Halloween Brownies -- A Batch Made for Giving, Because Some Seasons Call for That

Finals week at Scotlandville Magnet and I moved through it with a methodical calm that was the product of two weeks of preparation. I had studied. I had slept. I had eaten properly every morning because Mama would not let me leave the house without something in my stomach, and she was correct about the causal relationship between breakfast and brain function. The tests were hard and I was ready for them to be hard. That is the only honest way to sit a difficult exam.

Biology was first and I finished early enough to go back through every answer twice. Algebra II was the most challenging — there were two problems at the end that required a kind of creative application rather than rote process, and I spent eight minutes on each of them, slower than I wanted but thorough. English was last and was an essay exam: compare two texts, analyze the argument each makes, evaluate which is more persuasive. I love essay exams. I wrote four pages in fifty minutes and felt the particular physical satisfaction of finishing something that used everything I had.

Last day of school before Christmas break was Friday and we had a casual celebration in the common area — people exchanging small gifts, music playing from someone's phone, the relief and lightness of a semester finished. Marcus gave me a book about the chemistry of cooking. Tanya gave me a notebook with a sunset on the cover. I gave them both pralines from my second practice batch, which was better than the first. Tanya ate three at the gift exchange and said they were a form of love. I agreed with that description.

The weekend was full-family mode: Mama put up the Christmas tree Friday night and I helped hang the ornaments while holiday music played and Daddy pretended not to enjoy it and then slowly started singing along. We have had some of these ornaments my entire life. Holding them is like holding time. I love Christmas in a way that is not complicated or ambivalent. I love it simply and completely.

The pralines I gave Marcus and Tanya were from my second practice batch, and they were good — but I knew even as I handed them over that brownies were coming next, because brownies are what I reach for when I want something that travels well and lands with certainty. The holiday break stretched out ahead of me like something I had earned, and the first thing I wanted to do with that freedom was fill the kitchen with chocolate and give the result away. These brownies are what I make for the people who matter during the weeks when mattering feels most urgent.

Halloween Brownies

Prep Time: 15 min | Cook Time: 30 min | Total Time: 45 min | Servings: 24

Ingredients

• 1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter
• 2 cups granulated sugar
• 4 large eggs
• 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
• 1 cup all-purpose flour
• 3/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
• 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
• 1 cup orange and black candy-coated chocolates (such as holiday M&Ms), divided
• 1/2 cup chocolate frosting (store-bought or homemade), for topping
• Festive sprinkles or sanding sugar, for decoration

Instructions

1. Preheat and prep. Preheat oven to 350°F. Grease a 9x13-inch baking pan and line with parchment paper, leaving an overhang on the long sides for easy removal.
2. Melt the butter. In a medium saucepan over low heat, melt the butter completely. Remove from heat and let cool for 5 minutes.
3. Mix wet ingredients. Whisk the sugar into the melted butter until combined. Add eggs one at a time, whisking well after each addition. Stir in the vanilla extract.
4. Add the dry ingredients. Sift the flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, and salt directly into the butter mixture. Fold gently with a spatula until just combined — do not overmix.
5. Fold in chocolate. Stir in the chocolate chips and 3/4 cup of the candy-coated chocolates, reserving the remaining 1/4 cup for topping.
6. Bake. Pour the batter into the prepared pan and spread evenly. Bake for 28 to 32 minutes, until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out with moist crumbs but no raw batter. Do not overbake. Cool completely in the pan on a wire rack.
7. Frost and decorate. Once fully cooled, spread the chocolate frosting in a thin, even layer over the top. Scatter the reserved candy-coated chocolates and festive sprinkles over the frosting before it sets.
8. Cut and serve. Using the parchment overhang, lift the slab from the pan onto a cutting board. Cut into 24 squares. For cleanest cuts, wipe the knife between each slice.

Nutrition (per serving)

Calories: 245 | Protein: 3g | Fat: 12g | Carbs: 34g | Fiber: 2g | Sodium: 85mg