Mini Brownie Bites with Cream Cheese Frosting

These Mini Brownie Bites with Cream Cheese Frosting are a two bite marvel and an absolute delicious treat for Halloween. The swirl of orange tinted cream cheese frosting is dipped in a chocolate glaze and topped with sprinkles.

When it comes to Halloween baking, I’m not really much into the creepy, spooky or ghoulish treats. I’m more into something that has the cutesy factor.

These adorable mini brownie bites sure do and some! They’re rich, chocolaty and dense in texture without being overly sweet.

If you are fairly new to baking, you will find them delightfully easy to make. And if piping the frosting seems somewhat intimidating to you, simply give it a try by practicing first.

Set a cookie sheet lined with parchment paper on a counter. Fit any piping tip of your choice into a pastry bag and fill the bag with frosting.

Start piping directly onto your parchment lined cookie sheet. Then simply scrape off the frosting back into the pastry bag and you’re good to go. Easy right!

The brownie recipe comes from one of my favourite magazines, Better Homes and Garden.

I tweaked it somewhat, simply for personal taste, by using a luscious cream cheese frosting.

Then, I tinted the frosting with orange icing colour and switched it up to give it a Halloween flare. I just adore the chocolate and cream cheese combination!

You’ll need 3, 12 hole mini muffin pans to make this recipe. It’s a worthy investment as this recipe is one you’ll be making over and over again.

It’s super easy to make and totally fun! You can also adapt this recipe to suit any occasion of your choice!

How to make mini brownie bites 

• Place the flour and cocoa powder in a small mixing bowl.
• Stir together and set aside while you beat the sugar with the eggs.

• In a separate medium sized mixing bowl, add in the sugar and eggs.
• Beat with an electric mixer on medium speed until thick and pale yellow in colour, about 2 minutes.

• Mix in the flour and cocoa mixture, just until smooth.
• Add in 1/2 cup of melted butter and stir with a wooden spoon until thoroughly combined.

• Divide the batter evenly among the prepared mini muffin tins. I used a 1 and a half inch cookie scoop but you can just as easily use teaspoons to measure out the batter.
• Bake in a preheated oven at 350 degrees F, for about 10 to 12 minutes.
• Test for doneness by inserting a wooden skewer in the middle. If it comes out clean, then the brownies are ready.

• Place the brownies on a cooling rack.
• Allow the brownies to cool in the tins for about 5 minutes before gently releasing them.
• Once removed from the baking tins, transfer them back to the rack to cool completely before frosting.

How to make coloured cream cheese frosting

To make the frosting you’ll need:

• cream cheese
• butter
• powdered sugar
• vanilla extract
• Orange icing colour

Combine the cream cheese, butter, icing sugar and vanilla in a medium bowl and beat until combined.

Alternately, you can also use a food processor to mix the frosting ingredients together.

Tint the icing with orange icing colour. Colouring for frostings are sold in a gel form. Don’t use the liquid colourings as those are for cake batters.

A little goes a long way so start with a little bit at a time or, until you get the desired colour. I used approximately 1/8 of a teaspoon.

Use a large pastry bag fitted with a star tip to pipe the frosting onto each brownie. (I used the 1M tip from Wilton, not sponsored).

You’ll need to refrigerate the frosted brownies for 30 minutes. This will set the frosting and makes it easier to dip into the chocolate glaze which also helps set the glaze.

How to make chocolate dipping glaze

For the chocolate glaze, place 1/4 cup of cubed butter, 2 ounces of semi-sweet chocolate in a small sauce pot over low heat and stir until melted and smooth.

Then simply remove it from the heat and stir in the corn syrup.

Set it aside and let it cool for about 10 minutes.

Once cooled dip the top of each brownie, about 3 quarters in, into the chocolate glaze.

Sprinkle the mini brownies with nonpareils and refrigerate till the chocolate is set, for about 15 minutes.

These mini brownie bites with cream cheese frosting store very well in an airtight container, refrigerated for up to 5 days.

They’re adorable, fun and oh so yummy!

Happy Baking!

Other Halloween treats you’ll love:

Ossi Di Morto Bones of the Dead

Chocolate Popcorn Halloween Cupcakes

This post was originally published Oct 29 2015 and republished Oct 29, 2020 with updated photos and content.