Rich chocolate and spooky decorations make these ghost brownies a tempting Halloween dessert. Get the recipe for your next party or family movie night!

Ghost brownies deserve a rich, fudgy chocolate base underneath those little white faces, and this version adds browned butter, melted dark chocolate, and a light sprinkle of salt to every bite!

Each square has chewy edges and a soft center, topped with a pillowy marshmallow under a thin white chocolate coating.

Make a tray for a Halloween party, an October movie night, or an afternoon of decorating with kids, and leave yourself one undecorated corner for a very necessary chocolate break.

What Makes These Ghost Brownies Special

My preference is a proper chocolate dessert that happens to have a face, so these brownies get just as much attention as their marshmallow ghosts.

Browning butter gives it a toasted, almost caramel-like flavor, while melted dark chocolate adds richness and cocoa makes that chocolate flavor more pronounced.

A small amount of brown sugar adds a gentle molasses note, and a few flakes of salt keep each bite interesting alongside sweet marshmallow and white chocolate.

Ingredients

For the Brown Butter Brownies

• 3/4 cup unsalted butter, 12 tablespoons or 170 g, cut into even pieces. Measure before browning.
• 3 ounces dark chocolate, 85 g, finely chopped, preferably a baking bar with 60 to 70 percent cacao.
• 1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder, 42 g, sifted if lumpy. Natural or Dutch-process cocoa works because this recipe does not rely on baking soda for its rise.
• 1 cup granulated sugar, 200 g. Keep this amount for texture as well as sweetness.

 I would keep both sugars at their listed amounts on your first batch, since cutting sugar also changes moisture and texture. For a less sweet-tasting result, choose chocolate near 70 percent cacao and keep each white chocolate coating thin.

• 1/4 cup packed light brown sugar, 50 g, with any firm lumps broken apart.
• 2 large eggs plus 1 large egg yolk, at room temperature. Save your extra white for another use.

The extra yolk adds richness, while a modest amount of flour gives these brownies enough structure to hold a marshmallow without making them cakey.

• 1 1/2 tablespoons water, 22 g. This replaces moisture lost during browning and goes into your egg mixture.
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract.
  1/2 teaspoon fine table salt. Large salt flakes measure differently, so keep those for
• finishing.
• 1/2 teaspoon instant espresso powder, optional, for a slightly deeper chocolate flavor.
• 3/4 cup all-purpose flour, 90 g, spooned into your measuring cup and leveled if you are not weighing it.

For the Marshmallow Ghosts

• 16 regular large marshmallows, approximately 1 inch wide. Choose standard roasting marshmallows, not mini or jumbo ones.
• 10 ounces white chocolate baking bars, 283 g, finely chopped. This allows a little extra for patching bare spots. Look for cocoa butter in the ingredient list; baking bars generally make a smoother coating than white baking chips.
• 2 teaspoons neutral oil, such as canola, plus up to 1/2 teaspoon more only if needed to loosen your coating.
• 1 ounce dark chocolate, 28 g, finely chopped, for eyes and mouths.
• 1/4 teaspoon flaky sea salt, optional, for scattering lightly over exposed brownie corners.

Servings: 16 brownies, with one marshmallow ghost per serving.

How to Make Ghost Brownies 

Heat your oven to 350°F (175°C) with a rack in its middle position, then lightly grease an 8-by-8-inch metal pan and line it with parchment, leaving enough paper extending over two opposite sides to lift out your brownies later.

Measure everything before you start browning butter, and put chopped dark chocolate into a large heatproof bowl so it is ready when you need it. I would stick with this pan size for your first batch, because a wider pan makes thinner brownies that finish sooner.

Melt butter in a light-colored saucepan over medium heat, stirring frequently with a heatproof spatula and scraping across its bottom.

After melting, it will bubble, foam, and gradually develop golden-brown specks; allow roughly 5 to 8 minutes after melting, but use color and smell to judge readiness.

Once those specks are medium golden brown and butter smells toasted, immediately pour it over your chopped chocolate, including browned bits. If specks turn black and smell acrid, start again, because that bitterness will carry into your brownies.

Let hot butter sit over chocolate for about 1 minute, then stir until smooth and whisk in cocoa powder, fine salt, and optional espresso powder.

Scrape around your bowl so no dry cocoa pockets remain, then let this mixture cool for about 5 minutes, or until warm rather than hot.

Don’t skip this brief pause, because a very hot chocolate mixture can cook eggs before your batter ever reaches an oven!

In a separate bowl, whisk eggs, extra yolk, granulated sugar, brown sugar, 1 1/2 tablespoons water, and vanilla for about 1 to 2 minutes, until evenly combined, slightly thicker, and lightly foamy.

It can still feel a little grainy, so there is no need to chase perfectly dissolved sugar. Adding water here replaces moisture lost while browning butter without pouring water into hot fat, and whisking before flour goes in lets you mix thoroughly without making a tough batter.

