These cute and spooky ghost brownies are made with a decadent fudge brownie base and homemade marshmallow piped on to make ghouls and ghosts for Halloween!
Why this recipe works
Ghost brownies are such an easy recipe to impress your guests with this Halloween. We’re taking our favorite rich and chewy fudge brownie recipe and adding some adorable piped marshmallow ghosts on top!
Just wait and see how simple it is to make your own marshmallow ghosts, you’ll be adding them onto cupcakes, cakes, and whatever else you can get your hands on in no time.
Ingredients you will need
Get all measurements, ingredients, and instructions in the printable version at the end of this post.
Ingredient Info and Substitution Suggestions
BROWNIE – I highly suggest you use our fudge brownie recipe for this. They’re chewy, fudgy, and by far our favorite brownie recipe. You could also use a boxed brownie mix to save on time if you’d like.
GHOSTS – There are a few ways to do this. We will be showing you how to make a homemade pipable marshmallow using gelatin, water, and sugar. So easy! Otherwise, you can add marshmallow fluff to a piping bag or large Ziploc bag with the tip cut off, and pipe them on this way. Or, you can take whole marshmallows and melt them in the microwave with a bit of water (2-3 Tablespoons), checking every 10 seconds, stirring well once melted. Add the melted marshmallows to a piping bag and pipe right away. If you’re comfortable making meringue, you could also make the ghosts out of it. They’d be super cute with a bit of browning on top!
How to Make Ghost Brownies
These step by step photos and instructions are here to help you visualize how to make this recipe. You can Jump to Recipe to get the printable version of this recipe, complete with measurements and instructions at the bottom.
- Add the gelatin along with the cold water to a bowl. Set aside.
- Mix together the sugar and water in a saucepan over medium-high heat stirring until the sugar dissolves and the water starts to boil. Once boiling, stop stirring. Allow the sugar mixture to boil until the temperature reaches 238F on a candy thermometer.
- Combine the gelatin with the sugar using a hand mixer set to medium for 3 minutes. After 3 minutes, up the speed to high and beat until soft peaks form.
- Add the marshmallow to a piping bag and pipe straight onto the cooled brownies.
- Use a heavy squeeze towards the top of the ghost, then taper off and pull the marshmallow downward to create the “ghost” shape. Pipe on black gel icing for the eyes and mouths. Allow the ghosts to set for 1-2 hours before slicing.
Frequently Asked Questions & Expert Tips
It’s up to you whether you want to cut the brownies before or after. Cutting them beforehand will make the ghosts presentable for longer as you won’t be slicing right into them, but they will become disfigured one way or another after pulling them apart or slicing through them. Either way, they’re still cute and still delicious!
If you’d prefer to make the ghosts from premade marshmallow fluff, that’s totally okay. Add the marshmallow fluff to a piping bag and carefully pipe them onto the brownies. As mentioned above, you could also make the ghosts out of meringue. Instead of black icing gel, try mini chocolate chips or M&M’s for the eyes.
Yes, you can make the brownies one day in advance. Store them in an air-tight container kept at room temperature until ready to serve.
Serving Suggestions
Ghost brownies will fit right in on your Halloween party food table. See our Halloween Food Ideas for more appetizers and treats to serve these brownies with!
More Halloween Recipes
- Mummy Meatloaf
- Witch Finger Cookies
- Halloween Candy Apples
- Jalapeno Popper Mummies
- Roasted Halloween Vegetables
- Vampire Sandwich Cookies
- Marshmallow Frankensteins
- Frankenstein Rice Krispie Treats
- Frankenstein Margarita
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Ghost 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
Fudge Brownies
- ¾ cup unsalted butter melted
- ⅔ cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
- 3 large eggs
- ½ cup unsweetened cocoa powder
- 1 ½ cups granulated sugar
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- ⅞ cup all-purpose flour 1 cup minus 2 tablespoons
Marshmallow Ghosts
- 1 ¼ tsp unflavored gelatin
- ½ cup granulated sugar
- black gel icing
- ¼ cup cold water to be added to gelatin
- ¼ cup water to be mixed with sugar
Things You’ll Need
Before You Begin
- Don’t over mix the batter for the brownies. Use a wooden spoon instead of a hand mixer and only stir until all dry traces are gone.
- Ovens may vary, so use the toothpick test in the middle after 30 minutes.
- You may want to wipe the saucepan down while dissolving the sugar in the water so crystals don’t form.
Instructions
To Make The Brownies
- Preheat oven to 350 F and line a 9×9 baking pan with parchment paper. Allow parchment to hang over the side to use as handles later.
- Pour melted butter over chocolate chips in a bowl and allow to sit for a minute to soften chocolate. Stir with wooden spoon.
- Add eggs, cocoa, sugar and vanilla and stir.
- Stir in the flour just until no more traces of flour remain. Do not overmix.
- Scrape the batter into the prepared pan. Bake for 30 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.
- Allow brownies to cool in pan for at least five minutes. Use the parchment handles to lift the brownies out and onto a cooling rack. Allow to cool completely before piping on the marshmallow ghosts.
To Make The Ghosts
- Add the gelatin along with the cold water to a bowl. Set aside.
- Mix together the sugar and water in a saucepan over medium-high heat stirring until the sugar dissolves and the water starts to boil. Once boiling, stop stirring. Allow the sugar mixture to boil until the temperature reaches 238F on a candy thermometer.
- Combine the gelatin with the sugar using a hand mixer set to medium for 3 minutes. After 3 minutes, up the speed to high and mix until soft peaks form.
- Add the marshmallow to a piping bag and pipe straight onto the cooled brownies. Use a heavy squeeze towards the top of the ghost, then taper off and pull the marshmallow downward to create the “ghost” shape. Pipe on black gel icing for the eyes and mouths.
- Allow the ghosts to set for 1-2 hours before slicing.
Nutrition
This cute marshmallow ghost recipe and inspiration comes from Country Living.
Amanda Davis
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Shelley says
I love your Halloween recipes! They are so cute. I haven’t tried them yet.