Spider Web Brownies

Recipe by Susan Reid
13 Reviews 4.7 out of 5 stars

We've taken one of our favorite rich, chocolatey brownie recipes and dressed it up for Halloween. With just a few simple steps, you’ll create a striking spiderweb design that's as festive as it is delicious. These spider web brownies are a guaranteed hit at Halloween parties, bake sales, or spooky movie nights — perfect for sharing with little ghosts, goblins, superheroes, and all the costumed characters who come knocking. Make them from scratch using our Fudge Brownies recipe or take a shortcut with our All-American Fudge Brownie Mix.

Prep
18 mins
Bake
28 to 30 mins
Total
46 mins
Yield
2 dozen small (2") or 1 dozen large brownies
Spider Web Brownies - select to zoom
Spider Web Brownies - select to zoom
Spider Web Brownies - select to zoom

Instructions

Prevent your screen from going dark as you follow along.

  1. Prepare the brownie recipe as instructed and spread the batter in a greased 9" x 13" pan, or two 8" round pans. Preheat the oven to 350°F.

  2. Combine the cream cheese, sugar and flour in a small bowl, and mix until smooth. Add the egg yolk and optional peppermint extract, mixing until smooth once again. Transfer the mixture to a disposable pastry bag, and cut just the very tip off the end.

  3. Place a small pool of the mixture slightly off-center in the brownie batter. Draw circles around this pool about 1" apart, moving out from the center each time. Once the circles are drawn, take a table knife, wet the tip, and draw it from the center out towards the edge. The knife will draw the cream cheese filling into arcs. Repeat this motion every 1" to 2" to fill in the rest of the spider web.

  4. Use any remaining filling to trace the path where the knife traveled, to create the spokes of the web, if desired.

  5. Bake the brownies for 30 minutes, until the brownies just barely pull away from the edge of the pan. The center will rise while baking, but will sink back level once the brownies are cool. Remove them from the oven and cool before cutting.

  6. Store any leftover spider web brownies, well-wrapped, at room temperature for 5 to 6 days. Freeze for longer storage.

Tips from our Bakers

  • Make sure your cream cheese is soft (room temperature) before you use it; using ice-cold cream cheese can produce a lumpy filling.

  • To make these Spider Web Brownies using our All-American Fudge Brownie Mix: Prepare the mix according to the instructions on the package, then transfer the batter to a greased 9" x 13" pan (instead of an 8" square). Construct the spider web as outlined in steps 2 through 4 above. Bake the brownies at 325°F for 28 to 32 minutes, until a toothpick or thin knife inserted into the center comes out with a few moist crumbs (for fudgy brownies) or clean (for cakey brownies). Let cool completely in the pan.

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