(Halloween) Graveyard Brownies
For the perfect, creepy treat, nothing beats Halloween Graveyard Brownies. Whether you’re hosting a party, or just want to get creative in the kitchen with your kids, these easy brownies are sure to be a showstopper.
What Are Graveyard Brownies?
The best part about this dessert is that it contains a lot of store bought, shortcut items to save you time. So it’s truly low effort for a big impact.
Start with a box brownie mix, and enhance it with crushed Oreo cookies for an added layer of chocolatey crunch.
Create a spooky graveyard with chocolate frosting and more crushed Oreos, gummy worms, and decorative grave stones and shovels.
This creative, yet surprisingly easy-to-make treat is sure to make everyone scream with approval. Plus, you can get the whole family involved in the decorating fun.
What ingredients do you need for Graveyard Brownies?
- box brownie mix (I like this one)
- chocolate frosting (I like this one)
- vegetable oil
- eggs
- cooking spray
- Oreo Cookies
- gummy worms
- decorative gravestones (I like these that comes with shovels too)
Where can you find the graveyard decor?
For gravestone cake toppers, try these or these or even make your own out of craft paper and toothpicks.
If you want to add the shovel spoons as well, try these or these or these.
How do you make Graveyard Brownies?
Preheat oven to 325 degrees.
Start by preparing the boxed brownies according to the directions on the package. I use the Duncan Hines Chewy Fudge Brownie mix that called for 2/3 c oil, 2 eggs and 3 T water to be combined with the brownie mix. I use my stand mixer to combine. Once well mixed, set batter aside.
Crush about 30 Oreo sandwich cookies. You will use some in the brownie batter, and some as the “cookie dirt” topping. Place cookies in a Ziplock bag (be sure to seal it), and use the bottom of a drinking glass to smash the cookies into smaller, bits.
Add half of the crushed cookies (approx 1.5 cup) to your brownie batter and stir to combine.
Spray your pan with cooking spray. I like to use a 9 x 13 sided pan as it makes a nice, long space to decorate as a graveyard.
Cook your brownies according to the directions on box. I use a metal pan, so I cook mine at 325 degrees for 24-27 mins. Note: if using a glass pan, cooking time may increase a few mins, so be sure to follow directions accordingly.
You can tell if brownies are fully cooked by inserting a toothpick into the center of them. If the toothpick comes out clean, then the brownies are done. If the toothpick comes out with some batter on it, pop your pan back into oven for a few more mins, and repeat toothpick test.
Let brownies cool before you frost.
I like to use a milk chocolate frosting to cut down on the richness a bit. Spread frosting evenly across top of cooled brownies, I use about 3/4 of the can of frosting.
Using a spoon, sprinkle the remining crushed Oreo cookies over the top of the frosting layer.
Place your gravestones (and shovels if using) into the cookie layer wherever you like. I like to use an odd number as it’s more interesting to the human eye. Tip: if the gravestones sit up too high, snip off the bottom of the cake topper to make them shorter.
Grab your gummy worms and place them in between the tombstones. Vary the direction of them for more interest. I prefer the fall colored gummy worms for a spookier look if you can find them at your grocery store, but rainbow gummy worms or even sour worms work just as well.
Serve these brownies in the pan so guests can see the whole graveyard scene. Let them serve themselves and cut off as much or as little as they’d like.
Alternative Serving Methods
If you’d like to serve the brownies as individual servings, frost the entire tray of brownies and top with the crushed Oreos. Then cut into 12 equal squares.
Place the 12 brownies onto a serving tray and then add a decorative gravestone and/or shovel to each brownie. Top each brownie square with 1-2 gummy worms.
Alternate Topping Method: If you prefer a finer texture to your “cookie dirt” topping, use a food processor to crush 15-20 cookies. Pulse them until you reach your desired texture. Note that you will still want the cookies that you put into the batter to be chunkier, so use the Ziplock method for the 15 cookies you add to batter.
FAQ’s
I typically cut 12 large brownies from a 9×13 pan. If you want smaller brownies, you can cut 24.
Sure! Simply spray a muffin tin with cooking spray before adding brownie batter to the cups and you can skip muffin liners. Fill cup half full with batter. Bake time will vary depending on the size of your muffin cups. Start by baking brownies for 12-15 mins and give them the toothpick test. Decorate individual brownie bites with frosting, crushed Oreos, candy worms, and gravestones.
Stored in an airtight container, brownies will last 4-5 days.
Bonus Recipes
Looking for more Halloween dessert ideas? Try (shortcut) Frankenstein Cake Pops or Oreo Spider Cookies
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(Halloween) Graveyard Brownies
Equipment
- 1 large bowl
- 1 electric mixer or stand mixer
- 1 9×13 baking pan
- 1 Ziplock bag
- 1 heavy drinking glass
- 1 knife or frosting tool
- 1 spatula
Ingredients
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 325 degrees
- Start by preparing the boxed brownies according to the directions on the package. I use the Duncan Hines Chewy Fudge Brownie mix that called for 2/3 c oil, 2 eggs and 3 T water to be combined with the brownie mix. Use mixer to combine. Once well mixed, set batter aside.
- Crush about 30 Oreo sandwich cookies. You will use some in the brownie batter, and some as the "cookie dirt" topping. Place cookies in a Ziplock bag (be sure to seal it), and use the bottom of a heavy drinking glass to smash the cookies into smaller, bits.
- Add half of the crushed cookies (approx 1.5 cup) to your brownie batter and stir to combine.
- Spray your pan with cooking spray. I like to use a 9 x 13 sided pan as it makes a nice, long space to decorate as a graveyard.
- Cook your brownies according to the directions on box. I use a metal pan, so I cook mine at 325 degrees for 24-27 mins. Note: if using a glass pan, cooking time may increase a few mins, so be sure to follow directions accordingly.
- You can tell if brownies are fully cooked by inserting a toothpick into the center of them. If the toothpick comes out clean, then the brownies are done. If the toothpick comes out with some batter on it, pop your pan back into oven for a few more mins, and repeat toothpick test. Let brownies cool before you frost.
- Spread chocolate frosting evenly across top of cooled brownies, I use about 3/4 of the can of frosting. Using a spoon, sprinkle the remining crushed Oreo cookies over the top of the frosting layer.
- Place your gravestones into the cookie layer wherever you like. I like to use an odd number as it's more interesting to the human eye. Tip: if the gravestones sit up too high, snip off the bottom of the cake topper to make them shorter.
- Grab your gummy worms and place them in between the tombstones. Vary the direction of them for more interest.
- I like to serve these brownies in the pan so my guests can see the whole graveyard scene. I let them serve themselves and cut off as much or as little as they'd like.
Notes
Nutrition
