Hocus Pocus Spellbook Brownies.
I can’t tell you how excited I am to be finally sharing these Hocus Pocus Spellbook Brownies.
If you guys haven’t already noticed, I kind of have a thing for Halloween. Something about Halloween just makes me feel like a kid again, and I love that! In real life I’m a little too focused, a little too serious, and sometimes I just need to like, relax and have fun. Halloween (and really holidays) always take me back to my younger self.
Plus, who could not love a day devoted to dressing up and eating candy?
It’s genius.
Now that I’m older, and probably haven’t dressed up for Halloween since I was in sixth grade, I’ve found other ways to enjoy the holiday. One of my favorite things to do is to create “spooky” recipes…and apparently cocktails too. I have so much fun with it, like so much. It’s so dorky, but I just can’t help loving it.
A couple of weeks back, little Asher was over one night just chatting my ear off like she often does…
I was watching her for a bit and we decided to kill time by browsing through Pinterest and brainstorming Halloween recipe ideas. If there’s one thing I’ve passed down to Asher, it’s a love for holidays. In fact, the girl might just love them more than me. And Halloween…she LOVES it. She’ll start watching Halloween movies mid July. Her favorites are Harry Potter (obviously), all the Halloweentown movies (I used to love these as a kid…still do actually), Twitches, and Hocus Pocus.
I turned her onto Hocus Pocus last October, and she has been obsessed with it ever since. So when we came across a few Hocus Pocus inspired desserts, she declared that I HAD to recreate the Hocus Pocus Spellbook, but in dessert form.
So you have Asher to thank for theses delicious and extra cute brownies.
For real though, aren’t they adorable? I couldn’t believe how well they turned out for how easy they were to make. Typically I’ll find that creating holiday desserts are kind of a “pull your hair out” task, but these brownies are easy. Trust me, you can easily make them. then you and any kids you can round up will have a ton of fun decorating the “books”!
Start out by making a batch of my favorite one bowl brownies. Cut the brownies into nine squares, dip through chocolate, add a jumbo candy eye, and then decorate with some lines of frosting.
Simple as that.
A little tip? I like to freeze the brownies for a bit to make dipping them through the chocolate a faster and easier process. Working with a cold brownie allows the chocolate to harden faster.
Also? Instead of black food dye for the frosting, I like use activated charcoal so I can stay away from the store-bought food dyes (they freak me out).
And? I used jumbo candy eyes, which I bought via Amazon since I have not seen them in the grocery stores or at Target, at least not where I live. The smaller candy eyes will work, but I love the jumbo ones. They made the books look so similar to the one used in Hocus Pocus.
The best part? Even though these brownies are cute, they also taste delicious! What could not be good about a chocolate covered brownie?
It’s almost too good.
Thinking our weekend plans need to include a round of brownie baking and decorating…followed by a marathon Halloween movie night.
Sounds pretty amazing to me…who’s in?
On thing though, brownie making must come before movies. I mean all good movie marathon nights need a yummy snack…of course.
Nutritional information is only an estimate. The accuracy of the nutritional information for any recipe on this site is not guaranteed.
Hocus Pocus Spellbook Brownies
By halfbakedharvest
Course: Dessert
Cuisine: American
Keyword: chocolate brownies, halloween brownies
Start out by making a batch of my favorite one bowl brownies. Cut the brownies into nine squares, dip through chocolate, add a jumbo candy eye, and then decorate with some lines of frosting. Simple as that.
Ingredients
- 1 stick (1/2 cup) salted butter, melted
- 3/4 cup granulated sugar
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 2 large eggs
- 3/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
- 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
- 1 tablespoon instant coffee granules
- 1/3 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips (optional)
- 16 ounces semi-sweet or milk chocolate, chopped
- 1 tablespoon coconut oil
- 1/2 cup powdered sugar
- 1-2 teaspoons activated charcoal or black food dye
- large candy eyes, for decorating
Instructions
-
1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Line an 8x8 inch baking dish with parchment paper.
2. In a medium bowl, mix together the butter, sugar, vanilla, and eggs until combined. Add the cocoa powder, flour, and coffee and stir until just combined. Stir in the chocolate chips, if using. Spread the batter evenly into the prepared pan. Transfer to the oven and bake for 20-25 minutes or until the brownies are just set. Let cool and then cut into 9 bars. Freeze for 15 minutes.
3. Meanwhile, in a microwave safe bowl, combine the chocolate and coconut oil. Microwave on high for 30 second intervals, stirring after each interval until melted. Let cool 10 minutes. Dip each frozen brownie into the melted chocolate, using a fork to toss the brownie in the chocolate to coat. Remove and allow any excess chocolate to drip back into the bowl. Place on a parchment lined cookie sheet. Repeat with the remaining brownies. Freeze for 10 minutes.
