Written by Kristin Larmore, Web Editor

It’s Halloween. You’re craving chocolate….but candy isn’t quite going to hit the spot. What do you make?

Brownies are always a wonderfully gooey standby- fudgy and delectable. And as we all know, delicious doesn’t have to be hard.

(Photo by veryculinary.com)

Try this Betty Crocker recipe! We can’t take much credit for it, but we can tell you it’s GOOD…and incredibly festive! Did you know cream cheese and food coloring create a very convincing orange tint when cooked?

It’s not exactly “healthy,” but we’re talking Halloween here…this is one of those times when it’s totally ok, girls. It’s better than cramming down a whole bag of trick-or-treat candy!

Check it out:

•Makes 24 squares

•Prep time: 15 minutes

•Total time: 2 hours, 45 minutes (including cooking, cooling and refrigerator)

Ingredients

Filling

•2 (3 ounce) packages cream cheese, softened

•1 egg

•1/4 cup sugar

•4 drops red food coloring

•4 drops yellow food coloring

•1/2 teaspoon vanilla

Brownies

•1 box brownie mix

•1/3 cup vegetable oil

•1/4 cup water

•2 eggs

Directions

 Heat oven to 350 degrees. Grease or spray bottom only of a 13×9 inch pan.

In a small bowl, beat filling ingredients with electric mixer on low speed until smooth. Set aside.

In a large bowl, stir brownie ingredients until well blended.

Spread 3/4 of the brownie batter in the pan. Spoon the filling by spoonfuls evenly on top of the brownie batter. Spoon remaining brownie batter over filling. For marbled design, pull knife through the batter and filling in wide curves. Turn pan and repeat.

Bake for 25-30 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean and mixture is set. Cool completely at room temperature (about an hour.) Then refrigerate for an hour until chilled. Cut into 6 rows by 4 rows.

Note: when you blend the cream cheese with the food coloring, it might appear somewhat pink. Don’t worry – it turns orange as it bakes.