Easy Homemade Christmas Tree Brownies Recipe (2024)

Sometimes the simplest ideas are the best. These Christmas tree brownies are really easy to make and decorate, but the finished results look so effective and would definitely be a hit on the Christmas party holiday table.

You can make this easy Christmas dessert by using your favourite homemade brownies recipe, or by using a box mix if you want the quickest and easiest version.

The holidays are an especially busy time for many of us, and it can be hard to find the time to bake a batch of complicated festive desserts. But no worries! With this super simple recipe, you can whip up a tasty batch of Christmas tree brownies in no time.

Kids will enjoy decorating these too, and adding their own personal touches.

CHRISTMAS TREE BROWNIES

Easy Homemade Christmas Tree Brownies Recipe (1)

Recipe Yield:

In total, this recipe makes about 8-10 Christmas tree brownies so you can either halve the recipe or even double it if you need more

Time needed:

1 Hour including baking and decorating

These are simple brownies with a few Christmas touches to make them extra festive. This recipe is especially great because it only requires one bowl and one pan!

Check out the ingredients below and give this recipe a try.

Ingredients:

Easy Homemade Christmas Tree Brownies Recipe (2)

Brownie Ingredients:

1 x boxed brownie mix (including the required vegetable oil, water & eggs) or your favourite brownie recipe. We used Betty Crocker Fudge brownie mix.

A basic brownie recipe typically requires:

  • 1 cup butter
  • 2 cups white sugar or brown sugar
  • 1/2 cup cocoa powder
  • 1 tsp vanilla extract
  • 1.5 cups of flour (all purpose flour for best results)
  • 1/2 tsp baking powder
  • 1/2 tsp salt
  • 4 eggs
  • Chocolate Chips – Optional to add to the brownie mixture.

To decorate:

1 cup frosting

Food coloring (You can use any colors that you choose for the garland but for the most festive Christmas tree brownies, we would recommend green food coloring)

Candies and or sprinkles to decorate (red and green smarties work great)

Other supplies needed:

Ziplock bag or pastry bag for piping out the frosting.

Directions: Let’s get ready to make this sweet treat for the holiday season!

Prepare the brownie batter in a large bowl, heat oven and pour batter into a prepared pan – greased, using butter or cooking spray. If you like, you can line the pan with aluminum foil

Bake your brownies as directed on the package directions on the boxed mix or use your favourite fudgy brownies recipe.

After around 25 minutes in the oven, you’ll have a tray full of brownies ready to be decorated into cute little brownie christmas trees that will make your holiday spirit so much brighter!

Allow brownies to cool at room temperature, and gently remove and lift brownies from the baking pan using a rubber spatula, and place onto parchment paper.

Divide the brownies by cutting a straight line down the center horizontally. Cut off hard edges and then cut triangles out of each half to create the trees. This is so easy, you do not need cookie cutters or any special equipment to create the tree shapes.

This method is so easy, all you need is a sharp knife and you will want to create basic triangle shapes. The bottom of each brownie triangle will be short side and there will be two longer sides, creating the effect of a tree.

It is so simple – you can’t get it wrong.

Each triangular piece will become one of the little Christmas trees.

Easy Homemade Christmas Tree Brownies Recipe (3)

Now, moving on to the frosting. You can use whichever type of frosting you prefer, from vanilla frosting, cream cheese frosting, American buttercream frosting or if you prefer you can use basic white icing made with icing sugar and water.

In a small bowl, mix food coloring into frosting until you reach desired shade of green frosting. Spoon the frosting into a piping bag or alternatively you can use a zip lock bag / sandwich bag with the tip cut off from the corner of the bag using sharp scissors.

Make sure to have the brownies on a flat surface, and draw the decorative garland onto trees using curvy zigzag lines

Easy Homemade Christmas Tree Brownies Recipe (4)

Decorate the trees with candies and sprinkles. You could try adding a little star to the top of the brownies to create a star tip or even a little angel on top of the Christmas tree if you find mini Christmas angel candies.

For a simpler result try adding green sprinkles or sprinkling powdered sugar on top. You can also sprinkle crushed candy canes or peppermint sticks, to add flavour and colour.

Easy Homemade Christmas Tree Brownies Recipe (5)

Get the kids involved and have everyone join in to decorate their own trees!

Enjoy these adorable brownies and get the holiday spirit in full swing! The best part is spending time together with loved ones, family or friends, eating this delicious food together and having so much fun in each other’s company.

I hope you enjoy these Christmas tree brownies as much as we did!