4. In a small bowl, mix together the powdered sugar, black dye (or charcoal), and 1 tablespoon water until combined, adding water if needed to thin. Add the frosting to a ziplock bag and snip a small portion of the corner off the bag. Remove the brownies from the freezer. Add a dot of frosting to each brownie and attach a candy eye. Decorate the spell books as desired. Let the frosting dry and then serve, or keep in and airtight container in a cool place for up to 4 days.
Recipe Notes
*Inspired by Delish.
ps. look really close at that photo up there…something is lurking in the distance…when witches are around a black cat is always sure to follow.
These look amazing, and I’m so jealous you can get those candy eyes! I’m all over the place at the moment so mail order is not an option, whatever kitchen I put together my Halloween treats in this year I’m going to have to pipe my own!
Thank you so much Rachel! I am so glad you like these!
AHHHH I love Hocus Pocus! These brownies are perfect.
Me too! Thank you Liz!
THey’re really really cute, and they look very delicious!!
https://bloglairdutemps.blogspot.pt/
Thank you Ruth!!
Oh my gosh Tieghan. You make the most awesome Halloween themed treats! These look so cute. And your brownie recipes never disappoint! Happy Friday!
Thank you Leanne!!
These are adorable!! Love this idea 🙂
Thank you Kristen!
You never cease to amaze me with your creativity! These are way too cute! Seriously amazing. My kids would love this, perfect for Halloween parties, they’re sure to be the talk of the classrooms too!
Thank you Neyssa! I hope you love these!
Tieghan, these are super cute. I love them! I’ve never made any Halloween recipes for my blog but this year I made three for a freelance job and my kids were beside themselves!
I bet! I am loving the Halloween recipes! Thank you Julia!
BoooooOOOOK! Omg I love these so much. Now I need to go watch the movie. You always have the cutest ideas!!
Awh thank you Morgan! So happy you’re loving these!
You are the patron goddess of Halloween desserts!! I’m still in awe of your butterbeer cake masterpiece last year. And these look amazing too!
Thank you Molly! Just love Halloween haha! I hope you love these!
how did you get the eyelashes on the eyes? The jumbo eyes linked don’t look quite like the ones you used. Did you use an edible pen?
Hi Brittany, sadly the eyes I bought seem to be sold out. Mine had lashes on them. I think an edible pen would work great however. Let me know if you have questions and I hope you love recipe! 🙂
What a clever idea!
Thank you!
Not seeing chocolate chips in the ingredient list, Teagan…???
Sorry about that. recipe is fixed. Let me know if you have questions and I hope you love recipe! 🙂
Omg these are so cute. I think you do Halloween right. Some of the Halloween treats out there are a bit too literal for me. I prefer the types of treats you make haha.
Thank you Natasha! So happy you love my Halloween treat ideas!
Too Cute!! Instead of charcoal for the darker color, how about using really dark chocolate, melted? Love a simple idea that looks like it took a lot of time but didn’t.
Hey Penny! Dark chocolate is a great idea and sounds delicious! Let me know if you have questions. Hope you love this recipe! 🙂
Omg! I love these so much! I can practically hear Winnie singing, “Boooook!”
haha yes! Thank you Jenna!
Omg these are so much fun! Love it!
Thank you Alex!
Eeeeeeek I love these. One of my all time favorite Halloween Classics. Going to have to make these this week I think. ??
Yay! I hope these turn out awesome and you love them! Thank you Morgan!
If you post a picture don’t forget to tag me so I can see it! ?
Omg, Girl! You totally just made my day with these!!!
Thank you Tori!
Honestly I think I would just use dark chocolate for the drizzle rather than frosting. Plus that way, if you’re wary of such things, you avoid food dyes.
That sounds great too! Hope you love these Kacie!
These are too cute! I love them!
Thank you Amy!
Hey Tieghan,
These loook really lovely and I like the idea of making brownie spell books for a Halloween movie marathon. Haha I also still enjoy those movies and agree they bring out the spirit of Halloween (with the help of some baked goods ?). I’m looking forward to more Halloween recipes! Ps) I like your new email newsletter format. I think it looks really nice. ☺️??
Thank you Krisin! So glad you like these brownies ? Oh, and so glad you like the new format!!
Cuteness overload!! These just blew my mind! Haven’t seen something this adorable for a very log time. They are too gorgeous to eat.. but not really, I can imaine I would eat the whole batch in one sitting.
