Chewy, chocolatey, and as cute as can be, Christmas Tree Brownies are the perfect treat to ring in the holidays!
I feel like brownies are the unsung heroes of the dessert world. Frost them, fill them with nuts, make a Brownie in a Cup as a dessert for one. They’re just SO versatile… and SO delicious!
As a self-proclaimed chocoholic, I will always say yes when offered a chewy brownie. Now you give me a chewy brownie shaped like an adorable Christmas tree and decorated with sweet icing? I’m sold. These Christmas brownies will be a hit amongst kids and adults alike!
CHRISTMAS TREE BROWNIES
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As I make it further and further into adulthood, I realize why everyone seems to make losing weight one of their New Year’s Resolutions. It’s because we spend the entire last 2 months of the year stuffing our faces with the most delicious food and drinks!
I basically treat the months of November and December as if I were a bear preparing for hibernation. No such thing as too many desserts, keep the cocktails pouring, and YES, I’ll have seconds of those mashed potatoes, please!
Yes, I do it every year, and NO, I do not intend to treat this year any differently. I will take ALL the sweets and other eats, especially these adorable brownies shaped like Christmas trees. I mean, you can’t say no to cute brownies, right?
Christmas tree brownies are the perfect holiday treat to make with your kids. They can be your little sous chefs – plenty of pouring, mixing, and decorating for everyone to join in on the fun. So, get out your aprons, throw on your favorite Christmas playlist, and start baking up some Christmas brownies!
Christmas Tree Brownie Ingredients
For these Christmas brownies, you’ll be making your brownie batter by hand. If you’re short on time, go ahead and use the boxed brownie mix. That being said, I promise you… this homemade version is so easy AND SOOOOO delicious!
Dark Chocolate – you want your chocolate to be at least 70% cacao. I use dark chocolate baking squares in so many recipes, so that’s usually what I have on hand. But, you can use the melting wafers as well if that’s what you’ve got! Just make sure it’s got a high cacao content – that’s what gives these Christmas tree brownies their decadent flavor!
Ground cinnamon – I’m giving away one of my secret ingredients for you here….you’re welcome! I always add some ground cinnamon to my brownies (even my box mix brownies). Cinnamon gives a very subtle, almost untraceable, flavor to brownies. But, it really helps highlight the chocolate and makes your brownies that much better!
Decorations – here’s where you can let your little ones help you out the most. Let them go crazy decorating their Christmas tree brownies. You’ll need some icing sugar, sprinkles, and biscuit sticks (for the tree trunks).
I used Pocky Almond & Chocolate biscuit sticks because I love the nutty crunch they give to the trees. You can also use pretzel sticks, popsicle sticks, or even candy canes trunks!
How to Make Christmas Tree Brownies
If you’ve got little ones who love to cook with you, this is the perfect holiday recipe to bake together. Just remember – yes, there will probably be a mess but there will also be memories made. 🙂
If your sous chefs are particularly young, I’d have them hold off on helping until the decorating part. Kind of like how you have to set up the tree first and put all the glass ornaments WAY up high before they can have a turn.
- For this particular recipe, I fully recommend getting into the Christmas spirit! Start by putting on your best Christmas tunes and singing as loud as you can. Then preheat your oven to 350 degrees F.
- Next, you’re going to prepare your dark chocolate. Put the chocolate and butter in a bowl and heat them in the microwave at a low setting. Melt gradually, stirring in between until smooth.
- In a large bowl, beat the eggs, sugar, and vanilla extract.
- In another bowl, sift the flour, baking powder, and salt. Sifting may seem like an extra “unnecessary” step, but as someone who has skipped it in the past, let me tell you it’s worth it! Sifting helps to lighten the flour and helps it to more evenly mix with your other dry ingredients.
- Next, pour the melted chocolate/butter mixture into the beaten eggs and whisk until well combined.
- Stir your buttery chocolate into the flour mixture and add ground cinnamon until just combined. Be sure to not over-mix your batter or your Christmas brownies will become tough!
- Now, pour your batter into a prepared pan. I use cooking spray AND parchment paper. You could also get away with lining the pan with foil and cooking spray. This makes it easier to remove and not lose any of those yummy edges!
- Bake in a 350 degree F oven for 20 minutes. When the brownies are ready the edges will be set but the middle will still be a little gooey. Leave the brownie to cool completely in the baking pan until they’re at room temperature.
- Now it’s time to assemble your Christmas trees! Remove the brownie from the tin and cut it into triangle shapes.
- Insert a chocolate biscuit stick to create a tree trunk. (Note: This is simply for decoration, the stick most likely won’t support the Christmas tree like a lollipop stick would.)
- Mix the icing sugar with 2-3 teaspoons of water. (If you want colored icing, add a few drops of food color.) Drizzle or pipe over the brownies and add sprinkles while the glaze is still wet. This is where your kids can go nuts – much like when they decorate the real tree! Let them decorate to their heart’s desire!
I keep piping bags on hand, but you could use a ziptop plastic bag with a corner cut off too. I’m all about keeping it easy!
How to Decorate Brownies for Christmas
The fun does not need to stop at just Christmas trees. Use your holiday imagination to make so many different Christmas brownie ideas!
One of the best things about brownies is how they hold up into whatever shape you cut them, so get creative. You can cut your brownies into simple squares and decorate them like gifts to go under your trees. Use cookie cutters to make candy cane brownies striped with red and white icing. You can cut circles and make tree ornaments decorated to your kids delight with all kinds of sprinkles!
Do you have the Christmas baking spirit? Try out some of these other great holiday treat recipes!
- Rocky Road Clusters
- Christmas Crack
- Spritz Cookies
- Peppermint Bark Meringues
- Peppermint Brownie Brittle
- more DESSERT recipes…
Tools used to make this Christmas Tree Brownies recipe
Microwave-safe bowls: I love this set of glass bowls, they’re classic and practical and can be used in the microwave!
Piping bags: while not totally necessary for frosting your Christmas tree brownies, a piping bag will help to make a beautiful icing drizzle .
Rubber spatula: every good baker needs a trusty rubber spatula!
Ingredients
- 1 cup dark chocolate
- ⅔ cup unsalted butter
- 3 eggs
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- ¾ cup all-purpose flour
- ¼ teaspoon baking powder
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon (optional)
Decoration
- 8 chocolate biscuit sticks (I used Pocky)
- ¾ cup powdered sugar
- 3 teaspoons water as needed
- Sprinkles
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Coat the inside of a square baking pan with non-stick cooking spray, line with parchment paper, and then spray again. Set aside.
- Put the chocolate and butter in a microwave-safe bowl. Heat in the microwave at a low setting for 1 minute and then stir. Repeat heating at 30-second intervals and then stirring until melted and smooth. Let cool while you prepare the other ingredients.
- In a large bowl, beat together eggs, sugar, and vanilla.
- In another bowl, sift together flour, baking powder, salt, and cinnamon.
- Pour the melted chocolate into the egg mixture. Mix to combine.
- Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients and mix until completely incorporated. Pour into your prepared baking pan.
- Bake for 20 minutes, or until the edges are set and the middle is still a little gooey. Remove from oven and cool in pan until room temperature.
- Use the parchment paper to lift the brownies from the pan. Cut the brownies into 8 triangles (see image). Place a biscuit stick into the bottom of each tree for the trunk.
- Pour the powdered sugar into a bowl and add 2 teaspoons of water. Whisk to combine. Add another teaspoon of water if needed. The icing should drizzle, but hold its shape.
- Pipe the icing over the brownie trees and add sprinkles while the icing is still wet. Let rest until icing set, and then enjoy!
Notes
Nutrition
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