These Pumpkin Marshmallow Ghost Brownies are a fun and tasty way to celebrate Halloween. They’re made with pumpkin puree, lots of warming spices, and are topped with fluffy marshmallow ghosts.
These Pumpkin Marshmallow Ghost Brownies are great for celebrating Halloween with kids or friends. They’re filled with tons of cozy spices and lots of pumpkin puree to get you into the fall spirit. Plus, the insides are ultra fudgy and super chocolatey.
The ghosts on top are made with homemade meringue as well as a bit of food coloring for the eyes and mouth. For more brownie recipes, try our Malted Peanut Butter Brownies or these Brown Butter Crinkle Top Brownies.
Ingredient Notes
Below are a few notes about the ingredients. For a full list with measurements, check out the recipe card at the bottom of the post.
- All-Purpose Flour: Use unbleached flour.
- Unsweetened Cocoa Powder: We like to use Dutch-processed because of its more intense chocolate flavor and its darker color.
- Espresso Powder: ½ a teaspoon is enough to deepen the chocolate flavor without the brownies tasting like coffee.
- Fall Spices: We prefer homemade pumpkin spice made with cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, and cloves.
- Unsalted Butter: You’ll need some for the brownies and a little bit more for greasing the pan.
- Dark Chocolate: These brownies have enough sugar in them, so dark chocolate is best. We use 70% dark chocolate since it has a richer flavor.
- Pumpkin Puree: Do NOT use pumpkin pie filling.
- Eggs + Egg White: Set them out 1-2 hours before baking or place them in a bowl of warm water for 5 minutes. No need to do this for the egg white in the meringue.
- Light Brown Sugar: The molasses in the sugar adds a light caramel taste.
- Cream of Tartar: This helps to stabilize the egg whites in the meringue so your marshmallow ghosts will hold up better.
- Black Gel Food Coloring: These are for making the eyes and mouth on the ghosts. You can also use mini chocolate chips.
Special Equipment
- 8×8-inch (20×20 cm) baking pan
- Double boiler or heatproof bowl + a pot
- Electric Mixer – we recommend using a handheld mixer rather than a stand mixer.
- Piping bag with a round tip
Instructions (with photos)
This section is an overview of the recipe with photos to guide you through the steps. Full instructions are in the recipe card below.
How to Make the Brownies
Step 1: Prepare the brownie batter by mixing the wet ingredients together then folding in the dry ingredients with a silicone spatula.
Step 2: Transfer the batter to an 8×8-inch (20×20 cm) baking pan and smooth out the top.
Step 3: Bake for 28-30 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out with a few fudgy crumbs.
Step 4: Cool completely in the pan before adding the marshmallow ghosts (about 1 hour).
How to Make the Marshmallow Ghosts
Step 1: Place the egg white, sugar, and cream of tartar into a bowl. Then place the bowl over a pot filled with two inches of simmering water.
Step 2: Whisk constantly until the sugar has dissolved. An easy way to check is to run a finger through the mixture (careful, it’s hot) and rub your fingers together. If there are no granules, remove it from the heat. You can also use a kitchen thermometer which should read 160°F (71°C).
Step 3: Add the vanilla extract and beat the mixture with an electric mixer until soft glossy peaks form (about 3-4 minutes).
Step 4: Add the homemade marshmallow fluff to a piping bag and pipe little ghosts onto the brownies. Use the gel food coloring to add eyes on top.
Expert Tips
- Use Dutch-processed cocoa powder. It has a much more intense chocolatey flavor and a darker color that makes your desserts look nicer.
- Use 70% dark chocolate. This is what we use for our brownies. It’s bittersweet and anything less than this percentage might make your pumpkin ghost brownies too sweet.
- Don’t over mix your brownie batter. You want to fold in the dry ingredients just until there are no more streaks of flour. Too much mixing will cause them to be cakey rather than fudgy.
Baking in Grams
While we provide cup conversions, we highly recommend using a kitchen scale particularly for baking recipes. Measuring in grams will provide you with more accurate results and a better baked good.
