I needed to come up with an easy Halloween dessert to make for a party. I looked through all of my cookie cutters and cake pans and other miscellaneous gadgets, and happened upon a bag of Halloween themed cookie cutters. I already had a cookie recipe planned for the party, so I didn’t want another. I noticed that the coffin shaped cutter was simple enough that it would be perfect for brownies. An idea was born… Coffin Brownies!
Well… sort of. In all fairness, I have to give Martha Stewart credit for planting a seed in the back of my brain many years ago. She had made a chocolate coffin cake which was featured in one of her Halloween magazines. As soon as I thought of the coffin brownies, her cake came to mind, and I was inspired.
I wanted a dark chocolate brownie with silver or white coffin details. Surprisingly, in the few stores I visited I could not find any silver nonpareils, so I decided to stick with white. I bought various sizes and textures of white nonpareils… my thought was to use them as either borders or to mimic the look of coffin nails. I also bought some white icing writers, and several candy molds. Interestingly, I remembered Martha’s cake having a fleur de lis, so when I saw a fleur de lis candy mold, naturally I had to get it. I also picked up a mold of crosses which seemed to be a natural fit for coffins, as well as an alphabet mold. I wish I could have found a skull & crossbones candy mold, but I ran out of time to order one. Next time!
I made all of my candy molds ahead of time. I melted white chocolate to fill the molds. Tip – Ensure the chocolate is melted enough to really seep into the fine details of the molds. Once full, I like to put my trays in the freezer… the chocolate hardens quicker. Then pop each chocolate out of the trays, being careful not to break them. I made several batches to ensure I’d have enough to work with once the brownies were ready, and transferred all of my shapes and letters to the freezer. I’m a firm believer in doing anything you can in advance!
Once the brownies were baked, and cut into coffin shapes, I found that adding the details did not go as smoothly as I had pictured in my head. It slipped my mind that brownies develop a bit of a crust along the surface when baked. It was impossible to use a cookie cutter AND add edible details while keeping a smooth finish. That drove the perfectionist in me completely insane, and I almost tossed the whole tray of brownies in the trash. I did find that warming the brownies up slightly before working with the details helped immensely! The thin crust was more malleable when warm, and the hint of heat melted the base of the chocolate just enough to adhere to the brownie. The imperfections of the brownies eventually grew on me. After all, I doubt old coffins are pristine!
What you’ll need to make these Coffin Brownies:
- Coffin Cookie Cutter
- Tray of Brownies
- White Nonpareils
- Candy Molds
- White Chocolate Chips or Baking Bars
- White Icing Writer
Make white chocolate candy molds, and freeze
Bake Brownies
Using the cookie cutter, cut the brownies into coffin shapes.
Decorate each brownie with the nonpareils, icing, and chocolate candy molds.
Have a thing for coffins? Me too. You’ll love this Vampire Place Setting I created using Coffin Box Place Card Holders. And if you really want to stick with a “burial” theme, serve these Pimento Cheese Stuffed Tombstones and this Embalming Fluid Punch to your Halloween guests!
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