If you’re looking for something that tastes like the real thing but won’t break your teeth then this one is right up your alley.
Brownies are already delicious on their own, but adding some crunchy bits to them makes it even better.
These homemade brownies have all of those things in spades, plus they’re extra chewy too!
What Is The Difference Between Brownie Brittle And Regular Brittle?
The word “brittle” simply refers to a hard candy made from sugar or honey.
Brittle has been around forever, appearing as far back as the 19th century.
The earliest known references were used in advertising and newspapers to promote products like chewing gum.
As time went by, people began using the name to describe anything that was very hard and didn’t melt easily.
Brittle typically contains corn syrup and sometimes molasses.
Corn syrup gives brittles its unique texture while molasses adds sweetness.
There are many different types of brittle out there, including marshmallow, coconut, peanut butter, and caramelized fruit varieties.
This particular type is called brownie brittle because it uses brownies instead of actual candies.
While brownies are more common than most other types of brittle, they aren’t the only option available at your local grocery store.
You may also find brown sugar, white sugar, or maple syrup versions of these treats if you want to try making your own instead of buying them off the shelf.
You don’t need any special equipment to make brownie brittle either.
All you need is a candy thermometer, an oven with a baking stone (or cookie sheet), and enough room to fit everything inside safely.
Most recipes call for water-based mixtures, which means no oil would be needed for this process.
Oil-based recipes will require additional steps to remove the excess oil before putting the mixture into the oven, so I recommend sticking with the water-based version unless you really enjoy the taste of olive oil.
How does brownie brittle differ from regular brittle?
Regular brittle tends to come in two flavors – dark and light.
Dark ones contain molasses whereas light ones use corn syrup.
Brownie brittle follows suit in that respect, though it doesn’t necessarily follow the same color scheme as regular brittle.
While both of these types contain lots of corn syrup, brownie brittle also includes chocolate chips.
Chocolate chips give brownie brittle its distinctive flavor and appearance.
They add depth to the overall experience when eating them along side the rest of the brittle pieces.
If you prefer not to incorporate chocolate chips, feel free to omit them entirely.
There’s nothing wrong with skipping the chocolate chips either.
Regular brittle usually comes packed full of them anyway, so you might just end up saving yourself the trouble of having to chop them down into smaller pieces later.
As mentioned above, regular brittle often includes molasses.
Molasses provides a lot of flavor, especially if you pair it with cinnamon and nutmeg.
You can choose to leave those spices out entirely, but I personally love how well they blend together.
Adding them creates a deeper, richer flavor that goes perfectly with brownies.
Can I substitute other candies or foods for brownie brittle?
Yes, absolutely.
Just replace the brownies with whatever else you want.
Instead of brownies, try making these with Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups, M&M’s, or Skittles.
For a completely new take, use mini Marshmallows instead.
It’ll definitely change the texture slightly, but they’ll still turn out great.
For a sweeter treat, you could even swap in gummy worms instead.
If you go with this route, however, be sure to increase the amount of granulated sugar.
Gummies tend to be fairly dry on their own, so you’ll likely need more sugar to keep them moist.
What Is The Difference Between Brownie Brittle And Toffee?
Toffee is similar to caramel or hard candy, while brownie brittle is more akin to peanut butter crackers.
Both types of treats are made with chocolate chips, which means they both contain lots of sugar, fat, and calories.
But there are differences between the two as well.
Brownie brittle tends to be denser than toffee, which gives it its name—brittle refers to how hard it is.
In addition, if you use dark chocolate instead of milk chocolate when making brownie brittle, it will turn out darker and taste less sweet.
On the other hand, using white chocolate will give it a lighter color and flavor profile, but will also make it slightly softer and chewier.
The reason why these recipes work is because of the type of chocolate used.
Milk chocolate contains cocoa butter, which adds moisture to the mix.
Dark chocolate has no cocoa butter, so it dries out quickly once melted into liquid form.
This is why we recommend using bittersweet chocolate for brownie brittle.
The best kind of chocolate to use is semisweet, since it’s in between dark and milk chocolates.
If you want to go for a different kind of treat, try our brownie truffles recipe.
What Is The Difference Between Brownie Brittle And Fudge?
Fudge is made with chocolate, while brownie brittle uses sugar instead.
Fudge is also much softer than brownie brittle, which means it will melt more easily if you try to eat it straight out of the pan.
But there’s another big difference between these two treats – both brownie brittle and fudge require an oven to cook, whereas brownies don’t need any heat at all.
