I’ve got a super fun recipe for you all today, just in time for Halloween! May I introduce: Monster Mash Brownies. What is that you may ask? Just the cutest, most fun and tasty brownies ever. I love these brownies because they are so festive for Halloween and would be perfect to make with any leftover candy. I know many are not trick-or-treating this year, but I know a lot of us are bound to have extra candy lying around that we either bought for ourselves or didn’t pass out. It’s basically a standard brownie, jazzed up with Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups and decorated with fun Halloween candy and edible decoration eyeballs. The brownies are the perfect blend between chewy and fudgy, light enough to complement the candy but sturdy enough to support it all! These are definitely for all you sugar-lovers out there, if you have a sweet-tooth you will adore these! If not, maybe buckle down a bit on your candy toppings. Let me show you exactly how I did it!
You can use any brownie recipe for the base that you like, even boxed mix would work here. However, I like this recipe because I like the combination of a chewy and fudgy texture, and I think it held the candy extremely well. It’s made with cocoa powder instead of real chocolate to avoid sweetness overkill, and salted butter to cut a bit if the sweetness and add some contrast. A mix of white sugar and brown sugar helps provide that mix of textures, and vanilla paste also gives them just an extra bit of a special flavor.
I also added mini Reese’s Peanut butter cups in between the batter. I poured half the batter in the pan, cut the Reese’s in half and placed them in various spots, and then covered them with the other half of the batter. This is optional, but if you love peanut butter you will love this!
Bake your brownies at 350 degrees Fahrenheit for about 25-30 minutes. Let cool for about 15 minutes. In the mean, gather all your candy and decor! To give that monster-y look, I used:
-more mini Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups (and enlisted my sister to paint on pumpkin faces with melted dark chocolate)
-Witch’s Brew Kit Kats
-Halloween colored Peanut M&Ms
-Haribo Vampire Bats
-Brach’s Skulls and Bones
-edible decoration eyeballs in large and small
Depending on what candy you like most, you can add the candy on top while the brownies are still warm (about 15 minutes past like I did), or add it as topping/decoration only. I let the chocolate and gummy candies melt just a tiny bit and sort of become one with the brownie. The others I used as more of a decoration, for example the skulls and bones had a candy corn flavor that I’m not sure all would like, so I made sure they did not melt in!
If you’re a candy lover though, you will truly enjoy it all. I added the eyeballs last in various places to give that extra monster-y look and voila! Monster Mash brownies are ready to serve.
I hope you all love this recipe as much as I do and will give it a try! It would be perfect for any small Halloween bashes or a night in with family this year. Wishing everyone a fun, safe Halloween!
With Love,
Jenna
Monster Mash Brownies
Ingredients
- 1 cup salted butter melted and slightly cooled
- 2 cups white sugar
- 1/2 cup brown sugar
- 1/2 tbsp vanilla extract
- 1/2 tbsp vanilla paste
- 4 large eggs
- 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
- 1/2 tsp salt
- halloween candy
Instructions
- In a large bowl, whisk the butter, white sugar, brown sugar, vanilla extract and vanilla paste until smooth.
- Whisk the eggs in one at a time, making sure each is well-incorporated before adding the next.
- Sift in the flour, cocoa powder, and salt and fold to combine. Make sure to sift the ingredients so you do not end up with cocoa lumps in your batter.
- Add half of the batter to a greased 9x13" pan. Cut a handful of mini Reese's PB Cups in half and scatter them throughout the batter. Top with the remaining half of brownie batter.
- Bake at 350 degrees Fahrenheit for 25-30 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out with a few crumbs. Let cool slightly.
- Add your preferred candy on top and decorate with candy eyeballs! Cut, serve and enjoy!