More Christmas recipes – Enjoy these fun ideas for this special time of year

You might also like these ideas:

Chocolate Rudolph Cake

Christmas Star Sandwiches

Santa hat Cheesecakes

The Ultimate Collection of 85 Christmas Cookie Recipes

Avocado dip Christmas Trees

Christmas Tree Cupcakes

Reindeer Brownies

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Easy Homemade Christmas Tree Brownies Recipe (6)

Easy Homemade Christmas Tree Brownies Recipe (7)

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Anna Marikar, mum of four and seasoned blogger, has spent over a decade sharing her parenting journey and passion for kid-friendly crafts and free printables.
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Easy Homemade Christmas Tree Brownies Recipe (2024)

FAQs

What not to do when making brownies? ›

Common Brownie Fails
  1. Too Cakey: over cooked, or too much flour.
  2. Too Gooey: under cooked, or not enough flour.
  3. Too Bitter: wrong balance of chocolate and fat.
  4. Too Greasy: too much fat or fat didn't melt with chocolate sufficiently.
  5. Lack flavour: not enough sugar or chocolate, too much flour.

How to make box brownies seem homemade? ›

You can make several substitutions to help improve a boxed brownie mix and make it taste homemade. One change is to use milk or heavy cream instead of water. This change will make brownies more moist and gooey since milk is more fatty and flavorful than water. A second change is to use butter instead of oil.

What does adding an extra egg to brownie mix do? ›

If you opt to add more eggs, say double the amount, something interesting happens. Even though you are adding more moisture, the air bubbles that you catch in the extra eggs add volume, which decreases the density of your final product. This makes your brownies rise and gives them a much more cake-like texture.

How to jazz up boxed brownies? ›

Try swirling in half of a cup of strawberry jam or caramel sauce into the batter. To do this, once you have your batter into your pan, add two to three spoonfuls of jam or sauce in separate corners. Then, swirl your spoon all around to mix that delicious flavor into each bite.

What makes brownies cakey vs fudgy? ›

Fudgy brownies have a higher fat-to-flour ratio than cakey ones. So add more fat—in this case, butter and chocolate. A cakey batch has more flour and relies on baking powder for leavening. The amount of sugar and eggs does not change whether you're going fudgy or cakey.

Can I skip parchment paper for brownies? ›

Grease the Pan: Greasing the baking pan with butter, oil, or a cooking spray is a common alternative to parchment paper.

What happens if you use milk instead of water in brownie mix? ›

Brownie recipes traditionally call for water as it serves as a neutral liquid that hydrates the dry ingredients. However, using milk instead of water can impart a creamier texture and richer flavor to your brownies. The milk's fat content adds a smoothness that water cannot provide, resulting in a more indulgent treat.

How much butter instead of oil in brownies? ›

Replacing Oil with Butter

It couldn't be easier to substitute butter for oil using a 1:1 ratio. This should work with olive, canola, vegetable, and coconut oils. Simply melt and cool the butter to room temperature, then continue with your recipe. (If the recipe calls for ½ cup oil, use ½ cup melted and cooled butter.)

Can I use olive oil instead of vegetable oil for brownies? ›

Yes, you can use olive oil in brownies!

Olive oil has been gaining popularity in recent years as a substitute for butter and other vegetable oils in baked goods. Not only is it delicious but a healthy alternative cooking fat that can be used in most traditional baking recipes.

Is it better to use milk or water in brownie mix? ›

Use Milk Instead of Water

We've encountered mixes in which water is the only liquid. Replace it with a richer, more flavorful liquid, such as milk, buttermilk or coconut milk. The extra fat from the milk will turn a normal box of brownies into a moist and gooey treat.

Does chilling brownie batter make it better? ›

Flavor-wise, the ones baked from refrigerated batter did taste a little more intense — richer, more chocolate-y.

Should brownie batter sit before baking? ›

Though making brownie batter in advance is possible, it has to be done in a specific way to prevent spoiling. Because most brownie recipes call for eggs, the batter shouldn't sit out for longer than two hours before baking.

How do you doctor up Betty Crocker brownie mix? ›

This is Betty Crocker Fudge brownies made cake-like.
  1. Use milk or buttermilk instead of water. It will add richness and flavor to the brownies.
  2. Replace canola or vegetable oil with butter. Brownies have a lot of oil in them which is what helps them to be moist and stay moist. ...
  3. Add a tablespoon of instant espresso powder.
Oct 28, 2022

What can you add to your brownie mix to pump up the chocolate flavor? ›

Add coffee or instant espresso powder to your brownies for an even deeper, more complex chocolate flavor. Swirl them with peanut butter, cream cheese, or even pumpkin filling to mix things up. Mix in nuts, add a marshmallow topping, or spread on your favorite frostings for fun, simple, or seasonal twists.

How to decorate brownies easy? ›

Sprinkled chocolate chips or chopped candy look great as a brownie topping. Use a candy like M&M's to give your brownies a pop of color. Alternatively, add licorice or candy corn for a fun decorative look.

References

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