Description
Celebrate the festive season with these Easy Christmas Tree Brownies, a delightful holiday treat that transforms classic brownies into charming Christmas trees. Made from a simple boxed brownie mix and decorated with green vanilla icing, sprinkles, and candy canes as tree trunks, these brownies are perfect for holiday parties or a fun family baking activity.
Ingredients
Scale
Brownie Base
- 1 box Brownie Mix
- Cooking spray, for greasing pan
Decorations
- 1 tub white vanilla icing (approximately 16 oz)
- Green food colouring, enough to tint icing to desired shade
- Small round sprinkles, as needed
- Small star sprinkles, 12 for tree toppers
- Candy canes, 12 pieces (for trunks, cut into 1.5″ lengths)
Instructions
- Prepare the Pan: Line an 8″x8″ baking pan with aluminum foil, ensuring the foil extends beyond edges for easy brownie removal. Spray the foil surface lightly with cooking spray to prevent sticking.
- Mix and Bake Brownies: Prepare the brownie mix according to the package instructions. Pour the batter into the prepared pan and bake as directed on the box, usually around 25-30 minutes. Bake until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out with a few moist crumbs.
- Cool Completely: Remove brownies from the oven and allow them to cool completely in the pan for about 1.5 hours to firm up for easier cutting and decorating.
- Cut Brownie Triangles: Using the foil edges, lift the brownies out of the pan. Place on a cutting board and cut into three equal rows horizontally. Then, cut each row diagonally in alternating directions to form triangle shapes resembling Christmas trees (approximately 12 triangles total).
- Prepare Candy Cane Trunks: Unwrap candy canes and carefully cut or break them into 1.5-inch pieces using a sharp knife. These will serve as the tree trunks.
- Attach Candy Cane Trunks: Press the sharper end of each candy cane piece firmly into the bottom center of each brownie triangle to resemble a tree trunk.
- Color the Icing: Spoon out about half the tub of vanilla icing into a small bowl. Add green food colouring gradually, mixing until you achieve a vibrant Christmas tree green.
- Prepare Icing for Piping: Transfer the green icing into a zip lock bag, seal it tightly, and snip off a small corner to create a piping bag.
- Decorate the Trees: Starting at the top of each brownie triangle, gently squeeze the bag to pipe icing in curvy zigzag lines down the triangle to mimic tree branches.
- Add Sprinkles and Star Toppers: While the icing is still wet, sprinkle small round sprinkles across the icing for ornaments. Place one small star sprinkle at the top of each tree to finish.
- Serve and Enjoy: Allow the icing to set slightly before serving. Enjoy your festive Christmas tree brownies with family and friends!
Notes
- This recipe uses a boxed brownie mix for convenience, but you can substitute with your favorite homemade brownie recipe.
- Ensure brownies are completely cooled before cutting to avoid crumbling.
- Be careful when cutting candy canes, as they can be brittle and sharp.
- Customize sprinkles and colors to your holiday theme preferences.
- These brownies are perfect for holiday parties, school events, or gifting during Christmas season.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 brownie (approximately)
- Calories: 250 kcal
- Sugar: 20 g
- Sodium: 150 mg
- Fat: 12 g
- Saturated Fat: 4 g
- Unsaturated Fat: 6 g
- Trans Fat: 0 g
- Carbohydrates: 30 g
- Fiber: 2 g
- Protein: 3 g
- Cholesterol: 25 mg
