Let's get spooky with these gluten free halloween brownies! They're rich and fudgy with a dairy free chocolate ganache icing on top and almond butter drizzle. Decorated with Oreo bats and full and half moons for a super spooky scenery!
This Spooky Gluten free Bat Brownies recipe is sponsored by King Arthur. As always, all thoughts are my own. Thank you so much for supporting brands that make The Fit Peach possible!
Okay, so I'm not one for super spooky Halloween decorations. I like to keep it fairly simple and classic with the typical suspects - a pumpkin here or there and maybe a few bats or spiders mixed in.
When it comes to Halloween treats, I'm no different. I want my desserts to be just festive enough to be fun but not SO over the top that they're kinda off-putting. I know you know what I mean.
Thus, these cute fudgy bat brownies were born! They're simple and festive and perfect or any Halloween party.
If you love brownies like me, you'll love my paleo brownies and paleo brownie cookies. Try my spider cookies for more Halloween fun!
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Recipe characteristics
- Dietary features - gluten free and dairy free.
- Nut free options
- Easy to decorate
Ingredients
- King Arthur Gluten free Brownie Mix - This is the best gluten free brownie mix (IMO). The brownies are SO fudgy with a deep chocolate flavor. You'll forget they're gluten free!
- Coconut oil - Any oil will work or butter (use vegan butter if needed). Make sure it's melted.
- Chocolate chips - Used for the chocolate ganache. Use dairy free chocolate chips to make this recipe dairy free.
- Coconut milk - This goes into the chocolate ganache. Make sure to use full fat coconut milk. No, the brownies won't taste like coconut.
- Almond butter - For the drizzle on top. Any nut butter will work. Substitute with sunflower butter to make these nut free!
- Gluten free Oreos - Yes, they exist! These are used to make the bats on top. You don't need double stuffed Oreos or this since you primarily need the cookie part. Any chocolate cookie will work though.
Step by step directions
These spooky brownies are so incredibly easy to make. All you need is a mixing bowl, a square baking pan, a pot for the ganache, and a pipping bag or zip lock bag for the drizzle.
Step 1 : Prepare the brownies
First, prepare the boxed brownie mix as directed. The King Arthur gluten free brownie mix is a breeze to make. Simply whisk together the eggs, coconut oil, and water. Then fold in the dry ingredients until no flour clumps remain. The batter will be slightly thick which is a good thing - that means extra fudgy brownies!
Bake in the oven until crinkly on top. Set aside to cool while you prepare the ganache.
Step 2 : Prepare the chocolate ganache
In a pot, heat the coconut milk and chocolate over medium low heat. Stir continuously until the chocolate is melted and the mixture is smooth. Make sure to keep an eye on it and don't leave it on the stove for too long to prevent burning the chocolate.
Keep the brownies in the pan and pour the ganache over top. Use an uneven spatula or the back of a spoon to spread the ganache evenly over the top of the brownies. Leave a little bit of room around the sides.
Transfer the pan to the freezer for at least 30 minutes to chill. The ganache will solidify when chilled.
Step 3 : Make the almond butter icing
While the brownies are chilling, make the almond butter icing. In a bowl, mix together the almond butter, almond milk, and powdered sugar. This is best done with a spoon or small whisk. Mix well until it's thick and creamy.
If the icing is too thin, add another tablespoon of powdered sugar. If it's too thick add a small splash of almond milk and continue to mix well.
Step 4 : Decorate
After the chocolate ganache has chilled and is firm to the touch, fill a pipping bag with the almond butter icing fitted with a small tip like this one. You can also use a ziplock bag and cut a tiny hole out of the corner. Pipe the icing in long thin lines all over the top of the brownies.
To make the bats, cut an Oreo into a triangle (see below picture). This will give you three pieces that are the perfect size for bat wings. Peel the half circles apart and remove the cream filling. Use the cookie pieces as the wings and place them on a few brownie squares with the tips toughing in the middle.
Use left over almond butter icing to "glue" the googly eyes onto the wings.