That means if you want to enjoy a brownie straight from the fridge (or freezer), you’ll need to bake either the brittle or the fudge first.
So how do we decide which one is best for our needs? Let me show you…
What Is The Difference Between Brownie Brittle And Candy?
When people think of “brittle,” they usually picture hard candies or chocolates with layers of sugar crystals.
But there’s more to this category than meets the eye.
Brittles are made from similar processes as traditional candies, but they have a much higher proportion of sugar (as high as 80%) and very little fat.
They also tend to be softer and chewier, making them ideal for eating straight out of hand or melting into hot drinks.
As a result, brittles often have a lower glycemic index score than regular candies.
In addition to being less harmful for diabetics, brittles also contain fewer calories per gram.
In fact, many brands offer 100% calorie-free options, which means you don’t need to worry about overindulging if you accidentally eat an entire batch.
Another major advantage is that brittles are generally cheaper than most other types of confectionery.
You can buy boxes of them at bulk prices, allowing you to stock up quickly when you run out of other sweets.
What Is The Difference Between Brownie Brittle And Chocolate?
Chocolate has an obvious advantage over brownies when it comes to making brittle because you don’t need any additional ingredients.
The sugar will caramelize as long as there are enough fat molecules present.
Brownies, however, do require more than just butter and flour.
You also need cocoa powder, which contains both fat and sugar.
Brownies contain less fat than chocolate, so you won’t see as much melting happening with these treats.
In addition to the fat content, the type of fat used matters.
Butter produces very different results from vegetable oil, while Crisco works well for baking.
All three types work together beautifully here, producing the best result possible.
The last key ingredient needed is corn syrup.
Corn syrup is made by boiling down whole kernels of corn until most of its moisture evaporates away.
This process concentrates the sugars found within the corn kernel into a single liquid product.
Corn syrup has a high fructose content, meaning it’s sweeter than regular sugar.
If you want to use regular white sugar instead of corn syrup, simply reduce the amount called for in the recipe by half.
This recipe uses a lot of ingredients, but they’re all relatively cheap and readily available at grocery stores or online retailers.
In fact, if you buy everything separately you might be able to find cheaper prices overall.
What Is The Difference Between Brownie Brittle And Cake?
Cake isn’t necessarily just about flour, eggs, sugar, and butter — there are lots of different types of cakes out there and each one has its own unique characteristics depending on what kind of ingredients you use.
You might be thinking “what the heck does brownie brittle have to do with cake anyway?”
Well, if you look closely at the list of ingredients you will notice that both cake and brownie brittle contain similar items such as cocoa powder, baking soda, vanilla extract, and salt.
The main differences between these two things come down to how they are made.
Brownie brittle uses powdered sugar (instead of granulated) while cake uses granulated sugar instead.
While this doesn’t sound like much, it actually means quite a lot when it comes to taste.
Powdered sugar has a lighter texture than regular sugar because it contains less moisture content, which gives it a more refined flavor profile compared to granulated sugar.
This also makes it easier to work with because it melts into liquid form easily, making it great for recipes that call for creaming or whisking together a mixture of dry ingredients before incorporating any liquids.
However, using powdered sugar instead of granulated sugar may not give you exactly what you want from either product when it comes to texture, especially after baking.
For example, brownie brittle tends to be crumbly and light while cake often becomes dense and heavy due to the nature of the ingredient combination used.
If you don’t mind the extra effort involved, try substituting half of the amount of powdered sugar called for in this recipe with an equal measure of cornstarch.
What Is The Difference Between Brownie Brittle And Cookies?
This might seem obvious at first glance – after all, both of these desserts contain chocolate chips – but there are slight differences between them.
The main distinction comes down to how they were made.
Brownie brittle was originally made by baking regular brownies until hard, cutting into small pieces, and tossing with sugar.
Cookies, meanwhile, are baked, usually using butter or shortening as a fat source.
Cookie recipes tend to call for more flour than brownie ones do, which helps keep them from spreading out during baking.
They also often use egg yolks instead of whole eggs.
Eggs add moisture to cookies because when beaten together, whites will form soft peaks while yolk stays runny.
Egg white proteins help bind cookie dough together, giving them chewier texture.
The end result may be similar, but brownie brittle uses less flour and has fewer eggs than cookies do.
That means its consistency tends to be stickier and more crumbly, making it ideal for crumbling over ice cream or topping off hot drinks.
