Ghost Brownies Recipe

Ghost brownies are fudgy cocoa brownies baked in an 8×8 inch pan, cut into 16 squares, and topped with a tall piped ghost of homemade marshmallow with two chocolate chips or candy eyes. The brownies bake for 25 to 28 minutes at 350°F. The ghosts then need 1 to 2 hours at room temperature to set.

The one thing that decides whether your ghosts stand up or melt into puddles is the sugar syrup. Cook it to 240°F on a candy thermometer, and pipe onto brownies that are completely cool.

Pan, Oven and Timing for 16 Ghosts

• Yield: 16 brownie squares, one ghost each
• Pan: 8×8 inch (20×20 cm), lined with parchment with an overhang
• Oven: 350°F (175°C), 25 to 28 minutes
• Marshmallow syrup: sugar, corn syrup and water cooked to 240°F (115°C)
• Whipping: 5 to 7 minutes on high, to thick, glossy soft peaks
• Setting: 1 to 2 hours at room temperature, uncovered

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A Fudgy Cocoa Brownie Base

Whisk the melted butter with granulated and light brown sugar until the mix looks glossy and smooth. That glossy stage matters. Sugar that has started to dissolve into the butter gives the brownies their shiny, crackly top. Add the eggs and vanilla and whisk until the batter turns thick and holds together.

Sift in the cocoa powder, plain flour, baking powder and salt, and stir only until the last dry streak disappears. Fold in the chopped walnuts and, if you like, the chocolate chips. Overmixing at this point is how brownies turn tough and cakey. If you want a nuttier pan for another day, my walnut brownies go further in that direction.

Spread the batter into the lined pan and smooth the top. Bake 25 to 28 minutes, until the top is set and lightly cracked and a toothpick comes out with a few moist crumbs. A clean toothpick means you have gone too far. The center looks a little soft when you take the pan out, and it firms up as it cools.

Then wait. Cool the brownies fully in the pan on a wire rack. Hot marshmallow on a warm brownie slides off and loses its shape, so this cooling time is not optional. Baking the brownies the night before takes all the pressure off.

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Cocoa Powder or Melted Chocolate in the Base?

I have made these with both. Melted chocolate adds more fat and gives a denser, truffle-like square. Cocoa powder blends straight into the melted butter without clumping and bakes into a brownie that is still soft but has enough structure to carry a tall topping. For ghosts, cocoa wins. The base recipe is close to my cocoa powder brownies, with walnuts folded in.

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Cooking the Marshmallow Syrup to 240°F

Start by sprinkling 1½ teaspoons of powdered gelatin over 1 tablespoon of cold water and leave it 5 to 10 minutes to bloom. It should look like a firm, spongy paste with no dry powder left.

In a small saucepan, stir the sugar, light corn syrup and 2 tablespoons of water together and heat over medium until a candy thermometer reads 240°F (115°C). Take the pan off the heat and stir in the bloomed gelatin and the vanilla. It foams up for a moment, so stir carefully.

Pour the hot mixture straight into a stand mixer with the whisk, or use a hand mixer, and beat on high for 5 to 7 minutes. It goes from clear and runny to thick, white and glossy, and a ribbon dropped from the whisk sits on the surface before sinking back in. Stop there, at soft peaks.

Why Marshmallow Ghosts Slump or Set Too Fast

Ghosts that spread into flat puddles almost always come from syrup that never reached 240°F. The thermometer is worth it here. The opposite problem is timing: this marshmallow keeps setting as it cools, and if it sits in the bowl too long it gets too stiff to pipe 16 ghosts.

Spray the inside of the piping bag with neutral oil before you start whipping, so it is ready the second the mixer stops. If the marshmallow firms up halfway through, scrape it into a microwave-safe bowl and warm it for 5 to 10 seconds. Stir, refill the bag, and keep going.

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Cutting the Squares and Piping Each Ghost

Lift the cooled slab out with the parchment overhang and cut it into 16 squares before any marshmallow goes on. A long knife wiped clean between cuts gives neat edges. Cutting after the ghosts are on drags the marshmallow and tears them.

Use a large round tip or just snip the end of the bag. Start in the center of a square, squeeze with steady pressure so the marshmallow puddles out into a wide base, then pull up slowly while easing off. The base becomes the ghost’s draped sheet and the peak becomes its head. A few will lean. That is fine.

Press two chocolate chips or candy eyes into each ghost right away, while the surface is still soft. Leave them uncovered at room temperature for 1 to 2 hours, until the marshmallow feels firm to the touch and holds its shape completely.

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Making Ghost Brownies a Day Ahead

The brownies keep well, the marshmallow less so. My plan for a party: bake and cool the brownies the day before, wrap the uncut slab, and pipe the ghosts on the day you serve them. They hold their shape best that first day.

Once they have set, store them in a single layer in a shallow container with a loose sheet of parchment on top rather than a tight lid, which traps moisture and makes the marshmallow tacky. Skip the fridge. Cold air makes the marshmallow sweat and dries out the brownie. For serving, I set each square in a cupcake liner so people can grab one without squashing the ghost.

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Marshmallow Ghost Questions

Can I use marshmallow fluff instead of homemade marshmallow?

Not for standing ghosts. Jarred marshmallow creme never sets firm, so the ghosts stay soft and spread. If you want a soft swirl instead of a figure, homemade marshmallow cream spreads well over a cooled brownie.

Can I make ghost brownies without nuts?

Yes. Leave the walnuts out, or swap in the same amount of pecans. The bake time stays the same.

Do I need a candy thermometer?

For this topping, yes. The syrup has to hit 240°F (115°C) for the ghosts to hold a peak, and judging that by eye is unreliable.

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More Brownies for a Halloween Table

For a bigger spread, set these next to mummy brownies with their candy bandages, vampire brownies with a cherry center, or a whole pan of decorated Halloween brownies. The ghost cookie cake carries the same theme in one big round, and a ghost cocktail covers the grown-ups. My Halloween party snacks list fills in the savory side.

If you try these, tell me in the comments how your ghosts turned out, leaning ones included.