​Halloween Spooky Brownies

​I think brownies are the most delicious chocolate indulgence that can be made. They are
so versatile too in that once you have a basic recipe you can trip the light fantastic with
flavours ingredients and toppings.
This is my basic Brownie recipe used to make a halloween graveyard.
If you are reluctant to use nuts because of allergies then leave them out.

​​Makes 12
Preparation time to toast the nuts 10 minutes. To make the brownies 15 minutes.
Cooking time 20-30 minutes.

Recipe
75g dark chocolate with 70 -75% cocoa solids
2 large eggs beaten 
225g granulated sugar
75g self raising flour 
Optional 
You may wish to leave the nuts out completely and add instead the same quantity of
chocolate chips or chopped chocolate.
125g of pecans toasted ( you may use half pecans and half Brazil nuts, if you live in the
US and can get Trader Joe's candied pecans use those and it will save you toasting the
nuts as they are already toasted) 
2 teaspoons vanilla extract

What you will need
Either a square or a rectangular shallow brownie pan, lined with greased baking
parchment.
A baking sheet to toast the nuts on.
A cake board for setting the brownie on
​
Method
Set the oven at 160C fan, 180-190C, 350-370F, gas 4-5
Place the nuts on a baking tray and spread them out, place in the oven and bake for
approximately 10 minutes to become crisp. Take them out of the oven and roughly chop
them.
Meanwhile place the butter and chocolate in a microwaveable bowl, cut the butter and
chocolate into small pieces so that they melt evenly.
Microwave on medium heat for 1 minute and then remove to stir, repeat this again and it
should be mostly melted (only ever microwave chocolate on low to medium and for one
minute at a time to prevent it from burning).
When the butter and chocolate are melted beat the mixture until smooth then fold in the
other ingredients, blend gently but thoroughly so that you don't knock the air out of the
mixture.
Spread the mixture evenly in the tin.
Place on the middle shelf of the oven and bake for 20-25 minutes, the centre should be
very moist and if you gently shake the tin it should wobble slightly, the brownie mixture will
continue to set out of the oven.
Remove the tin from the oven and allow to cool for 10 minutes. Then place the tin in the
fridge to chill for 2 hours before taking out of the pan.
The brownie will keep well in an airtight tin for a week.

Chocolate Soil
This recipe will make approximately 2 cups of chocolate soil
140 g unsalted butter
80 g caster sugar
200 g cocoa powder
salt (about 1 generous pinch)
45 g egg whites
 
Instructions
Resting time: 1 hour
You will need a silicone mat for this recipe.
1. Mix all the ingredients together to a crumb-like texture in a food processor.
2. Spread the mixture onto a silicon mat and rest for one hour in the fridge.
3. Preheat oven to 160C fan, 180-190C, 350-370F, gas 4-5
 Bake soil for 20 minutes, then remove and allow to cool at room temperature.
Whilst the brownie is chilling you can make the ganache, royal icing, colour the fondant
and pipe on the grave stones.

Ingredients needed to complete the graveyard
2 packets of orange flavoured matchmaker sticks broken into different lengths
A few finger marie biscuits or similar for making as gravestones (penguin biscuits)
250 g white fondant icing for making pumpkins (reserve 50g that can be coloured orange
and a little coloured green for the pumpkin stalks) the rest use to make ghosts.
1 packet of Maltesers
3-4 round wrapped sweetie lollies to shape the ghosts around
1 edible black writing pen

Ganache
200g dark chocolate
300ml double cream

Method
Put the chocolate in a large mixing bowl. Pour the cream into a saucepan and bring to
a simmer, stirring continuously so that it doesn’t burn. Bring to the boil, then
quickly remove from the heat, pour over the chocolate leave for one minute and then whisk until smooth and glossy. Use straight away or leave to cool down a little until thick enough to spread around the sides of the brownie.

Royal icing
I egg white
200g sifted icing sugar
Method
Beat the egg white lightly to break up the structure and then gradually add the icing sugar
to make icing that can be piped.
Colour half black for spiders legs, ghost eyes and mouths
You will need 2 small disposable icing bags placing white in one and black in the other
before cutting off a small snip to create a small piping hole.

How to assemble
 
Place the brownie on a cake board
Spread the sides of the brownie with the ganache, save a little of the ganache to use to
stick items on the graveyard, if it has become hard place in the microwave for bursts of 10
seconds until it is soft enough tho spread.
Stick the matchmakers around the ganache to make an uneven rickety fence.
Scatter the chocolate soil on the top the brownie.
Pipe the letters R I P on a few marie finger biscuits and allow the icing to set before
pushing into the soil.
Scatter a little cornflour on a work surface and roll out the portion of white fondant, using a
3 inch pastry cutter cut out 3 -4 circles and shape into a ghost by placing over o round
wrapped sweet lolly, and shape appropriately then stand around the graveyard. When they
have hardened off pipe on their eyes and mouths or use the edible black pen to draw in
features.
Colour the remaining fondant icing orange for the pumpkins and a little green for their curly
stalks.Shape the pumpkins and place around the grave yard.
Place a little ganache on the brownie and stick 2 Maltesers on the soil to look like a head
and a body of a spider then pipe 8 legs coming from the body. On the head pipe two eyes.
Repeat until you have 3-4 spiders .
​