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Halloween Peanut Butter Spiderweb Brownies: Easy Crowd-Pleasing Dessert

Halloween Peanut Butter Spiderweb Brownies - featured image
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Rich, fudgy brownies swirled with creamy peanut butter and topped with a ghostly white chocolate spiderweb. An easy, impressive Halloween dessert that comes together in about 45 minutes and tastes even better the next day.

Ingredients

Scale
  • 1 cup (226g) unsalted butter, melted and slightly cooled
  • 2 cups (400g) granulated sugar
  • 4 large eggs, room temperature
  • 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
  • 1 cup (120g) all-purpose flour
  • 3/4 cup (75g) unsweetened cocoa powder
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
  • 1/2 cup (130g) creamy peanut butter
  • 4 oz (113g) cream cheese, softened
  • 1/4 cup (50g) granulated sugar
  • 1 large egg yolk
  • 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • Pinch of salt
  • 1/2 cup (90g) white chocolate chips
  • 2 tablespoons (30g) cream cheese, softened
  • 1/2 cup (60g) powdered sugar, sifted
  • 1–2 tablespoons milk

Instructions

  1. Preheat your oven to 350°F (175°C). Line your 9×13-inch baking pan with parchment paper, leaving some overhang on two sides. Lightly grease the parchment with butter or non-stick spray.
  2. In a large bowl, whisk together the melted butter and granulated sugar until smooth. Add the eggs one at a time, whisking well after each addition. Stir in the vanilla extract.
  3. In a separate medium bowl, whisk together the flour, cocoa powder, salt, and baking powder. Gradually add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients, folding gently with a spatula until just combined. Do not overmix.
  4. Spread the batter evenly into the prepared pan using a spatula.
  5. In a medium bowl, beat the softened cream cheese and peanut butter together with a hand mixer until smooth. Add the sugar, egg yolk, vanilla extract, and pinch of salt. Beat until combined and creamy.
  6. Drop spoonfuls of the peanut butter mixture over the brownie batter (about 8-10 dollops). Using a butter knife or skewer, gently swirl the peanut butter into the brownie batter with a few figure-eight motions. Do not over-swirl.
  7. Bake for 25-28 minutes. The edges should look set and slightly pulling away from the pan, but the center should still look slightly underdone. A toothpick inserted into the center should come out with a few moist crumbs.
  8. Cool completely in the pan on a wire rack for at least 1 hour. For best results, refrigerate for 30 minutes to firm up the peanut butter layer.
  9. In a small microwave-safe bowl, melt the white chocolate chips in 20-second intervals, stirring between each, until smooth. Let cool for 2 minutes.
  10. In a separate bowl, beat the softened cream cheese and powdered sugar until smooth. Stir in the melted white chocolate. Add milk 1 teaspoon at a time until the mixture is thin enough to drizzle but not watery.
  11. Transfer the white chocolate mixture to a piping bag or zip-top bag with a tiny corner snipped off. Pipe a large spiral on top of the cooled brownies, starting from the center and working outward.
  12. Using a toothpick or skewer, drag lines from the center outward through the spiral, like drawing spokes on a wheel. Wipe the toothpick clean between each line.
  13. Let the topping set at room temperature for about 30 minutes, or refrigerate for 15 minutes.
  14. Lift the brownies out using the parchment handles. Place on a cutting board and slice into squares. For clean cuts, wipe the knife clean between each slice.

Notes

For the peanut butter swirl, use a commercial creamy peanut butter (like Jif or Skippy) rather than natural peanut butter that separates. Let the brownies cool completely before adding the spiderweb topping to prevent it from melting. The brownies taste even better the next day—bake them ahead and add the web the morning of your party. For clean slices, refrigerate the brownies for an hour before cutting.

Nutrition

Keywords: Halloween brownies, peanut butter brownies, spiderweb brownies, fudgy brownies, easy Halloween dessert, crowd-pleasing dessert

Find it online: https://coracooks.com/halloween-peanut-butter-spiderweb-brownies-easy-crowd-pleasing-dessert/