What Is The Difference Between Brownie Brittle And Pie?
Pie crust is made from flour, water, butter or shortening, salt, sugar, an acid (usually lemon juice), and sometimes eggs.
Brownie brittle isn’t actually baked, instead it’s just crushed into pieces.
The name “brittle” comes from its texture, which is much more similar to cookie than pie.
If you were to take a bite out of these homemade brownies there would be no mistaking what you had eaten.
The taste is exactly the same as if you had bitten into a regular brownie, with the addition of that little bit of crunchiness that makes brownie brittle stand out from other desserts.
How to make brownie brittle at home
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.
- In a medium bowl combine 1 cup of granulated sugar, ½ cup of light corn syrup, and ¼ teaspoon of baking soda.
- Mix thoroughly until combined.
- Add 2 teaspoons of vanilla extract and mix well again.
Now you need to add the dry ingredients.
Using a fork, stir together the remaining 1 cup of granulated sugar, and 3 tablespoons of unsalted butter.
Once everything has been incorporated, put it back into the mixing bowl and use a wooden spoon to fold the mixture together until it has become a smooth batter.
What Is The Difference Between Brownie Brittle And Bread?
Bread and brownies both contain flour, sugar, eggs, butter or oil, and chocolate.
But there are important differences in how these foods combine together when baking.
A lot of people mistakenly believe that brownies are just baked versions of cookies.
They aren’t – at least not entirely.
Brownies are made with different ratios of dry ingredients (flour, cocoa powder, etc.) than cookies do.
For example, cookies tend to use more fat (butter, shortening) while brownies usually call for less.
When making brownies, we recommend using unsweetened chocolate instead of dark chocolate because it has no added sugars.
You’ll also want to avoid any other types of dairy products as well, including milk and cream cheese.
The reason why is simple – these ingredients will cause the texture of your brownies to become very soft and gooey rather than firm and crumbly.
The other big difference between brownies and bread is what kind of leavening agent they use.
Bread uses yeast which is an active ingredient found naturally in baker’s yeast.
When combined with water, it forms bubbles that create air pockets within the dough.
The result is a light-textured loaf of bread.
While most recipes for brownies include eggs, they don’t actually need them to be successful.
Eggs act as binding agents, meaning they help hold everything else in place.
Without eggs, the mixture would fall apart before they were finished cooking.
So if you’d prefer to skip the eggs altogether, feel free to substitute them with additional flour.
Another key component of brownies is the type of chocolate used.
Most recipes call for bittersweet chocolate, but white chocolate works quite nicely as well.
For our brownie brittle recipe below, we decided to stick with bittersweet chocolate since it was easier to find.
If you’re having trouble finding it though, you may consider substituting regular semisweet chocolate instead.
What Is The Difference Between Brownie Brittle
To start with, there isn’t really much difference between brownie brittle and brownies at all.
Both are made from chocolate chips and butter or oil, and both will be filled with gooey goodness when baked.
The main difference comes down to how these two treats are prepared.
Brownie brittle is usually cut into small pieces while brownies are left whole, although many people prefer to eat them as squares.
Also, brownie brittle tends to contain more sugar than brownies do – about half a cup per batch (about 5 ounces) compared to around 1/4 cup per batch (1 ounce).
This means that you need less brownie brittle to satisfy your craving for sweets.
The end result is a slightly sweeter treat with fewer calories.
Another major difference is texture.
While brownie brittle has a hard outer shell, brownies tend to be softer inside.
You might also find that brownie brittle breaks apart easily if you try to scrape off chunks of it.
That doesn’t happen with brownies, which are firm enough to hold together when broken.
Equipment
- 1 Pot
- 1 Oven
Ingredients
- 18 ounce Brownie Mix
- ½ cup water
- ⅓ cup vegetable oil
- 1 egg
Instructions
- Set oven to 325 degrees Fahrenheit. Set aside a baking sheet that has been lined with parchment paper and lightly sprayed with nonstick cooking spray.
- All the ingredients should be put in a sizable mixing basin.
- until just mixed, whisk.
- Onto the prepared baking sheet, pour the batter.
- Spread the batter out into a thin layer using an offset spatula.
- For 25 to 30 minutes, bake. Before slicing with a knife or a pizza cutter, the dish must cool completely.
Video
Nutrition
My blog is all about creating delicious meals with ingredients that are easy to find in your local grocery store. I’m passionate about making yummy meals that I can share with my friends and family.