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These simple Halloween brownies are rich and chocolatey with the perfect touch of “boo” for the spooky season!
Make All Hallow’s Eve a little sweeter with these cute Halloween brownies. Boo-nilla Ghost Milkshakes or Gooey Monster Cookies are just as festive and fun!
A Spooky Treat!
Who doesn’t love brownies? It’s easy to turn these chocolatey desserts into something spooky just by adding tasty Reese’s Ghosts!
They are perfect for sharing on Halloween, or bringing to a party or gathering. We love to gift goodies like these to neighbors and friends as “Boo” baskets. We’ll include a note that says “You’ve been booed” and instruct the receiver to share the love with someone else!
If you’re not into the Reese’s Ghosts you can still make these festive by adding some Halloween sprinkles or another ghastly cute treat! But I think these ghosts are just adorable, and the brownie is worth making all year long!
A Perfect Halloween Dessert
You can decorate brownies for Halloween by adding cute little ghosts, just start with these perfectly chocolatey brownies!
PREP. Preheat the oven to 350°F. Line a 9 x 13 baking dish with parchment paper.
BATTER. In a medium pot, melt the butter over low heat.
Add the cocoa powder and sugar, and mix to combine. Add the eggs one at a time, mixing well after each addition.
Stir in the vanilla. Add the flour, salt, and baking soda, and mix until just combined. Fold in the chocolate chips.
BAKE. Pour the batter into the prepared pan, and sprinkle with the chocolate jimmies. Bake for 40-45 minutes, until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.
SERVE. Let cool for 10-15 minutes, then place the ghost cookies on top. Let cool completely before slicing and serving.
Fun Halloween Toppings
I chose to top these easy Halloween brownies with delicious Reese’s white chocolate ghosts, but for more Halloween brownies ideas:
- Add a layer of Chocolate Frosting for an extra chocolaty taste.
- Whip up some Buttercream Frosting or cream cheese frosting and then use orange, bright purple, or bright green food coloring to turn the frosting fun colors.
- Add different types of Halloween sprinkles on top of the brownie batter.
- Replace Reese’s Ghosts with Pumpkin Reese’s.
- Add candy eyeballs, candy corn, or candy corn pumpkins.
- Make mummy brownies by making “fabric” stripes with white frosting and using black decorating gel to add a face.
Recipe Tips
Halloween themed brownies start with a perfect fudgy homemade brownie recipe!
Ingredient tips. Use quality ingredients.
- It can be helpful to sift the dry ingredients (flour, salt, and baking soda) together in a separate bowl before adding them to the wet ingredients. It will help ensure there are no lumps and everything is properly mixed without overmixing.
- To make a more cake-like texture add an extra egg as well as ½ tsp baking powder.
- In a rush? Use a boxed brownie mix, sprinkle it with chocolate jimmies, and bake. Then add the ghost candies on top.
Mixing. Keep the electric hand mixer in the cupboard and simply mix up the batter using a whisk and rubber spatula.
Don’t overbake. A toothpick inserted into the brownies should come out with just a few moist crumbs. If the batter on the toothpick is too wet it will need more time.
Cut brownies with a plastic knife when they are still warm. The knife will slice through the brownies like butter.
Room-temperature eggs incorporate better into the batter than cold eggs do.
Dutch-processed cocoa. I recommend using natural cocoa powder, but you can use Dutch process. Replace the natural cocoa with an equal amount of Dutch process AND add ½ tsp baking powder. The baking powder will help replace the acid that is in natural cocoa but not in Dutch-processed cocoa which is needed to help the cake rise.
Chocolate chips can be semi-sweet, milk, or dark chocolate. You can also use white chocolate chips or peanut butter chips.
Storing Info
STORE. Allow the brownies to completely cool before storing them in an airtight container. The brownies can be kept at room temperature for 3-4 days.
FREEZE. You can also freeze them, separating layers with wax paper for up to 3 months.
Recipe FAQ
A fudgy brownie uses more fat from butter and eggs than flour. Whereas a cake like brownie uses a high ratio of flour than fat.
Brownies are dense and don’t rise like a cake, but they should not cave in. One reason that this happens is due to overmixing which can add too many air bubbles in the batter that expand and then collapse. You will also want to be sure that the baking soda you use is not expired.
Most baked goods like brownies, cakes, and cookies are best when baked in a metal pan. Glass and ceramic pans heat up much slower which can cause the brownies to bake unevenly.
For More Halloween Desserts, Try:
- Halloween Cookies
- Halloween Candy Charcuterie Board
- Oogie Boogie Trifle
- Graveyard Dirt Cake
- Monster Rice Krispie Treats
Halloween Brownies Recipe
Ingredients
- 1 cup unsalted butter
- 1 cup cocoa powder, (plus 2 tablespoons)
- 1 1/2 cups sugar
- 3 eggs
- 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
- 3/4 cup all purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 1/2 cups chocolate chips
- 1 tablespoon chocolate jimmies
- 12 Reese’s white chocolate ghost candies
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350°F. Line a 9 x 13 baking dish with parchment paper. In a medium pot, melt the butter over low heat.
- Add the cocoa powder and sugar, and mix to combine. Add the eggs one at a time, mixing well after each addition.
- Stir in the vanilla. Add the flour, salt, and baking soda, and mix until just combined. Fold in the chocolate chips.
- Pour the batter into the prepared pan, and sprinkle with the chocolate jimmies. Bake for 40-45 minutes, until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.
- Let cool for 10-15 minutes, then place the ghost candies on top. Let cool completely before slicing and serving.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Your Halloween Brownies are looking great!!! I hope I get at least a picture of mine this year! I usually take some to a party and by the time I get back from hanging up my coat – – – They are gone,
I love Brownies and your’ look like they will fill the bill this year. Thanks for the recipe!