Boo Brownies

First of all, can we talk about how freaking cute these brownies are? I mean sure, they're so spooky and scary and all that jazz. But, they are so cute! And, they have a secret...they're stuffed with Halloween candy!

Let's be real for a second, we're putting all of our efforts into the decorating on this one. So for that reason, we're going to let the grocery store help us with a store bought brownie mix. And honestly, I love a store bought brownie mix...especially the chewy fudge brownie mix from Aldi. They're some of the best brownies I've ever had! And by the time we add a few special touches to our brownies, nobody will stop and wonder for a second if you cheated on the brownie batter or not.

We're ultimately going to mix our brownies exactly according to their package directions. But before we do that, we're going to set aside 1 tablespoon of our dry brownie mix. To make these brownies extra special, we're going to take our favorite candy bars, dice them up, and mix them right into our brownie batter. But first, we'll toss the diced candy in our brownie mix to help keep the candy from sinking straight to the bottom of the batter. Then, we'll mix everything up, pour the batter into an 8x8 baking dish that's been lined with foil and generously sprayed with cooking spray, and we'll bake the brownies until they're just cooked in the center.

When it comes to choosing what kind of candy to use in our brownies, the answer is simple. Either use what you have or use what you like! I like using candy that has some textural components to them, like Snickers and Almond Joy, because when you get a bite of the nuts in those candies, it's kind of a fun surprise. I also have to have Reese's in there, and I threw some Kit Kats in there for good measure too. We're even going to add some candy corn in our brownies which get nice and melty and almost a little caramely on the inside of our brownies. Whatever kind of chocolate candy bars you choose will be delicious, for sure.

Once the brownies are finished baking, we need to let them cool completely. The waiting is the hardest part of the whole recipe. Then, we'll cut them into 16 squares, and it's time to start decorating.

We're going to build our spooky ghosts sitting on top of our brownies with some marshmallows and some white chocolate. It's important to note that fresh white chocolate works best here. For whatever reason, white chocolate that is not freshly opened from a new bag just does not melt as well. We ultimately need our white chocolate to be a pourable consistency, and we're going to use a little coconut oil to help us get there. If your chocolate is not fresh or is not thinning out to a pourable state, the game is not over. You can stir additional coconut oil into your melted white chocolate a half teaspoon at a time until you reach the consistency you need. I've broken by own rule, made these with stale white chocolate, and added about a tablespoon of coconut oil without there being any impact at all on the final result texture or flavor of my white chocolate coating.

Once our chocolate is melted and thinned out, we're going to use a little dab of it to help adhere a marshmallow to the top of the brownies. Then, we'll carefully spoon (or very slowly pour) our white chocolate over each marshmallow to coat our ghost. Let it drip over the sides of the brownies too for extra effect! Then once that white chocolate is completely set, we'll give the ghost a face with some melted dark chocolate or a little black icing gel, and these grim grinning ghosts are ready to eat!

If you want to add a little extra ambiance to your brownies and not just make ghosts, you can also use the white chocolate to glue broken Milano cookies to the top of the brownies. Use your melted dark chocolate to write graveyard words on the cookies, and you have an instant headstone. You can also use some candy eyes to create some flat ghosts on your brownies. So, you can have 2 more decorations for basically no extra effort!

These brownies are a true treat that are perfect for any Halloween themed party table. Or, they're a fun way to use up leftover Halloween candy after the holiday is over. Either way, they're sweet and gooey, and absolutely perfect for celebrating the season.

Ok, everyone! I can't wait to see what your Boo Brownies look like, so don't forget to tag me on social media when you make them. That's my birthday wish this year!

I hope you guys love these as much as I do. And, let's eat!