Description
Delight in these festive Christmas Tree Brownie Bites, combining fudgy boxed brownies with creamy, homemade green buttercream frosting piped into a charming tree shape, perfect for holiday celebrations and easy enough for all ages to enjoy.
Ingredients
Scale
Brownie Base
- 1 box brownie mix (plus ingredients called for on the back of the box, usually water, eggs, oil)
Buttercream Frosting
- 1 cup unsalted butter, softened to room temperature
- 3-4 cups powdered sugar
- 3-4 tablespoons heavy cream
- 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- Green food coloring
Decoration
- Holiday sprinkles
Instructions
- Preheat and Prepare Pan: Preheat your oven to 350°F (175°C) and grease a mini cupcake pan thoroughly with nonstick spray to prevent sticking. Set aside.
- Make Brownies: Prepare the brownie mix according to the instructions on the box, usually combining the mix with required water, eggs, and oil. Fill each mini cupcake cavity about two-thirds full with the batter.
- Bake Brownies: Bake the brownies for 15 to 17 minutes until the edges are firm but the centers remain slightly soft without being gooey. This ensures a fudgy texture perfect for bites.
- Indent Brownies: Once baked, remove the pan from the oven and immediately use the back of a rounded teaspoon to gently press into the center of each brownie to create a small well for frosting. Allow them to cool in the pan for 10 minutes.
- Cool Completely: Use a paring knife to carefully loosen each brownie from the pan, then transfer to a wire rack to cool fully before frosting to prevent melting the buttercream.
- Make Buttercream: In a mixing bowl fitted with a paddle attachment, cream the softened butter on low speed until pale and creamy. Gradually add 3 cups of powdered sugar and 3 tablespoons of heavy cream alternately, mixing on low speed over approximately 3 minutes. Adjust consistency by adding remaining powdered sugar for stiffer frosting or more cream for thinner frosting.
- Add Flavor and Color: Mix in the vanilla extract, salt, and green food coloring. Increase mixer speed to high and whip the frosting for 2 minutes until fluffy and smooth.
- Pipe Frosting: Fill a piping bag fitted with a large star tip with the green buttercream. Pipe onto each cooled brownie with a back-and-forth twisting motion to create a Christmas tree shape.
- Decorate: Sprinkle holiday sprinkles on top of the piped frosting to add festive colors and textures.
Notes
- These Christmas Tree Brownie Bites cleverly combine easy boxed brownies with homemade buttercream frosting, making a quick yet impressive holiday treat.
- The frosting consistency can be adjusted by varying powdered sugar and cream amounts to achieve your preferred piping texture.
- Using a mini cupcake pan helps create uniform, bite-sized treats ideal for parties or gift boxes.
- If desired, add food-safe glitter or other festive edible decorations to enhance their holiday appearance.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 brownie bite
- Calories: 180
- Sugar: 20g
- Sodium: 90mg
- Fat: 9g
- Saturated Fat: 5g
- Unsaturated Fat: 3g
- Trans Fat: 0g
- Carbohydrates: 25g
- Fiber: 1g
- Protein: 2g
- Cholesterol: 25mg
