Halloween Brownies

(10)

They're the spookiest, most delicious treat around.

Prep Time:
45 mins
Total Time:
1 hr 15 mins
Servings:
24
Yield:
2 dozen

Trick out your treats this All Hallow's Eve and serve a platter of our Halloween brownies in two frightful designs. The spooky classics start with our easy homemade brownie recipe that uses cocoa powder and caramel-y brown sugar to give the treats an intense chocolate flavor. While they’re cooling, whip up some royal icing so you can pipe the playful decorations. We cut the brownies into squares for spooky webs and frosted a web on each. The frightening mummies start with rectangular brownies, get frosted in a zig-zag bandage design, and then topped with candy eyeballs. They're a crowd-pleasing dessert for kids and adults alike.

halloween-brownies

Bryan Gardner

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Ingredients

Brownies

  • 2 sticks unsalted butter, room temperature, plus more for pan

  • 1 ¼ cups unbleached all-purpose flour, plus more for pan

  • 1 ¼ teaspoons kosher salt

  • 1 ½ cups granulated sugar

  • ½ cup packed light brown sugar

  • 1 cup unsweetened cocoa powder

  • 4 large eggs, room temperature

  • 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract

  • Candy eyeballs, for decorating

Royal Icing

  • 2 cups confectioners' sugar

  • 2 ½ tablespoons meringue powder

  • ¼ cup water

Directions

  1. Preheat oven and prep pan:

    Preheat oven to 325°F. Butter a 9-by-13-inch baking pan. Line bottom and long sides with parchment, leaving a 2-inch overhang. Butter and flour parchment, tapping out excess; set aside.

  2. Whisk flour and salt; melt butter, add sugars, then cocoa:

    Whisk together flour and salt. In a large heatproof bowl set over (not in) a pot of simmering water, melt butter. Remove from heat. Add both sugars; whisk to combine. Whisk in cocoa powder.

  3. Add eggs to butter mixture, then vanilla, and flour mixture:

    Add eggs, one at a time, and whisk until well combined and glossy. Mix in vanilla. Add flour mixture; stir until just combined (do not overmix).

  4. Pour batter into pan and bake:

    Pour batter into prepared pan; smooth top with a spatula. Bake until top is crackly and a tester inserted into center comes out clean, about 30 minutes.

  5. Cool, remove from pan and cut:

    Transfer pan to a wire rack. Let cool 30 minutes, then lift brownies out of pan using parchment overhang. Let cool completely on wire rack, then cut into 24 pieces (for spider webs, cut into squares; for mummies, cut into rectangles.)

  6. Make royal icing:

    While brownies are cooling, beat confectioners' sugar, meringue powder, and water with a mixer on low speed until fluffy but dense, 7 to 8 minutes.

  7. Decorate brownies with spider webs:

    Transfer icing to a piping bag fitted with a small round tip (such as Ateco #3). Pipe long lines in corners of square brownies, then connect with icing to create a web shape.

  8. Decorate brownies with mummies:

    Transfer icing to a piping bag fitted with a small ribbon tip (such as Ateco #44.) Pipe ribbons of icing back and forth to create a mummy pattern, and decorate with candy eyeballs.

Candy Eyeballs for Decorating

You can find candy eyeballs at most supermarkets and craft stores, or online at Target or Amazon; we prefer the Wilton brand.

5 More Brownie Recipes to Try:

Originally appeared: The Martha Stewart Show, Episode 4016

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