Think chocolatey chewiness, like the very edge of a pan of brownies, but a whole sheets worth. That my friends is brownie bark and when I saw this recipe by the talented Becky (just look at those pictures!) over at A Bite of Becky I knew this had to happen asap. Also ice cream season summer means that I always have egg whites to spare and this seemed like a far better use for them than my thousandth omelet. It is also very easy to whip up.
My first batch had the 2 tbsp of Cocoa powder that Becky recommended but my El Camino cocoa is clearly made of weaker stuff because I ended up with these.
At 3tbsp however magic happened - I am talking dense dark chocolatey magic, the kind that makes it difficult to eat just one piece even though rationally you know one piece ought to be enough. Add on a sprinkle of sea salt and resisting is just not an option.
These are best the day they are made and keep well for an additional 2 days.
Double Chocolate Brownie Bark
2 large egg whites
1 cup granulated sugar
3 tbsp cocoa powder
¼ cup vegetable oil
1 tsp vanilla extract
½ cup all purpose flour
¼ tsp salt
¼ tsp baking soda
½ tsp cornstarch
1 tbsp dry milk powder
1 cup chocolate chips
Sea salt for sprinkling (optional)
Preheat the oven to 325. Line a baking sheet with a piece of greased parchment paper. Whisk together the flour, salt, baking soda, cornstarch and milk powder and set aside.
Beat egg whites till frothy. Gradually add sugar and beat until the mixture forms soft peaks i.e. when you take the beaters out the meringue will form soft peaks that will curl over.
Mix in the cocoa powder, oil, and vanilla. Fold the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients until the batter is smooth and combined.
Carefully spread the batter onto your parchment lined baking sheet. An offset spatula is best for this. Sprinkle with the chocolate chips and bake for 20 minutes. Take the pan out, score the bark into squares with a knife and then put back into the oven for 5 minutes.
Take the pan out and let the bark cool, once it has cooled then break it into pieces and store into an airtight container for up to 3 days.