Looking forward to more Halloween recipes!
Have a wonderful day,
best wishes,
||Jar||
Haha it is hard not to eat them all! Thank you, I hope you love these!
Oh my goodness Tieghan these are AMAZING!!! Hocus Pocus is probably my favorite Halloween movie, so you can just imagine how much I love these! Not only do they look fabulous, but they sound delicious too! 🙂 Awesome work!!
Yes, Hocus Pocus is one of the bests! I hope you love these Alia! Thank you!
yes they are adorable, nice tip too about freezing them for easier decoration, great idea, and thank you for this!
Thank Sabrina! I hope these turn out great for you!
These are adorable! Thank you little Miss Asher. I bet you guys had a great time creating the recipe and making them together. So fun!
Yes! It was so much fun. Thank you Mary Ann!
These are SO cute, Tieghan! Hocus Pocus is the best Halloween movie!
Thank you Kelly!
I can’t wait to try this recipe! It would be super helpful if the ingredients were measured in grams in addition to the cups measurements… it’s way easier and requires less clean up!
Hey Lou!
Here in the US we use all measurements in cups.. Sorry about that!
Absolutely awesome!! Love these!! So creative and fun and amazing photography as usual!! You’re such an inspiration to me Tieghan! I love every post and look forward to getting them every day!!…
This is so sweet! Thank you, I am so glad you enjoy my blog! ?
Love these!! Is it possible to use melted chocolate chips to use to dip the brownies in?
Yes, melted chocolate chips will be great! Please let me know if you have any other questions. Hope you love this recipe! 🙂
Wow!!!! This was a big hit! Yes Made for our movie night & yes we watched Hocus Pocus, a favorite of ours. Kids Loved This!!! Instead of individual brownies , made one big one LOL! I found chocolate foil covered eye balls, once brownie was done and cooled i scooped out eye socket & put one in, then covered brownie with chocolate around eye, great tip on the freezer thing. And because i didnt’ coat each individual square & made one big one instead i had left over melted chocolate. so added black food coloring to this and piped decoration/ designs with this, added some sprinkles, let set in fridge day before & then we ate the Boo-oook! on movie night. LOL!!!
Great recipe, will make again.
Thank you!!!
That sounds so amazing Karen! Love that you made one big brownie! Thank you!
What if the brownies have been in the freezer longer? …like overnight? Do I need to defrost them at all or will they be OK? Will the dipping chocolate sweat with them being so cold? They taste really good, but fell apart when I tried to turn them out of the pan. I cut them, then put in the freezer yesterday. I knew I didn’t have time to do the decorating until tonight.
HI Maggie! I think they should be just fine and dipping will be easier. Please let me know if you have other questions. Hope you love this recipe. Thank you! 🙂
Halloween is my FAVORITE holiday, so when I needed to make dessert to bring to a friends and I searched Halloween on your blog I found this. They are delicious!! And they turned out really cute! Thanks for the recipe!
I love Halloween as well! I am so glad these turned out great for you and you liked them!! Thank you Laura!
Can I sub espresso powder for the instant coffee?
Yes, that will be great! Please let me know if you have other questions. Hope you love this recipe! Thanks! 🙂
We made these for our Halloween party, and loved them! Not only were they very tasty and beautiful, but fun to make! These bridged the gap between brownie and candy bar, perfect for Halloween. I made them the day ahead, and they kept beautifully in the fridge in a covered pan. Note to bakers: if your room is warm, don’t leave them out or they will get melty. Just eat right out of the refrigerator, they will not be hard to bite.
I must also thank you, Tieghan, for inspiring the theme of my party with these little babies. I saw the recipe in summer, I ordered the eyes in August I think, and I planned a “witch” themed party — just because of this post. The beauty of the photos and fun they evoke is bewitching.
That sounds like an amazing party and I am so glad these brownies were a hit for you! Thank you so much Julie for making this and for your helpful tips for others!
I forgot to mention we cracked up at having actual “eye candy” on the food table. ha!
Haha I love that! I am so glad you enjoyed these, Julie!
Your recipe ingredients note 1-2 tablespoons of coffee, but you say you used two teaspoons in the directions – I was wondering if it’s teaspoons or tablespoons? Thank you!
Hi Erin! I would use 1 tablespoon coffee. Recipe fixed! Please let me know if you have any other questions. I hope you love this recipe! Thank you! xTieghan
I made these for Halloween because they were so cute in the pictures. They are delicious, too. Such a fun way to kick off the holiday season.
Thank you so much Reba! I am really glad this recipe turned out so well for you! xTieghan