If you know me, you know I’m crafty. I even have a separate blog just for my crafts. Halloween does something to me creatively each year. I don’t know what it is about Halloween, but I go on a crafting craze! Lately I am completely obsessed with making monsters. So when the fun folks over at General Mills offered up a challenge to several food bloggers I jumped at the chance! The challenge was to make a festively sweet treat for Halloween using some of their cereals. I knew right away what I would be making!
I give you Brownie Monster Treats! Because decorating these treats can be time consuming, I chose to use a boxed brownie mix. You can certainly use your favorite recipe or do the same. I used three cereals: Trix, Cheerios and Cocoa Puffs. To make things easier on myself and to make this kid friendly, I also used Betty Crocker decorating cookie icing.
Pretty cool stuff, Royal Icing in a bag! They sell all the colors I needed, but my rinky dink grocery store only had red, green and white, so I used some gel food coloring to get what I wanted. The icing from the bag dried much smoother, so I would definitely recommend buying the colors you want over mixing it yourself.
Here’s something fun too. Because this is Royal icing, that means the frosting is dry (unless you use the gel like I did, that never dries LOL) so you can package them in cellophane gift baggies. While you are at it, be sure to make some bread tag monsters to close the treat bags with!
So now, on with the show!
Monster Brownie Treats
Boxed brownie mix
Betty Crocker Cookie Icing in desired colors
Cheerios, Cocoa Puffs, and Trix cereals
Mini chocolate chips
Pretzel sticks
Red and black decorator gel
1/4 cup powdered sugar
milk
First prepare your brownies and allow them to cool. I refrigerated mine so that I could get nice clean cuts. When your brownies are ready to be cut, cut off the edges and eat them :) (you could share too, just sayin’) and cut the brownies into different sized rectangles and squares. I cut some of the odd shaped leftovers into triangles too.
Make the Eyes
It’s important to do this step first to allow adequate time for the glaze to dry. To make the eyes you’ll need any variety of Cheerios, some mini chocolate chips, powdered sugar and a little milk. Place the powdered sugar into a small bowl. Using a spoon, stir in some milk, a little bit at a time, until the consistency is good enough for dipping. Start with about a teaspoon and add a couple drops at a time until you get it where you want it.
Drop a few Cheerios into the glaze coating the cereal. Use a spoon to lift the cereal out of the glaze and place on a wax paper lined cookie sheet.
Place a mini chocolate chip, upside down, in the center of each glazed Cheerio. Gently press the mini chip to set. Set aside.
Icing Colors
You could certainly use your own recipe for Royal icing, I have one myself as well. However, because this is such a great recipe for kids to get involved in, using these prepackaged icings is an excellent alternative. They are available in all of the colors that I used by my store only had a few. Therefore, I added some gel food coloring to mix up my colors. This icing is great, squeezes right out of the tube and onto the brownie, love it!
If you have to mix, like I did, you might find the easiest way to apply the mixed icing is with a new paintbrush.
Decorating
Gently press Trix and Cocoa Puffs cereals into the frosted brownies for the monsters’ polka dots. Lift the eyes from the waxed paper using a toothpick and gently press onto the frosted brownie. You can use pretzel sticks for arms and legs, and add eyebrows, mouths and hair using decorator gel.
Then you eat them! Nom.
Here are some close ups to give you some monsterous ideas for decorating :)
More Halloween Recipes
- Ghost Brownies
- Mummy Meatloaf
- Witch Finger Cookies
- Halloween Candy Apples
- Marshmallow Frankensteins
- Jalapeno Popper Mummies
- Spider Web Taco Dip
Monster Brownies
IMPORTANT - There are often Frequently Asked Questions within the blog post that you may find helpful. Simply scroll back up to read them!
Print It Rate ItIngredients
- Boxed brownie mix
- Betty Crocker Cookie Icing in desired colors
- Cheerios Cocoa Puffs, and Trix cereals
- Mini chocolate chips
- Pretzel sticks
- Red and black decorator gel
- ¼ cup powdered sugar
- milk
Instructions
- First prepare your brownies and allow them to cool. I refrigerated mine so that I could get nice clean cuts. When your brownies are ready to be cut, cut off the edges and eat them :) (you could share too, just sayin') and cut the brownies into different sized rectangles and squares. I cut some of the odd shaped leftovers into triangles too.
