The Pumpkin that Changed Colour | Halloween Baking

Read on for directions to make these Ghoulish Treats!

Preheat the oven to 180°C (160°C fan forced). Grease a 20cm square shallow cake pan and line the base and sides with baking paper.
Open the brownie box, remove enclosed frosting sachet and reserve for another use. Mix the brownie mix, butter and eggs together in a bowl until well blended. Spread the mixture evenly in the prepared cake pan.
Bake for 20-22 minutes or until a round-bladed knife inserted into the centre comes out almost clean. Remove from the oven. Transfer to a wire rack and leave to cool completely in the pan; about 30 minutes.
Lift the brownie from the pan using the baking paper and cut in half. Cut 1 half into 8 squares. Cut the other half into 6 triangles, each with a 4cm wide base (see diagram). You will have some brownie left over at the sides from this half to discard or eat!
The brownies will keep for 2-3 days in a cool place.

150g Betty Crocker™ Creamy Deluxe™ Vanilla Frosting
Green, orange and yellow food colouring pastes or gels
1 small tube black writing icing
1 small tube green writing icing
1 tube ready-to-pipe black icing
3 short round pieces liquorice
6 edible eyeballs
3 pretzel sticks or thin breadsticks
1 red liquorice twist, untwisted to make 3 short lengths, or 1 red lolly snake, each cut lengthways into 3 strips

Place 75g vanilla frosting in a bowl and use the green food colouring paste or gel to colour the frosting green.

(Makes 8)

Place 30g of the frosting in a bowl and use the orange food colouring paste or gel to colour the frosting bright orange.
Spread 2 square brownies with 1 teaspoon each of the orange frosting, 2 square brownies with 1 teaspoon each of the remaining white (uncoloured) frosting and 2 square brownies with 1 teaspoon each of the green frosting, using the tip of a small palette knife to swirl the frosting to resemble a pumpkin shape.
To create the changing colour faces on the remaining 2 square brownies, spread half of each brownie with the rest of the orange frosting to make half a pumpkin face.
To complete the pumpkin faces, use ½ teaspoon of the white frosting on 1 brownie square and ½ teaspoon of the green frosting on the other brownie square. Pipe a Halloween pumpkin mouth, nose and eyes on each brownie with some of the black writing icing.
Use the green writing icing to pipe a green stalk on each brownie.

(Makes 3)

Pipe the ready-to-pipe black icing in a tight zig-zag line from the point of 1 brownie triangle to two-thirds of the way down to resemble the black hat.
Spoon the remaining green coloured frosting into a piping bag fitted with a small plain nozzle. Pipe the green frosting over the rest of the brownie to resemble the face.
Place a short piece of liquorice between the black icing and green frosting for the hat brim.
Place 2 eyeballs on the green frosting. Repeat to make 3 witch brownies in total.
Leave in a cool place for 30 minutes to set.

(Makes 3)

Insert a pretzel or breadstick into the pointed end of each of the 3 remaining brownie triangles for the handles of the broomsticks.
Wrap a short length of red liquorice around each brownie at the pointed end to form a band.
Use the yellow food colouring paste or gel to colour the remaining vanilla frosting yellow. Spoon into a disposable piping bag fitted with a fine writing nozzle and pipe ‘bristles’ on each brownie.
Leave in a cool place to set; about 20 minutes.

Choose a smooth flat surface on which to create your background, such as a large chopping board, baking tray or even the kitchen workbench. (Note: make sure it is a clean and food safe surface or cover the surface with a sheet of baking paper before you begin.)
Spoon Betty Crocker™ Creamy Deluxe™ Chocolate Fudge Frosting and/or Betty Crocker™ Creamy Deluxe™ Vanilla Frosting (coloured with food colouring paste or gel, as desired) into piping bags fitted with medium writing nozzles. Pipe background features from the story onto your chosen surface.
Use sweets, crushed biscuits, cake crumbs, fruit, etc. to create additional details.
Be as creative as you like and have fun!