Made with two-bite brownies, some chocolate frosting and a few decorations, these spider brownies come together quickly and easily. These adorable little guys will be the hit of the Halloween table.
This post and recipe was created for #HalloweenTreatsWeek! This event is being sponsored by Dixie Crystals. As always, all opinions and thoughts are 100% my own
OK, normally, I do not like spiders. I see one and I run for the hills. But these spider brownie bites are just so cute they almost have me changing my mind about the 8-legged creatures.
I love brownies and I knew that I needed to find a way to work them into this Halloween event.
These cute little critters are actually super easy to make, you just need some two-bite brownies, a tub of frosting and a few other items to decorate them.
You can make the brownies yourself or stop by Costco for a tub of ready-made two-bite brownies.
These were so much fun to decorate and I loved seeing them come to life. They seem to have personality and I almost felt bad eating them. Almost.
Why this recipe works
This is a super easy recipe that can be done with either homemade components or a few store-bought ingredients.
Decorating these two-bite brownies doesn’t take long, there is no special technique you need to worry about, and they turn out super cute.
You can have a platter of these put together in about an hour and everyone will love them.
Ingredients
- Two-Bite Brownies – You can buy a tub of two-bite brownies from the grocery store or you can make your own. I made my own using the brownie portion of the recipe in my brookie recipe. If you want to do this I suggest using a silicone mini-muffin pan and bake for about 18 minutes.
- Chocolate frosting – I just purchased a tub of chocolate whipped frosting, but if you want to make your own you can use the frosting recipe from these Jack-O-Lantern cake pops or your favourite chocolate frosting recipe. You can use just a bit of frosting or go as crazy as you like.
- Mini pretzel twists – These become the legs. Mini pretzels work best, but if you want giant legs you can use the regular size pretzels.
- Candy eyes – These can usually be found near the cake decorating supplies. If you can’t find them then M&Ms or Reese’s Pieces would be a great choice.
- Sprinkles – Optional, but I felt they really finished these spiders off nicely.
If you are looking for a recipe to use the discarded pretzel pieces, why not try this awesome Chicken Parmesan that is coated in crushed pretzels, or these pretty Strawberry pretzel parfaits!
Step by Step Instructions
You can use store bought brownies or make your own. If making your own you will want to cool them completely before decorating.
You can also get the pretzels ready before you start. Carefully break off the rounded part of the pretzel twists, these will become the legs. You will need enough for 8 per spider.
Now you can begin decorating.
One – Frost the sides and top of the brownie. You want the wide part of the brownie facing down.
Two – Dip one end of each pretzel piece in the frosting just to get a little blob of frosting on it, then press the frosted end of the pretzel to the frosted brownie. You want to do this 8 times for each spider to make the legs.
Three – Place two eyes on each spider and sprinkle the top with chocolate sprinkles.
The legs on the spiders will feel a bit delicate at first, but once the frosting has had a chance to set they will feel more secure. Just don’t be too rough when moving them around.
Expert Tip – I found it easier to attach two legs at a time, one on each side of the spider. Then I could gently press from both sides helping the pretzels to grab on to the brownie a bit.
FAQs
If your frosting isn’t spreading, first make sure it is at room temperature. Cold frosting will not spread well. Also, if you are using frosting that has been in the fridge for a while it will sometimes tighten up. You can add a teaspoon or two of milk or cream and beat it until it fluffs up again.
The brownies themselves will freeze very well, even with the frosting. However, the pretzel legs will become a bit stale in the freezer. If you want to freeze these I would suggest freezing them before you add the legs if you can.
Related Recipes
Recipe
Spider Brownie Bites
Ingredients
- 24 Two bite brownies Store bought or homemade
- 1-2 Cups Chocolate frosting Store bought or homemade
- 48 Candy eyes
- 96 Mini pretzel twists
- 1/4 Cup Chocolate sprinkles
Instructions
- If you are baking your own brownies bake them then let them cool completely before you start assembling your spiders.
- Break off the curved edges of the pretzels until you have enough for 8 legs per spider. You can use a sharp knife as well, but I found it easier to just snap them off.Reserve the remaing parts of the pretzels to snack on, or you can store them in sealed bags and use them for other baking projects.
- With the wide side of the brownie facing down, frost the sides and top of each brownie.
- Dip one end of each pretzel piece into the frosting so you have a little blob at the end, then stick these to the frosted brownies for 8 legs.
- Gently press two eyes onto each brownie.
- Add some chocolte sprinkle to the top of each brownie.
- Carefully move to a serving platter. The legs may seem a bit delicate at first, but as the frosting sets they should hold.
Notes
- If you are making your own two-bite brownies I found baking them in silicone mini-muffin tins worked best. You can use the brownie portion of my brookie recipe which will yield 24 two-bite brownies. Bake for approximately 18 minutes and allow to cool completely before removing from the muffin pan.
Nutrition
Nutritional information is based on third-party calculations and should be considered estimates. Actual nutritional content will vary with brands used, measuring methods, portion sizes and more.