How to Make Graveyard Brownies – Easy Halloween Treat for Kids

Look, I’m gonna be honest with you, I stumbled onto this Graveyard Brownies recipe by complete accident last October when my sister called me panicking about her kid’s Halloween party. She needed something “spooky but not scary” for a bunch of 6-year-olds, and Pinterest wasn’t giving her anything good.

So there I was, standing in my kitchen at 9 PM with a box of brownie mix and whatever random stuff I had in my fridge. And you know what? Sometimes the best recipes happen when you’re just winging it.

What Even Are Graveyard Brownies?

Basically, they’re regular brownies dressed up to look like a spooky graveyard. The “dirt” is crumbled chocolate cookies, the “tombstones” are cookies stuck upright, and here’s where it gets fun—I add these little orange “pumpkins” that are actually cream cheese balls with pretzel stick stems. Sometimes they look more like orange golf balls than pumpkins, but honestly? The kids don’t care. They think they’re hilarious.

My nephew Tommy calls them “dirt brownies” and asks for them year-round now. Good luck explaining to a 5-year-old why we can’t have Halloween treats in March.

The Epic Fail That Led to Success

First attempt? Disaster. Complete disaster. I tried making everything from scratch like some kind of Pinterest perfectionist. The brownies were dry, the “dirt” was soggy, and my homemade pumpkins looked like sad orange blobs.

Second try, I got smart and used a boxed brownie mix. Don’t @ me. Life’s too short for complicated brownies when you’re making them look like a cemetery anyway.

What You’ll Need (Shopping List Reality Check)

For the brownies:

• 1 box of your favorite brownie mix (I use the fudgy kind)
• Whatever the box tells you to add (eggs, oil, water—you know the drill)

For the “dirt”:

• 1 package of chocolate sandwich cookies (about 20 cookies)
• I use Oreos because they’re perfect, but store-brand works too

For the tombstones:

• Milano cookies (the oval ones work best)
• OR vanilla wafers if you can’t find Milano cookies

For the orange pumpkins (this is where the magic happens):

• 8 oz cream cheese, softened (leave it out for like 30 minutes)
• Orange food coloring (gel works better than liquid, trust me)
• Mini pretzel twists
• Powdered sugar (optional, but helps if your cream cheese is being weird)

Random extras that make it better:

• Gummy worms (kids lose their minds over these)
• Chocolate chips for “rocks”
• Green frosting if you want to add “grass” details

Good luck finding decent cream cheese around Halloween—everyone’s making pumpkin everything. I learned to buy it early and freeze it.

Making These Bad Boys (Step by Step)

Step 1: The Foundation (Brownies)

Preheat your oven according to whatever your brownie box says. Mine always says 350°F, but honestly, every oven is different and mine runs hot.

Mix up your brownie batter exactly like the box tells you. Don’t get fancy here. I tried adding espresso powder once and it was too much. Sometimes simple is better.

Bake in a 9×13 pan. The key is—oh wait, I forgot to mention—you need to let these cool COMPLETELY before decorating. I know it’s torture, but trust me on this one. Hot brownies plus cream cheese equals soup.

Step 2: Making the “Dirt”

While the brownies are cooling (and you’re trying not to cut into them early), grab those chocolate cookies. Don’t eat half the package like I did the first time.

Crush them up in a food processor if you have one. If not, throw them in a plastic bag and go to town with a rolling pin. My kids love helping with this part—it’s like therapeutic destruction.

You want them pretty fine but with some bigger chunks for texture. Think actual dirt, not powder.

Step 3: The Orange Pumpkins (This Part is Fun)

Okay, here’s where I always mess up the kitchen. Mix that softened cream cheese with orange food coloring. Start with just a tiny bit—food coloring is sneaky and you can always add more.

I think… no, I know this works better when you use a hand mixer. Trying to do it with a spoon just makes orange streaks everywhere.

Roll the colored cream cheese into small balls, maybe marble-sized. They don’t have to be perfect. Actually, imperfect looks more realistic.

For the stems, break those mini pretzel twists in half. Some of them will break weird—just go with it. Stick one piece into the top of each cream cheese ball.

Pro tip I learned the hard way: if your cream cheese is too soft and won’t hold the pretzel, stick the balls in the fridge for 15 minutes. Game changer.

Step 4: Assembly (Where It All Comes Together)

Once your brownies are cool, sprinkle that cookie “dirt” all over the top. Don’t be shy—cover the whole thing.

Stick your Milano cookies upright in the brownies to make tombstones. Push them down pretty far so they stay put. If they keep falling over, your brownies might still be too warm.

Place your orange cream cheese pumpkins randomly around the “graveyard.” Some people arrange them all perfectly, but I like them scattered like real pumpkins would be.

And here’s where you can go crazy—add gummy worms poking out of the dirt, sprinkle some chocolate chips around as rocks, whatever makes you happy.

Real Talk Tips from Someone Who’s Made These Too Many Times

The cream cheese balls will soften if they sit out too long, so if you’re making these ahead of time, add the pumpkins last. Actually, you know what? Make the pumpkins the night before and keep them in the fridge. They hold their shape better.

Don’t use liquid food coloring for the cream cheese unless you want orange soup. Gel food coloring is worth the extra two bucks. Found this out when I tried to save money at 10 PM and had to start over.

If kids are helping (and let’s be real, they will want to), give them their own bowl of cream cheese to play with. They’re going to want to taste everything anyway.

Some people add powdered sugar to the cream cheese mixture, but I don’t usually bother unless it’s really humid. Then it helps keep everything from getting too soft.

Serving This Masterpiece

Cut these into squares just like regular brownies. Fair warning—it’s going to be messy. The “dirt” gets everywhere, kids will pick off the decorations first, and someone will definitely try to eat just the cream cheese pumpkins.

I usually put them on a disposable Halloween-themed paper plate because cleanup is easier. Is that lazy? Maybe. Do I care? Nope.

Storage (If They Last That Long)

Keep these covered in the fridge because of the cream cheese. They’re actually pretty good cold—the brownies get all fudgy and the cream cheese pumpkins firm up nicely.

They’ll keep for about 3-4 days, but honestly, they never last that long in my house. My neighbor’s kid comes over specifically asking if I have any “dirt brownies” left.

Why This Recipe Actually Works

These Graveyard Brownies hit that sweet spot of looking impressive but being totally doable. The kids think you’re a Halloween genius, and you know you just mixed cream cheese with food coloring and stuck some cookies in brownies.

Plus, you can make them ahead of time, which is crucial during Halloween party season when you’re also dealing with costumes and sugar-hyped children.

Last Halloween, I made three pans of these—one for my nephew’s class party, one for our neighborhood thing, and one for my house because I’m not sharing mine with a bunch of random kids. Priorities, people.

The best part? Even when they look a little wonky (and mine always do), they taste amazing. Sometimes the pretzels fall out, sometimes the cream cheese gets a little lopsided, but the kids just laugh and eat them anyway.

Seriously, try these and let me know how your pumpkins turn out. Are yours perfect little spheres, or do they look like orange golf balls like mine? Either way, you’re winning Halloween.

Happy baking! (And may your cream cheese stay the right temperature) 🎃