’s almost embarrassing. Definitely like brownie crack. It’s definitely a Costco find. On line it is $12.99 for a pound not including shipping and only $6.99 at Costco.