Brownie Popcorn Bags

Movies. Movies. Movies. I’m a huge fan of just about every kind.

Sci-fi. Drama. Mystery. Action. Comedy. Thriller. Animation. Documentary. Even Horror. I do like a good scary movie.

I enjoy them all. I really don’t think I could pick a favorite. But that’s why this time of year is so much fun.

The excitement of all the movies we fall in love with each year are celebrated on one big star-studded night.

One big long night. So why not kick the evening off right. Get a sweet start with these chocolate movie night brownies.

Bake brownies in a 12 X 18 jelly roll pan. Cool and use a popcorn bag-shaped cookie cutter to make your shapes. I found mine online at coppergifts.com.

If you don’t have one, you could still pull this off by cutting your brownies into rectangular shapes.

The popcorn just won’t look like it’s flowing out of the bag. But no worries. It will still be cute.

The cutter I used was 5 inches tall. You can get two rows of five alternating shapes or 10 jumbo bags from a 12 X 18 pan.

I’ll let you decide the fate of the scraps.

To transfer the brownies, carefully lift the brownie from the pan by squeezing the cutter. If they are really moist, you can also use a spatula to lift from underneath.

You can place each brownie on a small cake board. Stack them and wrap them in plastic while you work on the frosting.
You can even use scissors cut the board to match the popcorn bag shape like below.

These brownies aren’t really thick due to baking in such a large pan. But that’s okay. Remember they are 5 inches long and …

will be covered in buttercream frosting. Pipe it on and spread it out.

Then place two popsicle sticks on the bottom 2/3 of the brownie. Don’t press them down. Just place lightly so you can remove easily.

Once in place sprinkle away. Red sugar crystals or sanding sugar will work great.

Then, just carefully remove the sticks.

But wait, we still need popcorn.

Lots of fluffy marshmallowy popcorn.

Just attach them right to the frosting. Press down gently to secure.

If you like, you can also texturize your marshmallows for a more popcorn-like appearance by making criss-cross impressions with one of the popsicle sticks.

Or not. They’re cute either way.

Brownie Popcorn Bags

Brownies
1 1/2 cups flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
4 oz unsweetened chocolate
4 oz semi-sweet chocolate
3/4 cup butter
2 cups sugar
4 eggs
2 teaspoons vanilla

Frosting
1/2 cup butter
2 cups confectioners’ sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla
1-2 tablespoons milk

Decorating
Miniature marshmallows (10.5 oz. bag will be enough)
Popsicle sticks
Red sanding sugar or red sugar crystals
Popcorn bag cookie cutter*
Decorating bag and #10 tip, optional
6 inch cake boards

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
• Line a 12 X 18 inch jelly roll pan with parchment paper. You can rub the pan with the end of a stick of butter and then the paper will attach and stay in place.
• In a small bowl, mix flour and baking powder together with a wire whisk and set aside.
• Melt butter and chocolate together in a saucepan on medium heat. Stir frequently making sure the chocolate does not stick to the bottom.
• When melted, remove from heat and add sugar. Stir well until thoroughly combined.
• In another small bowl add eggs and whisk gently. Then add vanilla to the eggs and pour into the chocolate mixture.
• Fold eggs gently at first to incorporate and then continue stirring until the eggs completely disappear.
• Add the flour and baking soda. Again, stirring together slowly at first and then more quickly to make sure everything is blended.
• Spread the batter evenly in the pan. The batter will be thick.
• Bake for about 12 minutes. Remove and cool completely.
• Once cool, use a five-inch popcorn bag-shaped cookie cutter to make 10 popcorn bags. Alternate the direction of the cutter and you can get 2 rows of five bags.
• Remove the brownie bag shapes from the pan by using the cutter to carefully squeeze and lift. (You can also use a spatula.)
• Transfer the brownie to a small cake board to serve individually. Release the brownie onto the board by spreading open the sides of the cutter.
• Once on the cake board, you can stack all the brownies and cover in plastic wrap until ready to decorate. You can also trim the cake boards to the same shape as the bag with scissors.
• Make your frosting.
• Cream the butter and vanilla in a mixer. Add the sugar slowly and mix until thoroughly combined. Add milk if necessary to make the frosting consistency more creamy.
• Fill a decorating bag, fitted with a #10 tip. You can also use a plastic resealable bag with corner snipped off. Pipe the outline of the popcorn bag shape and then the inside. You can then spread the frosting on evenly with a knife or even use one of the popsicle sticks. Place two clean popsicle sticks gently on the surface of the frosting. They should be placed at the bottom of the bag with frosting visible on either side of each stick.
• Sprinkle red sanding sugar over the bottom part of the brownie until you can’t see the frosting underneath. Carefully remove the sticks to reveal a red and white striped bag. Place miniature marshmallows in varying directions on the top of the brownie for popcorn. Gently press them into the frosting to secure.
• Repeat with remaining brownies and enjoy!

* Popcorn bag cookie cutter found at Copper Gifts. You can also cut brownies into rectangles and decorate the same way. The bottom 2/3 of the brownie will be the bag and the remaining top third for the popcorn.

Movie Award Season Recipes sponsored by Hyundai.