Make a batch of Halloween-themed brownies! Scary Boo Brownies have little fondant ghosts haunting the tops of chocolate treats with a crackled cream cheese topping.
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It was a dark and stormy evening and All Hallow's Eve was nigh. I spied an illustration on a spooky Halloween plate: an eerie image of a jack-o'-lantern in ghostly garb on a foggy night.
A ghastly, eerie voice in my mind said, "Let's make a Halloween treat out of that, like some ghost brownies!"
To recreate the dark ground with patches of fog, rich chocolate brownies are topped with a crackled cream cheese topping. Floating on this cursed (but delicious) brownie? Why, it's a little, edible ghost. You can decide as you take a bite if it's a friendly ghost or more poltergeisty!
Halloween brownies are perfect to bring to a party at work or school, or as a special trick-or-treat treat for your kids or any other little monsters in your family. Nine out of ten ghouls, witches, and goblins agree that they're the best ghost desserts ever.
Need more Halloween treat ideas? Try Easy Halloween Pudding Cups or White Chocolate Ghost Cookies!
Why you'll love this recipe
Rather than squares cut from a pan, these brownies are baked in a muffin tin which creates handy, individual servings.
No need to settle for a mix to make these brownie Halloween treats, because it's so easy to make from scratch. The homemade brownies are rich with chocolate flavor that's enhanced by a little dash of coffee in the batter.
Unlike most cheesecake brownies, instead of swirling throughout the batter, this cheesecake mixture is spooned across the top. The cream cheese layer splits across the top during baking, creating spooky brownie backdrops for little, white fondant ghosts!
🔪 How to make Boo Brownies
Step 1: Make the brownie batter
Blend together dry ingredients like flour and cocoa, then in a separate bowl beat the other components including eggs, milk, and butter. Blend wet and dry mixtures together to create the batter.
Step 2: Make the cream cheese layer
Mix an egg, cream cheese, and sugar to create the cream cheese batter.
Step 3: Bake the brownies
Spoon chocolate batter into a cupcake tin, then top each one with some of the cream cheese mixture. Bake the brownies for about 30 minutes.
Step 4: Make the ghosts
Follow the steps below to make easy ghost figures from white fondant and chocolate sprinkles.
Step 5: Assemble the brownies, and enjoy
When the brownies are cool, top each with a fondant ghost. Arrange them on a serving tray and enjoy!
Tips to make Boo Brownies:
- As you shape the ghosts, keep a piece of plastic wrap over the rest of the fondant to prevent it from drying out.
- If not serving the brownies right away, store the ghosts covered in a very cool place or the fridge until ready to assemble and serve. (If they're left out in too warm of an area they will start to sink.)
- Add more fun Halloween decor to the serving tray with these Boo Brownies, like fake cobwebs stretched around the edges, toy spiders, and Halloween candies like eyeballs and bones!
You definitely need to make a batch of these Boo Brownies for Halloween, but they're so delicious there's no reason not to make them at other times of the year, too. Like for your next scary movie marathon or Ghostbusters-themed party!
The recipe is below, and here are more Halloween treats for you:
💬 What do you think of these ghostly brownies? Leave a comment below!
📖 Recipe
Boo Brownies
Ingredients
- 1¾ cups all-purpose flour, unbleached
- 1 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1 teaspoon instant espresso coffee
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 cup butter, unsalted and softened
- 2 cups granulated sugar
- 1 tablespoon pure vanilla extract
- ¼ cup milk
- 4 large eggs
For the cream cheese mixture:
- 8 ounces cream cheese, softened
- 1 large egg
- ¾ cup confectioner's sugar, sifted
For the ghosts:
- Confectioner's sugar, to dust work surface
- 16 ounces white fondant
- Chocolate Sprinkles
Instructions
Make the brownie batter:
- Preheat the oven to 350° F. Spray the insides of a cupcake pan with nonstick spray: either use two 12-cup pans or plan to bake two batches. (You can use paper liners if you'd prefer, but leave them on to serve the brownies.)
- In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, instant espresso and salt. Set aside.
- Cream together the butter and granulated sugar for about 5 minutes, until the mixture is light yellow and fluffy. Mix in the vanilla extract and the milk.
- Add in the 4 eggs, beating the mixture after each egg is added. With the mixer running on low, slowly add in the dry mixture. Beat the dry and wet ingredients, scraping down the bowl once or twice during this, until everything is just combined.
Make the cream cheese mixture:
- In a separate medium-sized bowl beat together the remaining egg, the softened cream cheese, and the sifted confectioner's sugar. The mixture should be thoroughly combined and smooth.
Bake the brownies:
- Use a 3 tablespoon-sized scoop: put one scoop of brownie batter into each muffin well. Top each of these with 1 tablespoon of the cream cheese mixture, pushing the mixture around so that it covers the whole top of the brownie batter.
- Place the pan in the oven and bake for 25-28 minutes, until the brownie is baked through—a toothpick inserted into the center should come out with just a few crumbs on it.
- Let the brownies cool in the pan for about 10 minutes. Run a paring knife around the edge of the brownie, then pop them out to cool completely on a cooling rack. If not serving them right away, wrap the brownies in plastic wrap.
Make the ghosts:
- Dust a work surface lightly with confectioner's sugar. Roll out the white fondant to ¼-inch thickness. Use a 2-inch circle cookie cutter to cut out 20 circles.
- Use the leftover fondant to roll up 20 little balls, about ½-inch in diameter. Keep the circles and balls loosely covered with a piece of plastic wrap as you assemble the ghosts. (So they don't dry out.)
- Take one circle, and flatten and stretch it just a little. Place one of the balls in the center of the circle, and gather the circle around it. (The ball is like a person's head under a ghost sheet costume!)
- Shape the head and the fondant draped over it, creating some flares around the bottom edge so it looks flowy and ghostly.
- Use a skewer to poke holes for eyes in the head. Push a chocolate sprinkle into each hole to make dark dots for the eyes.
- Place the ghost on a plate, gently drape it with plastic wrap, and continue assembling the other ghosts. If you have leftover fondant you can create extra ghosts to decorate the serving platter. Or, keep the excess in a sealed container to use another time.
If you're serving the brownies right away or within the hour:
- Place a ghost on top of each brownie and arrange them on a serving platter.
If you're serving them later on:
- Store the ghosts covered in a very cool place or in the fridge until you're ready to assemble and serve. (If the fondant gets too warm it'll start to sink and lose its shape.)
- Makes 20 ghost-topped brownies.
Notes
- As you shape the ghosts, keep a piece of plastic wrap over the rest of the fondant to prevent it from drying out.
- If not serving the brownies right away, store the ghosts covered in a very cool place or the fridge until ready to assemble and serve. (If they're left out in too warm of an area they will start to sink.)
- Add more fun Halloween decor to the serving tray with these Boo Brownies, like fake cobwebs stretched around the edges, toy spiders, and Halloween candies like eyeballs and bones!
Heidi
I love how you made the ghosts--these are so cute! What a fun idea you came up with for this Halloween treat!
Nancy Mock
And they're pretty easy to make! Thanks for helping me taste-test these at school ????