Spooky Spiderwebs:  Decorated Brownies

adapted from Hummingbird High

It’s that time of year! Halloween comes but once a year, so enjoy the costuming, handing out of candy, and most importantly, the themed treats! We decided to go with an old classic (the brownie) and decorate it to match the spooky holiday. This brownie is perfect for the holiday, with its fudgey chocolate flavor and tart cream cheese frosting for balance. And, if it’s not Halloween or you choose not to celebrate it, drizzle the ganache in whatever pattern you like. Enjoy!

 

 

Total cooking time: 1 hour

Serving Size: 8 large brownies

 

 

Ingredients:

1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter

8 ounces bittersweet chocolate, chopped

4 eggs, at room temperature

3/4 cup granulated sugar

3/4 cup light brown sugar, firmly packed

2 teaspoons vanilla extract

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 cup all-purpose flour

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Cream Cheese Frosting

8 oz cream cheese, room temperature

¼ cup (½ stick) butter, room temperature

1 cup powdered sugar, sifted

Chocolate Ganache

3.5 oz dark chocolate

3.5 oz heavy cream

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

2. Break the chocolate into small pieces and cut up the butter. In a double boiler (or a saucepan filled with water with a heatproof bowl sitting on top, not touching the water), melt the butter with the chocolate. Keep stirring the mixture until it is completely smooth, then remove the top bowl from the heat.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

3. In a large mixing bowl, whisk together 4 eggs in a large bowl. Then add the granulated sugar, brown sugar, vanilla extract, and salt. Whisk until fully incorporated.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

4. Pour in the melted chocolate mixture, and whisk until smooth.

5. Use a rubber spatula to gently fold in the flour until incorporated. Do not over mix! It should be lumpy.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

6. Grease a 9 x 13-inch baking pan, line it with parchment paper, and grease the paper. Pour in the batter.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

7. Bake for 30-35 minutes. (Ours took around 35.) Test for doneness by inserting a toothpick into the middle. If the toothpick is clean, it’s done. If you used a smaller pan, the brownies may take up to 40 minutes to finish baking.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

8. Cool for ten minutes, then transfer to wire cooling rack to cool for another 45 minutes. (If you don’t wait long enough, the brownies will crumble and the frosting will melt everywhere and look ugly.)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

9. While the brownies are cooling, make the cream cheese frosting and the chocolate ganache. (You can skip this if you want, but then they’re not decorated spiderweb brownies . . .)

10. In a standing mixer, beat the cream cheese and butter together with the paddle attachment for about 3 minutes until light and fluffy.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

11. Add the powdered sugar. (We didn’t sift it, so the frosting turned out a little lumpy.) Beat for a few minutes until fluffy.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

12. For the chocolate ganache, first heat the cream in a saucepan until bubbling. Roughly chop the dark chocolate and put into a heatproof bowl. Then, pour the hot cream into the heatproof bowl over the chopped chocolate. Whisk until it’s smooth and no grains remain. Transfer into a piping bag, or a ziplock bag with the corner cut off. Make sure the cut is VERY SMALL.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

13. When the brownies are cool, spread the cream cheese frosting in a thick layer on top. Cut into squares.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

14. On each brownie square, draw a dot and then a few concentric circles (like a bull’s eye) or a spiral. Try them both and figure out which works best for you. Don’t squeeze the bag too hard or else it will explode everywhere. (Trust us, we know from experience.) Use a toothpick to drag the ganache from the center outwards, creating a spider-web.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Now enjoy your Halloween with these spookalicious holiday treats!

*Blooper picture

The bag broke open and squirted ganache all over a finished brownie and the one we were working on . . .we tried to fix it . . .

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

~Selena, Katie, and Jenny