How to Recreate Kim-Joy's Brownie & Pretzel Spiders

"Ordinarily you wouldn’t want to be eating spiders, but these change everything," says the former Great British Baking Show star and author of the new Celebrate with Kim-Joy cookbook. "They are extremely decadent, with just the right amount of gooeyness—just as a brownie should be."

Photo: Jennifer Causey

"Ordinarily you wouldn't want to be eating spiders, but these change everything," says baker Kim-Joy. "They are extremely decadent, with just the right amount of gooeyness—just as a brownie should be."

"You're not restricted to making all the spider brownies the same size or exactly the same in any way, so you can make a fun group activity out of it and everyone can decorate their own spider," says the author of the new Celebrate with Kim-Joy cookbook. "I love that it doesn't have to be perfect, make some wonky spiders who are missing legs or squashed - it's Halloween after all!"

The former Great British Baking Show star says, "They're so cute you might be reluctant to eat them, but it's impossible to resist. They're chocolatey, fudgy and rich. They are the kind of treat you think 'I'll just have a small piece' but end up having to return for more."

Ingredients

Ingredient Checklist

• 1 cup (8 oz.) unsalted butter, melted, plus more for greasing
• 1 cup granulated sugar
• 1 cup packed light brown sugar
• 3 tablespoons vegetable oil
• ½ teaspoon kosher salt
• 4 large eggs
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract or vanilla bean paste
• 1 cup (about 4¼ oz.) all-purpose flour
• 1 cup (about 3¼ oz.) unsweetened cocoa
• 10 oz.s bittersweet chocolate, roughly chopped, divided
• Thin pretzel sticks, broken in half
• Candy eyeballs

Directions

Instructions Checklist

• Step 1Preheat oven to 350°F. Grease a 9x9-inch baking pan with butter, and line with parchment paper, allowing parchment to extend 2 inches above 2 sides of the pan to use as "handles" later.
• Step 2Place butter, granulated sugar, brown sugar, oil and salt in a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment; beat on medium speed until just combined. Add eggs and vanilla; beat on high speed until pale in color and fluffy, about 5 minutes. Sift in flour and cocoa; fold gently to combine, being sure not to overmix. Fold in 1½ cups of the chopped chocolate.
• Step 3Pour batter into prepared pan; smooth top with a rubber or offset spatula. Bake in oven until set but slightly jiggly in center, 35 to 40 minutes. Remove from oven; let cool in pan at room temperature, about 10 minutes (it will continue to cook through as it cools). Use parchment "handles" to transfer from pan to a wire rack to cool completely, about 1 hour. Once cool, wrap in plastic wrap and freeze for 30 minutes (this makes cutting out the shapes easier and neater).
• Step 4Remove from freezer. Use circular cookie cutters to cut out different sizes for different-sized spiders.
• Step 5Melt remaining ¼ cup chocolate in a microwavable bowl until smooth, 15 to 30 seconds at a time. Use melted chocolate to attach broken pretzel sticks to brownie as "spider legs." Use chocolate to adhere "legs" together. Use more chocolate to attach edible eyes.

Tips

If the brownies are sticking to the cookie cutter, lightly spray the edges of the cutter with cooking spray to help it glide more smoothly. Between cuts, wipe it clean and respray.