Christmas Tree Brownies
User Reviews
5
Christmas Tree Brownies
Description
The brownies are prepared by melting butter and semisweet chocolate chips, then whisking in sugar, eggs, vanilla, salt, and flour to create a rich, chocolate batter. After baking in a foil-lined pan, the brownies are cooled and chilled before being cut into 16 triangular pieces, forming the shape of small Christmas trees.
Each brownie tree is decorated by inserting straight candy cane pieces as trunks and frosting generously with green buttercream. Rainbow sprinkles and gold star candies add festive highlights reminiscent of ornaments and lights, enhancing the holiday atmosphere of the treat.
These brownies serve well as a holiday dessert or treat for children and adults alike, combining dependable chocolate flavor and a creamy frosting to balance texture and sweetness. The candy canes provide a crunchy counterpoint to the moist brownie and soft frosting.
The included basic buttercream frosting recipe is straightforward and allows adjustment of color intensity and consistency to decorate the brownies to your liking.
Ingredients
For the brownies:
- cooking spray
- 1/2 cup butter
- 8 ounces semisweet chocolate chips
- 1 1/2 cups granulated sugar
- 4 egg
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 3/4 cup all-purpose flour
For the decorations:
- 16 candy cane small
- 16 sprinkle gold star or candies
- 1/3 cup Rainbow sprinkles
- 2 cups green frosting homemade or store bought, a basic homemade frosting recipe is provided in the notes section
Instructions
For the brownies
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Line a 9"x13" pan with foil and coat with cooking spray.
- Place the butter and chocolate chips into a large bowl. Melt in microwave - heat for 30 second intervals and stir between each interval until butter and chocolate are melted and thoroughly combined.
- Stir in the sugar, then stir in the eggs, one at a time, whisking until smooth after each addition.
- Stir in the vanilla extract. Gently fold in the salt and flour.
- Pour the batter into the prepared pan and bake for 25-30 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the brownies comes out clean.
- Cool the brownies to room temperature, then chill for at least 30 minutes.
- Using the edges of the foil, remove the slab of brownie from the pan. Using a sharp knife, cut the brownies into 16 triangles.
For the decorations
- Snap the curved parts off the candy canes and insert the straight parts of the candy canes into the bottom of the brownies.
- Place the frosting in a piping bag fitted with a plain or star tip, or resealable plastic bag with the tip snipped off. Pipe approximately 1 1/2 tablespoons of frosting onto each brownie.
- Place a star sprinkle at the top of each brownie, then add rainbow sprinkles all over each brownie.
- Serve, or store, covered, in the refrigerator for up to one day.
Notes
- The buttercream frosting is made by beating softened unsalted butter until fluffy, gradually adding powdered sugar, vanilla extract, and milk or cream, then coloring with green food coloring gel.
- Adjust frosting consistency by adding more powdered sugar for thickness or more milk for thinness to suit piping or spreading.
- Chill brownies before cutting to get clean edges for the triangular Christmas tree shapes.
Nutrition Information
Show DetailsNutrition Facts
Serving: 16Serving
Amount Per Serving
Calories 257 kcal
% Daily Value*
| Calories | 257kcal | 13% |
| Carbohydrates | 33g | 11% |
| Protein | 2g | 4% |
| Fat | 12g | 18% |
| Saturated Fat | 7g | 35% |
| Cholesterol | 57mg | 19% |
| Sodium | 68mg | 3% |
| Potassium | 101mg | 2% |
| Fiber | 1g | 4% |
| Sugar | 27g | 54% |
| Vitamin A | 245IU | 5% |
| Calcium | 18mg | 2% |
| Iron | 1.4mg | 8% |
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet.
User Reviews
Overall Rating
5
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