Prep: 20 mins
Cook: 35 mins
Total: 55 mins
Servings: 12 servings
Yield: 12 brownies
Brownies are a favorite chocolate treat, especially with a glass of cold milk. They’re also simple to make from scratch. Sure, you can use a store-bought brownie mix for these Christmas trees, but once you see how easy the recipe is—not to mention how much better it tastes—you might forgo the mix from now on.
Because these brownies are baked flat in a large pan, they can be cut out into different fun shapes, including Christmas trees. The simple triangles are decorated with green frosting, sprinkles, and a pretzel rod to mimic the tree trunk. They are fun Christmas treats to make with kids and are guaranteed to bring a smile to the faces of your holiday guests.
Ingredients
For the Brownies:
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3/4 cup all-purpose flour
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2 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder
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1 teaspoon baking powder
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1/2 teaspoon salt
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8 tablespoons (1/2 cup) unsalted butter
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1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
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1 cup sugar
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2 large eggs
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1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
For the Decorations:
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1 cup vanilla frosting
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Green food coloring
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Decorative holiday sprinkles
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12 pretzel sticks
Steps to Make It
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Gather the ingredients. Preheat the oven to 350 F.
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Butter and flour a 9 x 13 baking pan or line with parchment paper or aluminum foil and spray with non-stick cooking spray. Be sure to leave a 2-inch overhang on at least two sides to make the brownie easy to remove from the pan.
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Whisk together the flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, and salt in a bowl and set aside.
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Melt the butter and chocolate chips in a bowl set over a pot of simmering water, stirring frequently. Let cool slightly and stir in the sugar, eggs, and vanilla.
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Add the flour mixture and stir to combine. Pour the batter into the prepared pan and bake for 30 to 35 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out with just a few crumbs. Let the brownies cool completely before removing from the pan and use the foil or parchment overhang to help lift them out.
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Make two horizontal slices across the brownie, then make diagonal cuts to create the triangular tree shapes.
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In a small bowl, stir together the vanilla frosting and green food coloring. Start with about 5 drops of green food coloring, stir, and see if you like the shade or if you want to add a few more drops to get a deeper green color.
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Spoon the colored frosting into a disposable piping bag and slip off the tip. You can also use a regular kitchen zip-top plastic bag. Squeeze the frosting in a zig-zag pattern over each brownie tree.
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Insert a pretzel stick into the widest part of each tree to create the trunk and then top with your favorite holiday sprinkles.
Tips
- Although homemade from-scratch brownies taste best, you can use a boxed mix to save time and effort.
- Pour different kinds of colorful sprinkles into individual bowls and let the kids decide how to decorate their brownie trees.
| Nutrition Facts | |
|---|---|
| Servings: 12 | |
| Amount per serving | |
| Calories | 450 |
| % Daily Value* | |
| Total Fat 17g | 22% |
| Saturated Fat 8g | 42% |
| Cholesterol 51mg | 17% |
| Sodium 536mg | 23% |
| Total Carbohydrate 71g | 26% |
| Dietary Fiber 2g | 8% |
| Total Sugars 39g | |
| Protein 6g | |
| Vitamin C 1mg | 3% |
| Calcium 44mg | 3% |
| Iron 3mg | 15% |
| Potassium 147mg | 3% |
| *The % Daily Value (DV) tells you how much a nutrient in a food serving contributes to a daily diet. 2,000 calories a day is used for general nutrition advice. | |
