Spiderweb Brownies
These spiderweb brownies are so easy to make and perfect for a festive celebration! Add a spooky twist to store-bought or homemade brownies!
I am so excited for Halloween this year! Last year I had an eight day old baby (and we were all in the middle of a global pandemic) and I had zero energy for making the holiday fun. We didn’t have any trick or treaters, I didn’t even decorate the outside of the house, and we just stayed home and ate candy while watching Halloween movies (and I think I fell asleep at like 7:00).
This year we probably still can’t do EVERYTHING we normally do (due to the aforementioned pandemic) but it’s looking like trick or treating is a go (fingers crossed!). I already bought an adorable bumble bee costume for my cute baby Bee (because what else could she be this year?) and our whole house is festively decorated. We’ve made a list of all of the Halloween movies and TV episodes we’re going to watch, we’ve made plans to visit the pumpkin patch and the apple orchard, and we are going to make the most of it!
I actually made these spiderweb brownies last Halloween in an attempt to add some festivity to the holiday, and I’m sharing them with you just in case you are exhausted like me, but still like to eat festive food. (Somehow my baby is almost a year old and sleeps LESS well than she did as a newborn. I am perpetually tired.) These brownies are super easy to make, and so fun and festive. You can use homemade brownies like I did, or make it even simpler by using a box mix or even just buying pre-made brownies at the grocery store. No judgment here!
I decided to jazz my brownies up with some plastic spiders (which I made by cutting the ring part off of a few spider rings I had kicking around the house). I like that they add a little “ick” to an otherwise very sweet looking dessert. 🙂 Who doesn’t just love to think about bugs crawling all over their food?
To finish the brownies off, I added a little white sanding sugar, because you can’t go wrong with sprinkles. Ever. I used my favorite brownie recipe for the base, and I love that not only is it super easy and quick to make, it tastes better than any boxed mix I’ve used. Again, though, if you’re short on time (or energy) a boxed mix will work great!
These spiderweb brownies are a delicious way to make your Halloween celebration extra fun!
Spiderweb Brownies
Print Recipe
Ingredients
for the brownies:
- 12 tablespoons butter melted
- 1 1/4 cups sugar
- 2 eggs
- 2 teaspoons vanilla
- 1/2 cup flour
- 3/4 cup cocoa powder
- 1/4 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 3/4 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
for the spiderwebs:
- 4 tablespoons butter softened
- 1 cup powdered sugar
- 1/4 teaspoon vanilla
- pinch of salt
- 1-2 teaspoons milk more or less as needed
- white sanding sugar
- plastic spiders optional
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 325. Line an 8 x 8 or 9 x 9 square pan with parchment paper. In a large bowl, whisk together the butter and sugar. Add the eggs and vanilla, and mix until smooth. Add the flour, cocoa powder, baking soda, and salt, and mix until just combined. Fold in the chocolate chips. Spread the brownie mixture in the prepared pan. Bake 40-50 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted 1 1/2 inches from the side of the pan comes out clean or with a few moist crumbs. Let cool completely before frosting.
- When the brownies have cooled, make the frosting by beating together the butter, powdered sugar, vanilla, and salt. Add milk as needed to make a light and fluffy frosting. Cut the brownies into sixteen pieces, and pipe a spiderweb design on the corner of each brownie. (I found it easiest to pipe a straight line along the top and side of the brownie, then pipe a straight line diagonally, then connect the lines with curved lines.) Sprinkle the brownies with sanding sugar. Decorate with plastic spiders if desired.
