This brownie came out of the ultimate Halloween question—what do I do withall this candy? While you can totally take these gooey overloaded brownies to a Halloween party, they are also a good way to share that candy haul! Use all yourfavorite chocolate candies, then decorate the top of the brownies with a drizzle ofcheesecake cream topping, candy eyeballs, and—you guessed it—more candy!
Equipment
8- or 9-inch square pan
parchment paper
Large Mixing Bowl
Ingredients
3large eggs + 1 extra egg yolk
¾cupwhite sugardivided
½cupmelted butter
½cupbrown sugar
1teaspoonvanilla extract
½cupall-purpose flour
½cupcocoa powderunsweetened
¼teaspoonsalt
4ouncescream cheeseequal to 1/2 a cup
1cupchocolate candy barschopped
candy eyesoptional
food coloringoptional
Instructions
Mix The Brownie Batter
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Line the bottom of the pan with parchment paper. Cut the parchment paper to be the same size as the pan by tracing the pan. Oil the sides of the pan.
Crack and whisk 3 eggs in a medium sized mixing bowl.
Add the melted butter, brown sugar, 1/2 cup of granulated sugar, and vanilla to the bowl and mix until well combined.
In a second bowl combine the flour, cocoa, and salt and mix well.
Add the dry flour mixture to the butetr and sugar mixture. Mix well until combined.
Fold 1 cup of chopped chocolate candy into the batter.
Make The Cream Cheese Swirl
In a large bowl with an electric mixer whip softened cream cheese for 1 to 2 minutes. Add an egg yolk to the cream cheese mixture.
Add the remaining 1/4 cup of granulated sugar and mix. Mix food coloring into the cream cheese.
Bake The Brownies
Add the brownie batter to the pan lined with parchment and spread evenly using a silicone spatula.
Add spoonfuls of the cream cheese mixture spread out over the brownie batter. Drag a butter knife through the cream cheese just a little, creating brownie and cream cheese swirls across the top.
Bake for 30 to 35 minutes, until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. The brownie should be fudgy inside but not raw.
When the brownies have finished baking but are still warm, gently push small chunks of chocolate candy, single or pairs of candy eyes, and any other candies or chocolates on top.
Let the brownies cool completely before removing them from the pan. Then enjoy!
Notes
To make the orange cream cheese swirl I added 5 drops of yellow and 1 drop red liquid food coloring to the cream cheese mixture. Green or purple cream cheese also gives the brownies a fun Halloween look.
These brownies can sometimes be tough to tell if they are cooked all the way. Pick up the hot pan with oven mitts and slowly tip the pan back and forth just a little. Watch to see if the center of the dough moves. If it moves, the brownies need to cook more.