Take Boxed Brownies To The Next Level With A Delicious, Crunchy Topping

Topping a brownie the right way can elevate it to the next level; this is a fact we've learned from many years of stuffing our faces with great desserts. Little Debbie Cosmic Brownies (which were inspired by the '90s cosmic bowling trend) are studded with chocolate candies, and celeb chef Paul Hollywood enjoys topping his bougie brownies with cocoa nibs. Clearly, a sweet crunch is just the thing to crown a brownie. Lately, we've been jonesing for boxed brownies made a little more special with a simple streusel topping that's easy to mix up, but endlessly versatile.

All you need is a bit of flour and brown sugar (use a ratio of about 2:1) moistened by butter and kneaded into a crumble. With this basic recipe, all you need to do is scatter your streusel over the top of your boxed brownie batter and bake as usual. When your dessert comes out of the oven, you'll notice that the streusel forms a lovely, golden crust on top of the dense cocoa brownies. It's nutty and crunchy, offering a textural contrast that we absolutely love.

In our humble opinion streusel is a superior brownie topping for a few reasons. First of all, many enterprising home bakers already have what they need: flour, brown sugar, and butter. Secondly, the flavor is much greater than the sum of its parts — whether you add a little salt or use salted butter, your streusel will have a hint of umami with its sweetness that is deeply satisfying. And, lastly, we love dreaming up ways to doctor our streusel to make the most delightful pan of bespoke boxed brownies, with new variations occurring to us each time we bake.

A basic streusel might just be flavored with cinnamon, if at all, and that will provide lovely crunch and buttery savor to your brownies. We feel compelled to change things up from time to time, however, and you should do the same. Making brownies in the autumn? Sub plain cinnamon for pumpkin pie spice. Here's a cheeky idea: give just the faintest pop of heat to your streusel with a tiny soupçon of cayenne! Chocolate and chiles are an underrated combination that you can evoke with your spicy streusel.

A few drops of real vanilla extract lends a lovely floral sweetness to your pan, while a sprinkle of ginger adds warming notes that absolutely delight. And that's to say nothing of getting fruit in the mix: raspberry streusel (made with seedless jam) is a classic combination that sings with chocolate brownies. You can also dress up your streusel with other crunchy classics that will add body to your topping, like shredded coconut, chopped nuts, and/or oats. Using browned butter as the binder for your streusel will also impart a delish nuttiness that enhances the flavor of the finished product.

You can use your preferred boxed brownie mix for streusel brownies; we find that most combinations work just perfectly. On the other hand, there are at least a dozen types of flour, all with different uses. A basic streusel uses all-purpose flour. If changing up your flour component, use caution, because not all flours cook the same way. Beyond that, however, feel free to change up your streusel to make the most exceptional brownies.