Some ingredients are more forgiving, but flour is one that you need to look out for. It’s extremely easy to overpack your flour when using cups, and doing so can lead to a dry baked good.
If you do use cups, we can’t guarantee the same results and we suggest using the spoon and level method. But as mentioned, grams are more reliable for getting consistent and accurate results.
FAQ
No, we’ve tried these brownies with mini chocolate chips and the marshmallow ghosts still turned out cute!
Run a long knife under hot water then wipe it dry. Slice the brownies and continue running the knife under hot water and wiping it clean after each cut.
Storage
Store these pumpkin marshmallow ghost brownies in an airtight container for up to 3-4 days at room temperature.
Freezing: The brownies can be frozen for up to 1 month (without the topping). Let them thaw completely on the counter before adding the marshmallow ghosts.
Don’t forget to leave a STAR REVIEW and comment if you loved this recipe! Tag us on Instagram @fancifuleats so we can see your tasty creations! For more inspiration, follow us on Pinterest.
📖 Recipe
Pumpkin Marshmallow Ghost Brownies
Equipment
- 8×8-inch (20 cm) Baking Pan
- Electric Hand Mixer
Ingredients
For the Pumpkin Brownies:
- 90 g (¾ cup) all-purpose flour spooned and leveled
- 50 g (½ cup) Dutch-processed cocoa powder spooned and leveled
- ½ tsp espresso powder
- ¼ tsp fine sea salt
- 2 tsp ground cinnamon
- ½ tsp ground ginger
- ¼ tsp ground nutmeg
- ¼ tsp ground cloves
- 113 g (½ cup) unsalted butter cut into pieces
- 120 g (4 oz) 70% dark chocolate broken into pieces
- 300 g (1 ½ cups) light brown sugar packed
- 120 g (½ cup) canned pumpkin puree
- 3 large eggs room temperature
- 2 tsp pure vanilla extract
For the Marshmallow Ghosts:
- 1 large egg white
- 50 g (¼ cup) granulated sugar
- ¼ tsp cream of tartar
- ¼ tsp pure vanilla extract
- Black gel food coloring
Instructions
Pumpkin Brownies:
- Preheat the oven to 350°F (180°C). Grease an 8×8-inch (20×20 cm) baking pan and line with parchment paper leaving a few inches of overhang.
- In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, cocoa powder, espresso powder, salt, cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, and cloves. Set aside.
- In a large heatproof bowl, add the butter and dark chocolate. Heat in the microwave in 30 second intervals, stirring in between. Once the mixture is 80% melted, stir until smooth. The residual heat will melt the rest.
- In the same bowl, add the brown sugar, pumpkin puree, eggs, and vanilla extract. Whisk until fully combined.
- Fold in the flour mixture with a silicone spatula until just combined. Transfer the batter to the prepared baking pan and smooth out the top.
- Bake for 28-30 minutes until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out with a few fudgy crumbs.
- Cool completely in the pan before adding the marshmallow ghosts (about 1 hour).
Marshmallow Ghosts:
- In a large heatproof bowl, add the egg white, sugar, and cream of tartar.
- Place the bowl over a pot filled with two inches of simmering water.
- Whisk constantly until the sugar has dissolved and the mixture is thin and frothy. To test if it’s done, run a finger through the mixture (careful, it’s hot) and rub your fingers together. If there are no granules, it’s done. You can also test with a kitchen thermometer which should read 160°F (71°C).
- Remove the bowl from the heat and add the vanilla extract. Beat the egg whites with an electric hand mixer on high speed for 3-4 minutes or until soft peaks form. The mixture should be thick and glossy.
- Transfer the marshmallow fluff to a piping bag and pipe ghosts onto the cooled brownies. Use the black gel food coloring to create eyes and a mouth.
- Slice into pieces and enjoy!
Notes
- You can use mini chocolate chips instead of food coloring for the eyes and mouth. The surface of the marshmallow ghosts will dry and harden a bit after piping so be sure to put the chocolate chips on while the meringue is still gooey.
- The brownies taste even better the day after! The flavors of the pumpkin puree and spices intensify over time and marry nicely into the chocolate.
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