Jack-o'-Lantern Brownies
Quick Cooking
Hosting a Halloween party? Use a cookie cutter to easily cut these homemade chocolate brownies into pumpkin shapes, then give them personality with orange, black and green frosting. "Our grandchildren thought these were great!" writes Flo Burtnett from her home in Gage, Oklahoma.
SERVINGS: 12
CATEGORY: Dessert
METHOD: Baked
TIME: Prep: 20 min. Bake: 20 min. + cooling
Ingredients:
- 3/4 cup butter, melted
- 1-1/2 cups sugar
- 1-1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 3 eggs
- 3/4 cup all-purpose flour
- 1/2 cup baking cocoa
- 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1 can (16 ounces) vanilla frosting
- Orange paste food coloring
- Green and black decorating gel
- Candy corn and milk chocolate M&M's, optional
Directions:
In a large mixing bowl, cream the butter, sugar and vanilla until light and fluffy. Beat in eggs until well blended. Combine the flour, cocoa, baking powder and salt; gradually add to butter mixture.
Line a greased 13-in. x 9-in. x 2-in. baking pan with waxed paper; grease the paper. Spread batter evenly in pan. Bake at 350° for 18-22 minutes or until brownies begin to pull away from sides of pan. Cool on a wire rack.
Run a knife around edge of pan. Invert brownies onto a work surface and remove waxed paper. Cut brownies with a 3-in. pumpkin cookie cutter, leaving at least 1/8 in. between each shape. (Discard scraps or save for another use.)
Tint frosting with orange food coloring; frost brownies. Use green gel to create the pumpkin stems and black gel and candy corn and M&M's to decorate the faces if desired. Yield: about 1 dozen.