Eyes
- It's important to do this step first to allow adequate time for the glaze to dry. To make the eyes you'll need any variety of Cheerios, some mini chocolate chips, powdered sugar and a little milk. Place the powdered sugar into a small bowl. Using a spoon, stir in some milk, a little bit at a time, until the consistency is good enough for dipping. Start with about a teaspoon and add a couple drops at a time until you get it where you want it.
- Drop a few Cheerios into the glaze coating the cereal. Use a spoon to lift the cereal out of the glaze and place on a wax paper lined cookie sheet.
- Place a mini chocolate chip, upside down, in the center of each glazed Cheerio. Gently press the mini chip to set. Set aside.
Icing Colors
- You could certainly use your own recipe for Royal icing, I have one myself as well. However, because this is such a great recipe for kids to get involved in, using these prepackaged icings is an excellent alternative. They are available in all of the colors that I used by my store only had a few. Therefore, I added some gel food coloring to mix up my colors. This icing is great, squeezes right out of the tube and onto the brownie, love it!
- If you have to mix, like I did, you might find the easiest way to apply the mixed icing is with a new paintbrush.
Decorating
- Gently press Trix and Cocoa Puffs cereals into the frosted brownies for the monsters' polka dots. Lift the eyes from the waxed paper using a toothpick and gently press onto the frosted brownie. You can use pretzel sticks for arms and legs, and add eyebrows, mouths and hair using decorator gel.
More monster stuff from my craft blog :)
Monster Treat Bags
Bread Tag Monsters
Juice Box Monsters
Halloween Luminaries
Amanda Davis
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Design a cake online says
This are the cutest monsters i’ve ever seen :). I showed the post to my 6 year old, and we are going to try and bake them tomorrow. Wish us luck!
Kelli says
Amanda these brownies are adorable! I have been wanting to make them forever, and I finally did this weekend! I posted about them {with a link back to you} here: http://the-wilson-world.blogspot.com/2011/10/monster-brownies-halloween-costumes.html Thanks for the awesome inspiration! My boys are going to love them at our Halloween party tonight:)
Amanda Formaro says
Too cute Kelli!!
theresa says
Hi, are the icings betty crocker available in canada. they are so nice brownies!!!!
Amanda Formaro says
I’m not sure Theresa, maybe check the Betty Crocker website?
Emma @mummymummymum says
i LOVE those! I can’t wait to make them with my children!
Found you at Red Ted Art. xx
Amanda says
They were so cute Melinda!
Josh and Melinda says
These are AWESOME! I didn't do you justice, but tried my hand this Halloween and blogged about it!
Amanda says
Thanks ladies!
Loved the brownie pics Anon! So cute!
marla – I know right, so fun to be on Betty Crocker! Loved yours too!
marla {family fresh cooking} says
Amanda, I love that we are both on the Betty Crocker site for our cereal Halloween creations. Your treats are so freaking cute! xo
Anonymous says
What fun. The kids loved making these brownies! You can see some pictures on my blog:
http://kimhindsphotography.wordpress.com/2010/10/23/monster-brownies-quick-run-and-hide/
Can't wait to try something else! thanks for the wonderful ideas AND the well written info. (funny stuff)
Amanda Padgett says
Love this idea, thank you!! We will be doing this next week for sure!
Clicked over from Living Locurto.
Minny says
Really cute Amanda!! I don't have the patience anymore to do much cookie decorating. When my kids were little, we decorated cookies at holiday time, but I just don't have the patience to do it now.. blame it on "ole timer's" LOL
Amanda says
Thanks everyone!!
I saw them Ruth, they were SO cute!
Ruth says
My boy and I have made these twice now! They are awesome!
Meaghan Frubalee says
okay, ummmmmm, these are EPIC! i cannot believe how awesome this is… they are…these are…
for 2:30 AM, that sounds right.
my point simply is, when it is next NOT 2AM then i am going to make these. it's first on the list of things to do, these are great! thanks so much for posting them, love your blog!!
-m
http://clutzycooking.blogspot.com/
To Mommies and Beyond says
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Have a great weekend!
Melissa says
These are amazing! WOW!! What a clever idea!!!! I love these monster brownies! Thanks for sharing!!!!!
Mags says
I love it when your "crafty" carries over into your cooking. Those monsters are…umm…adorable?
Kim says
These are some of the cutest things I've seen all season – fabulous job!
Biz says
You are so creative Amanda! Love these – I may steal it for my office party – I am dressing up as Paula Dean!
Hope all is well with you.