Halloween is upon us and three spooktacular witches are back for one night only! Since we’re entering Halloween week, there’s no better way to celebrate than with some treats inspired by my favorite Halloween movie, Hocus Pocus! Taking a page out of Winifred’s book, I was inspired to make these chocolate brownie cauldron cups!
The month of October has been taken over by Halloween, but I don’t mind the constant showings of Hocus Pocus on Freeform. There’s nothing quite like the Sanderson sisters to get you in the spirit. The main plot of the movie revolves around the sisters’ desire for eternal youth and their quest for children to drink their diabolical potion. And so, these chocolate brownie cauldrons are filled with a frightfully green royal icing potion and sprinkle bubbles! But don’t worry, these won’t steal your soul. After all, it’s just a bunch of hocus pocus!
To start, make the brownie batter. Scoop about a tablespoon of batter into each cup of a mini muffin pan. They should be about 3/4 full. If you’d like bigger cauldrons, you can make these in a regular muffin pan.
Once baked, let the brownies cool in the pan for about two minutes. Just enough so that they’re not too hot to touch. To make the cauldron cavity, press something round into the center of each brownie. I used a fondant rolling pin, but you could also use the end of a wooden spoon or even a small but deep measuring spoon. Let the brownies cool in the pan before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely.
While the brownies are cooling, make the potion icing. I used royal icing for this recipe. I wanted a frosting that is smooth and has the ability to be a bit droopy without being runny. To make the icing, I used meringue powder, but you can also use pasteurized egg whites.
To mirror Winifred’s green potion, I added a few drops of light green food coloring to the icing. Once the brownies have cooled, fill the them about 3/4 full with the icing. I used a piping bag to make it a little bit easier to control. You could also use a spoon and carefully scoop it in. Before the icing sets, place 3-5 green pearl sprinkles on top to look like bubbles.
Happy Halloween!
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Winifred’s Cauldron Cups
The Sanderson Sisters are back for one night only and they can’t wait for you to have a sip of their favorite potion! Taking a page out of Winifred’s book, these delectable brownie cauldrons are filled with a frightfully green royal icing potion and sprinkle bubbles! But don’t worry, these won’t steal your soul. After all, it’s just a bunch of hocus pocus!
Ingredients
Brownie Cauldrons
- 1 ¼ cup all-purpose flour
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon baking powder
- ¾ cup unsalted butter, melted
- ½ cup unsweetened cocoa powder
- 1 ½ cups granulated sugar
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 3 large eggs
Potion Icing
- 2 cups powdered sugar
- 1 ½ tablespoons meringue powder
- ¼ cup warm water
- green gel food coloring
- green pearl sprinkles
Instructions
Cauldrons
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Preheat oven to 350 F. Grease mini muffin pans with cooking spray. Set aside.
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In a small bowl, sift together flour, salt, and baking powder. Set aside.
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In a large bowl, beat together butter, cocoa powder and sugar. Add eggs and vanilla and beat until combined.
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Add in flour mixture, beating just until incorporated.
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Scoop about 1 tablespoon of batter into each cup of the prepared pans.
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Bake for 14-16 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.
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Let cool for 2 minutes in the pan. Press centers down using a fondant roller, handle of a wooden spoon, or other object with a rounded edge.
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Transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.
Icing
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In a medium bowl, beat sugar and meringue powder until well mixed.
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Add water and beat on high speed until icing is glossy and holds stiff peaks.
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Stir in additional warm water, a tablespoon at a time, to the large bowl of icing until it creates loose ribbons when drizzled with a spoon. Aim to have the icing ribbons disappear back into the bowl within 10 seconds of being picked up with the spoon.
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Stir in a few drops of green gel food coloring.
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If using a piping bag, transfer icing to the bag fitted with a medium round tip.
Assembly
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Fill the cooled brownie cups with icing, either using a piping bag or carefully spooning it in. Fill each bowl about ¾ full.
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Place 3-5 pearl sprinkles on top of each cauldron to create bubbles.
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Enjoy immediately or store in an airtight container.
Recipe Notes
adapted from Kitchen Cents