FYI - I tried making the bats by cutting the Oreo in half but the wings were way too big.
To make a few moons, peel a full-sized Oreo so the cream filling all comes off on the same side of the cookie. Place this piece on a brownie square, cream side up, which will act as a full moon.
If you want to make some half moons or quarter moons, again peel a full-sized Oreo so the cream comes off on the same side of the cookie. Then take a small circular cookie cutter or biscuit cutter and align it about half way into the cream filling. Press down firmly to remove a circular piece from the cookie. You should be left with a partial moon which you can place on top of a brownie, cream side up.
Storing
To store these spooky brownies, place them in an airtight container in the fridge where they will keep for up to a week. Because the chocolate ganache needs to be chilled, these should be stored in the fridge to prevent a chocolate mess.
Because there are Oreos on top of most, if not all, of these brownies, you can stack them on top of one another in the container if you're careful.
Frequently asked questions
Yes, if you use the gluten free brownie mix recommended in the recipe along with gluten free Oreos and a high quality gluten free chocolate for the ganache, these are gluten free.
Simply swap the almond butter for sunflower butter and ensure that the chocolate you are using is nut free.
If you don't have googly eyes (they can be hard to find), simply use a small dollop of the almond butter icing as the eyes of the bats. You can also use melted white chocolate.
Fore more spooky recipes, check out my:
Recipe
Spooky Gluten free Bat Brownies
Ingredients
For the brownies
- 1 box King Arthur Gluten free Ultimate Fudge Brownie Mix
- 2 eggs
- ½ cup coconut oil - melted
- 2 tablespoon water
For the chocolate ganache
- ½ cup coconut milk - full fat
- ¾ cup dark chocolate chips
For the peanut butter drizzle
- 3 tablespoon almond butter - creamy (sub. sunflower butter to make nut free)
- 2 tablespoon almond milk - unsweetened
- ½ cup powdered sugar
For the decorations
- Gluten free Oreo cookies - approx. 10
- Edible eyeballs - approx. 16
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 F. In a mixing bowl, whisk together the egg, coconut oil, and water.
- Fold in the King Arthur Gluten free Ultimate Fudge Brownie Mix until no flour clumps remain. The batter will be thick.
- Pour the batter into an 8 X 8 square baking pan lined with parchment paper. Bake in the oven for 28 - 30 minutes. Insert a toothpick into the center of the brownies to make sure they are done. If the toothpick comes out clean they are done baking. Let cool slightly while you prepare the ganache.
- In a pot, add the coconut milk and chocolate. Heat on the stove over medium low heat and stir continuously to melt the chocolate. Once the chocolate has melted into the coconut oil, pour over top of the brownies. Push the ganache almost to the edges of the brownies with an uneven spatula or the back of a spoon. Transfer the brownie pan to the freezer to set for 30 minutes to an hour.
- To prepare the peanut butter drizzle, mix the almond butter, almond milk, and powdered sugar in a bowl with a whisk or a hand mixer. Mix well to incorporate the powdered sugar. The icing should be slightly thick and a tan almond butter color. Transfer the icing to a piping bag fitted with a very small circular tip. Pipe long lines of the icing over top of the chilled brownies.
- Slice into squares and add the halloween decorations. To make the bats, cut an Oreo into a triangle. This will leave you with three semi-circle pieces for the wings. Split the semicircles so you have one one that has the Oreo filling and one that doesn't. Scrape off the Oreo filling and place the piece on top of a brownie like bat wings. Use extra almond butter icing to add dots on the eyeballs and then gently press on the googly eyes into the bat wings for eyes. For the moons, split a full Oreo cookie and place the half with the filling on a brownie, filling side up. To create half moons, again split an Oreo and use the side with the filling. Then use a small circular cookie cutter and place it about half way into the filling and press down. You will be left with a half moon that you can place on top of a brownie.
- Store in the fridge for extra fudgy texture and enjoy!
These are so adorable! Can't wait to make them with my kids!