I don’t like cake or cookies much. In fact, I don’t have much of a sweet tooth. The exceptions are certain Indian sweets, any kind of apple pie and chocolate that’s not too sweet. In spite of my love for good chocolate, I don’t really like chocolate cake. The exception here is the brownie and I have recipes here for Cakey Brownies, Fudgy Christmas Tree Brownies and even a Vegan Bean Brownie. I’m adding these Halloween Brownies to the list.
Indians in Indian don’t celebrate Halloween, although certain Christian communities do mark All Souls’ Day. Halloween themed parties are slowly becoming popular in some parts of urban India, mostly among those who have lived abroad and come back to India.
So I don’t celebrate Halloween yet you will find quite a few Halloween recipes here. That’s because I discovered cute Halloween themed food when I started blogging. My daughter was still in school then and very enthusiastic about these things. She’s grown up now, no longer at home and I don’t bake as much as I used to.
You can blame (or thank, as the case may be) Pinterest and Insagram for resurrecting my interest this year. An overload of Halloween food ideas, a love for brownies, a bottle of candy eyes and some spare chocolate meant some Halloween Brownies.
Do you like cakey brownies like I do or the fudgy kind? Depending on which you like you can use a tried and tested brownie recipe, this one or really any recipe at all. This particular recipe is an adapted version of this one, and is a nice mid-way between cakey and fudgy. To me that means it isn’t really cake yet it is brownie enough without tasting of undercooked batter in the middle!
Making brownies isn’t very difficult on any day but this recipe is even easier because it is also a one-bowl affair. It’s also something you can make at the last minute without much effort. Put all the ingredients in a bowl, beat till smooth and transfer to the baking tin. Then decorate the top with chocolate candy and candy eyes. Bake, cool, cut and eat.
Halloween Brownies
Ingredients
- 1 cup all purpose flour
- 2/3 cup unsweetened dark cocoa powder
- 1 1/4 cups sugar
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1/4 tsp baking powder
- 1/2 tsp instant coffee powder
- 2 eggs
- 100 gm unsalted butter melted
- 1/4 cup coconut oil
- 1 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
- 3/4 cup chopped semi-sweet dark or milk chocolate melted
- Coloured chocolate buttons
- Assorted chocolate candy bars
- Candy eyes
Instructions
- Put all of the ingredients, except the chocolate buttons, candy bars and candy eyes into a large bowl in the order in which they're written. Stir well, then beat the mixture until smooth.
- Spoon the batter into a parchment lined and lightly greased 7" x 11" pan or an 8" square pan. Decorate the surface by randomly arranging the coloured chocolate buttons, assorted candy bars and candy eyes.
- Bake the brownies at 190C (375F) about 25 to 30 minutes or until the batter is just starting to pull away from the sides of the pan and the top looks cooked. To check, insert a toothpick into the centre. It should come out clean or with a few moist crumbs clinging to it, but there should be no wet batter.
- Take the brownies from the oven and let them cool completely before cutting. Store in an airtight container. These should keep at room temperature for a couple of days. Refrigerate if not using immediately. Warm slightly before serving if refrigerated.
I'm Aparna and My Diverse Kitchen is my ovo-lacto vegetarian food blog where you'll find recipes, food stories & photography. I've been blogging since 2007 and believe the kitchen, and the dining table (by extension) is really the heart of a home. 
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