Why I love these halloween brownies
For the past few weeks (okay, maybe months), Ellie has been talking about Halloween. She has already decided that she’s going to be a bat-witch and she hasn’t, not for one second, waffled on her decision.
It’s crazy, but since I love Halloween just as much, I’m pretty excited that she’s into it. Today, I even took her to look at Halloween decorations for maybe the fifth time so far this year. She’s really into the talking witches that are outrageously expensive.
Since she’s loving Halloween so much, I thought it might be nice to start testing out a few Halloween-themed treats, like these spooky eyed Halloween brownies, so that I know exactly what to make when the holiday comes.
We already have a few Halloween related food traditions that I’m carrying over from my own childhood, like apple crisp and Halloween soup. I even made some pretty awesome apple cider margaritas last year (for the adults, obviously).
If you like this recipe, you have to try these brownie mix cookies, and this S’more brownie cupcakes and this skillet brownie sundae. Extra candy eyes? Try these halloween spider cupcakes or these halloween popcorn balls!
Searching for more chocolate recipes? no bake chocolate oatmeal cookies / red velvet brownies / chocolate lava cakes / dairy free chocolate cake / chocolate chocolate chip cookies
Ingredients & substitutions
- Cocoa powder – This recipe calls for regular cocoa powder, but I have used the darker, Dutch-process cocoa powder with this recipe and it works just fine. It will create a darker, richer chocolate flavor though.
- Olive oil – You can use any kind of oil in this recipe, but I love the flavor the olive oil adds to the brownies. Use what you have and if you don’t care for the flavor the olive adds, use a light olive oil which has a less pronounced flavor.
- Halloween sprinkles – Grab some candy eyes and a festive mix of halloween colors. I added the purple sprinkles to the pre-made mix I bought just to give the sprinkles a bit more variety, since I didn’t find exactly what I was imagining. I was able to find both, Halloween sprinkles and googly eyes at my local grocery store.
- Boiling water – Using boiling water helps the melt chocolate chips and cocoa powder so it blends smoothly with the rest of the ingredients.
- Semi-sweet chocolate chips – Use the best dairy free chocolate chips you can find. I found a local brand that makes dairy free ones, but Enjoy Life makes allergy friendly chocolate chunks that would work great.
- Piping gel – This is used to adhere the candy eyes to the brownies. Choosing a dark color, such as black, will help it blend in with the brownies.
Making changes to a recipe can result in recipe failure. Any substitutions listed below are simple changes that I believe will work in this recipe, but results are not guaranteed.
The following is a detailed overview of the recipe steps with added tips and tricks for recipe success. For a simplified and printable version, including ingredient amounts and more formal instructions, see the recipe card below.
How to make Halloween brownies
Preheat oven to 350˚F. Line a 9×13 baking pan with parchment paper. Just fold the corners, It doesn’t have to be perfect because the batter will fill it out. Set aside.
Mix the cocoa mixture. In a large bowl, whisk cocoa powder, baking soda and salt. Now, we will incorporate some of the liquids. Pour 1/3 cup olive oil and the boiling water into the cocoa bowl. Whisk until smooth.
Combine wet ingredients. Adding to the cocoa mixture, stir in the sugar. When the sugar is incorporated, whisk in the eggs, one at a time. Continue by vanilla extract and remaining olive oil, whisking until smooth.
Incorporate flour and chocolate chips. Whisk the flour into the batter until it’s smooth then fold in the chocolate chips. Pour the batter into the pan and top with sprinkles.
Bake the brownies. Make sure you oven is preheated and bake for 35-40 minutes. Take them out of the oven before you think you should. If you’re toothpick comes out with a tiny bit of batter on it, that’s okay. They’ll be nice and fudge-like.
Decorate. Let cool for 30 minutes before decorating with google eyes. Use piping gel to secure and let get dry complexity before slicing brownies.
Ingredients
- 3/4 cup cocoa powder
- 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/4 teaspoon coarse salt
- 2/3 cup olive oil - divided
- 1/2 cup boiling water
- 2 cups sugar
- 2 large eggs
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 1 1/3 cup all-purpose flour
- 1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips*
- Halloween colored sprinkles
- Candy googly eyes
- Piping gel - preferably a darker color
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350˚F and line a 9×13 baking pan with parchment paper.
- In a large bowl, whisk together cocoa powder, baking soda and salt.
- Whisk 1/3 cup olive oil and boiling water into cocoa powder mixture until smooth.
- Add sugar, eggs, vanilla extract and remaining 1/3 cup olive oil. Whisk until smooth.
- Slowly whisk in flour until smooth.
- Fold in chocolate chips with a rubber spatula.
- Pour batter into pan and top with sprinkles. Bake for 35-40 minutes or until an inserted toothpick comes out clean.
- Remove from oven and let cool in pan for 30 minutes before decorating with googly eyes. Use piping gel to secure and let gel dry completely before slicing brownies.
