Spell Book Brownies
As I mentioned before, we like to kick off October with Charlie Brown, but another Halloween tradition is making sure we end the month with none other than the Sanderson Sisters!
These little Hocus Pocus-inspired brownies are one of my favorite Halloween treats to make because they’re so simple, so cute, and so delicious. Kids go crazy for them, and honestly, the adults do too!
The recipe below is for homemade brownies, but let me let you in on a little secret: you absolutely do not have to make the brownies from scratch. A box of your favorite brownie mix works perfectly fine (even store bought)! Just bake the brownies, let them cool completely, cut them into squares, and then let the decorating begin.
Ingredients
1 cup (120g) all-purpose flour
½ teaspoon baking powder
½ teaspoon salt
½ cup (43g) unsweetened cocoa powder
1 teaspoon espresso powder (optional)
¾ cup (170g) unsalted butter
2 tablespoons (28ml) canola, vegetable, or coconut oil
1⅓ cups (265g) granulated sugar, divided
2 large eggs
1 large egg yolk
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
¾ cup (128g) chocolate chips
Candy eyeballs
Black decorating icing
Instructions
Preheat the oven to 350°F (175°C). Line a 9×9-inch baking pan with parchment paper and lightly spray with nonstick baking spray. Set aside.
In a large bowl, sift together the flour, baking powder, salt, cocoa powder, and espresso powder. Set aside.
In a medium saucepan, combine the butter, oil, and ⅓ cup of the sugar. Heat over medium heat, stirring frequently, until the butter has completely melted. Remove from the heat.
In a large mixing bowl, combine the eggs, egg yolk, vanilla, and remaining sugar. Whisk until well combined, about 30 seconds.
Slowly pour the warm butter mixture into the egg mixture, adding it gradually while whisking constantly until everything is completely combined.
Add the dry ingredients and chocolate chips. Using a rubber spatula, gently stir until just combined. Do not overmix! Stop as soon as you no longer see streaks of dry ingredients.
Scrape the batter into the prepared pan and smooth the top.
Bake for 28–30 minutes, or until the edges are firm and the top is shiny and slightly cracked.
Place the pan on a cooling rack and allow the brownies to cool completely before slicing.
Once cooled, cut the brownies into squares. Now comes the fun part! Using the black decorating icing, create Book's features by piping a line along the "spine" of each brownie and a circle where the eyeball will go. You can recreate Book's actual embellishments from Hocus Pocus or have fun and make your own version.
Add a small dot of icing to the back of each candy eyeball and place it in the center of the circle.
Enjoy before the sun comes up, and whatever you do, keep that Black Flame Candle unlit!
