These spooky spider Halloween brownies are made in partnership with World Market. Thank you for supporting the brands that support For the Love of Gourmet!
This is such a fun time of year for cooking. October brings pumpkin recipes, chocolatey Halloween treats, and apple desserts. October means soup season, cozy casseroles, and chili with all the toppings. I love making something tasty in my kitchen that warms up the whole house, and these spider brownies are no exception. Made with black cocoa powder, they are extra dark and rich and perfect for this time of year. Don’t be intimidated by the spiderwebs and spiders on top. All you need is melted chocolate and a plastic back to make it happen! It’s ok if they’re a little messy, they’ll be perfect on top of your brownies.
Spider Brownies Ingredients
Most of the ingredients used to make these spider brownies are pantry staples: sugar, flour, powdered sugar, oil, and water. They’re also made from ingredients found in your refrigerator like eggs and butter. The one ingredient you may not regularly use is black cocoa powder. This recipe will still be delicious with regular cocoa powder, but I love using black cocoa powder to make the brownies extra dark for Halloween. If you don’t want to buy a new ingredient for these brownies I still encourage you to make them! They will be just as yummy with regular cocoa powder, they just won’t have this signature black color for Halloween.
How to Make Chocolate Spiders
To make the spiderwebs and brownies, melt a bowl of white chocolate chips and a bowl of milk or semi-sweet chocolate chips. I simply put the chocolate chips in microwave-safe bowls and microwave in 30 second increments, removing the bowl to stir the chocolate chips every 30 seconds. When the chocolate is melted, put the melted chocolate into a plastic Ziploc bag. I like to use a quart-sized freezer bag because they’re made of thicker plastic and the size of the bag makes it easier to handle. If you have pastry bags you can also use that paired with a pastry tip. Once you have your chocolate ready to go, place a large sheet of wax paper on the counter. Use the white chocolate to form spiderwebs and the milk or semi-sweet chocolate to make spiders. It may take a couple tries but it’s easier then you think! You do need to make the chocolate cool completely before removing from the wax paper to decorate the Halloween brownies.
Whether you’re hosting a Halloween party or just want to spoil your friends and neighbors with some festive treats, these spider brownies are the perfect recipe!
- 1½ cups granulated sugar
- ½ cup vegetable or canola oil
- 2 eggs
- 2 tbsp. water
- ½ tsp. vanilla extract
- ¾ cup all-purpose flour
- ⅔ cup black cocoa powder
- ½ cup powdered sugar
- ½ tsp. salt
- ½ cup chocolate chips
- ½ cup unsalted butter, softened
- 2 cups powdered sugar
- ⅓ cup black cocoa powder
- ⅓ cup regular cocoa powder
- ¼ tsp. salt
- 1 tsp. vanilla extract
- 2-4 tbsp. heavy cream
- 1½ cups chocolate chips for spiderwebs
- 1 cup milk or semi-sweet chocolate chips for spiders
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Spray an 8 x 8 baking pan with nonstick cooking spray and line with parchment paper. Set aside.
- In a large bowl, whisk together granulated sugar, oil, and eggs until smooth and they begin to lighten in color. Add the water and vanilla extract and whisk well to combine.
- In a separate bowl, mix together flour, cocoa powder, powdered sugar, and salt. Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients and mix until just combined. Fold in the chocolate chips.
- Spread the batter into the prepared pan and bake for 25-35 minutes until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out fairly clean but the brownies still jiggle a bit in the middle.
- While the brownies are baking, make the spiders and spiderwebs. Place the white and milk or semi-sweet chocolate chips in two separate bowls. Microwave in 30 second increments, stirring after each block of time, until the chocolate chips are melted and smooth. Transfer the chocolate to their own Ziploc bags. Spread a large piece of wax paper onto the counter, trim a small corner off of the bag, and make the spiderwebs and spiders. Let cool completely before moving.
- Make the frosting by creaming together the butter, powdered sugar, both cocoa powders, salt, and vanilla extract until very smooth. Add the cream, one tablespoon at a time, until the desired consistency is reach.
- Once the brownies are cooled, remove them from the pan and spread the frosting onto the brownies. Cut them into nine squares and top each with a spiderweb and spider.
- Enjoy your festive Halloween treat!
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