Slowly pour your warm chocolate mixture into your egg mixture while whisking, then switch to a flexible spatula and fold in flour. Sweep across the bottom and turn batter over itself until no flour streaks remain, paying attention to any dry patches hiding along bowl edges.

Stop once everything is combined; your batter should be thick, glossy, and spreadable, and another minute of enthusiastic stirring will not improve it.

Scrape batter into your prepared pan and spread it evenly into corners, then bake for 30 to 36 minutes, checking first at 28 minutes. Look for set edges, a thin surface crust, and a center that no longer ripples like liquid when you gently nudge your pan.

A toothpick inserted near center should carry moist crumbs, with no glossy streak of raw batter; if it comes out wet, bake another 2 to 3 minutes and check again. I would avoid waiting for a completely clean toothpick, because that usually means a drier brownie.

Place your pan on a wire rack and let brownies cool completely, usually 1 1/2 to 2 hours; give them longer if their center still feels warm. Lift out using parchment and cut into 16 equal squares, making four rows in each direction, with a clean, dry knife between cuts.

If brownies feel too soft for neat slicing, refrigerate for an additional 20 to 30 minutes first. Cut before decorating so your knife never has to squeeze past sixteen marshmallow heads!

Arrange squares slightly apart on a parchment-lined tray that fits in your refrigerator.

Put white chocolate and 2 teaspoons oil into a completely dry microwave-safe bowl, then heat at 50 percent power in 15-second bursts, stirring thoroughly after each burst until only tiny pieces remain; finish melting those pieces by stirring.

Your coating should flow from a spoon in a thick ribbon. If smooth but too thick to flow, stir in up to 1/2 teaspoon extra oil; avoid water or milk, which would change this coating.

Let white chocolate cool until barely warm but still fluid, then place about 1/4 teaspoon on each brownie and press a marshmallow upright into it, flat side down.

Give these little bases 1 to 2 minutes to begin setting before coating, which helps prevent marshmallows sliding around. Pick reasonably flat spots on each square, and use your spoon to level a tiny patch if a particularly crinkly brownie top makes a ghost lean.

Start with about 2 teaspoons melted white chocolate per marshmallow, spooning it over the top and nudging it down each side with your spoon’s back.

Let a little collect around each base, then use remaining chocolate to cover bare patches, keeping enough for all sixteen ghosts.

Aim for a thin coat so every bite still includes soft marshmallow; if chocolate stops flowing as you work, reheat for 5 seconds at 50 percent power and stir. Uneven drips are welcome, and nobody needs to measure a ghost’s hemline!

Refrigerate your tray for 15 to 20 minutes, or until white chocolate feels firm and dry to a light touch. Meanwhile, melt your remaining 1 ounce dark chocolate in a dry bowl at 50 percent power in 15-second bursts, stirring between each, then let it cool until just fluid.

Spoon it into a small zip-top bag and snip a tiny opening, or use a toothpick for more control. If chilled ghosts develop surface moisture in a humid kitchen, let that moisture dry before adding faces.

Dot two small eyes onto each ghost and add an oval mouth, trying one on parchment first if you want to check your piping pressure.

Scatter just a few flakes of optional sea salt over exposed brownie corners, keeping salt off those white faces, and let dark chocolate firm for about 5 minutes, using a brief chill if needed.

A few surprised expressions and one lopsided smile make a lovely tray, so stop correcting faces once they look cheerful enough to eat!

Small Details That Make a Better Batch!!

• Use grams for flour and cocoa whenever possible, since a heavily packed measuring cup can add enough dry ingredients to change your brownies’ texture.
• If measuring by volume, stir ingredients loose first, spoon them gently into your cup, and sweep excess away with a straight edge. We want a fudgy center that slices cleanly after cooling, which is different from leaving raw batter in its middle.
• Keep a close eye on white chocolate, because short bursts and patient stirring are easier to control than one long microwave session.
• If it turns scorched, grainy, or clumpy and will not smooth out with stirring, fresh chocolate is a better choice for decorating.
• Also, white chocolate made with cocoa butter often looks ivory, so a slightly creamy color is exactly what you should expect.

Serving Suggestions

Serve ghost brownies at room temperature so their centers feel soft and chocolatey, with a glass of cold milk or a cup of coffee alongside.

For a plated dessert, add a small scoop of vanilla ice cream and a few raspberries just before serving; their tartness is particularly good with sweet marshmallow. Keep ice cream beside your ghost so its face stays visible!

For a party, set each brownie on a flattened paper cupcake liner and arrange them in a single layer on a platter. Sixteen decorated squares give sixteen people a rich little dessert, and liners make them easier to pick up without touching chocolate faces.

Transport in a rigid, lidded container with enough headroom for marshmallows, keeping it level and away from a warm car window.

These ghost brownies bring plenty of dark chocolate richness, toasted butter flavor, and soft marshmallow sweetness to a Halloween dessert table, with enough detail in each step to make decorating feel manageable.

Set out a tray, pour something delicious to sip, and choose your favorite little face before everyone else does.

Between those chewy edges and creamy white chocolate drips, one small square gives you plenty to enjoy!