Next Post
This post may contain affiliate links, please see our privacy policy for details.
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.
Hocus Pocus Spellbook Brownies
Servings: 9 brownies
Calories Per Serving: 563 kcal
Nutritional information is only an estimate. The accuracy of the nutritional information for any recipe on this site is not guaranteed.
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.
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.
Love these!! How did you get the eye candy with the lashes? The ones you linked don’t have them! Or did you draw the lashes on?
Thank you!
Hi Lacey,
Sorry, these are so old I’m no longer able to find them, but you could just draw the lashes on yourself or see if Amazon has them! I hope you love the recipe! xx
Do I have to use the coffee in the recipe or can it be substituted with something else?
Hi Rosemary,
You can simply omit the coffee:) I hope this recipe turns out amazing for you, please let me know if you give it a try! xx
Any tips on how to make these gluten free?! Thanks 🙂
Hi Diana,
You can use an equal amount of gluten free flour, that will work well for you! I hope you love this recipe, please let me know if you give it a try! xx
Coffee simply enhances the chocolate flavor, don’t usually actually taste Coffee in brownies.
I’m not sure why this didn’t work but the brownies stayed in a thick batter state. I live in Washington state if that helps.
Hi Angelina,
So sorry to hear this! Was there anything you may have adjusted in the recipe? Let me know how I can help! xTieghan
This is exactly what happened to me. Did not turn out at all. The batter was so thick, like almost cookie dough density.. still baked it as directed and it came out far to dense. Honestly just had to toss it.
I’m not sure how to get it fluffier and more batter like.
Hi Carly,
Thanks for giving this recipe a try and sharing your feedback, so sorry to hear you had some issues. Was there anything you adjusted in the recipe? Did you mix by hand? Let me know how I can help! xT
Great
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
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 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!
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!
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! 🙂
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!
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! 🙂