Decorated Christmas Brownie Trees

Christmas is all about the food, am I right? And these decorated Christmas brownie trees are all you need to turn a bad day into a perfect one. Why, you might ask? As a starter, try and find something cute that does not make it better. Secondly, try and find me a sweet little treat that cannot turn everything into a smile. I dare you, really. And these decorated Christmas brownie trees are too cute for words, easy to make and oh-so-delicious.

As I mentioned before, I bake – or even cook – when I am stressed and upset. And that has been a thing for a while now based on the simple idea that I am able to hide in a different world. Do any of you feel ever the same? Baking especially is my safe place – as you can see from most of the recipes on this blog! And as a result of plenty of moving stress, I hid in the kitchen to make these decorated Christmas brownie trees. Cristina did help, to be completely fair – she is the queen of piping in this house, as per the Christmas cookies from a couple of Christmases ago. Her poor wrist gave in quickly, but boy was she fast!

Easy Decorated Christmas Brownie Trees

These decorated Christmas brownie trees have the perfect Christmas feeling. They are easy to make and do not require much knowledge of baking. An easy, brilliant and fun project to do with the kids on a rainy weekend before the big day. One word of advice, though – share with your family, friends and neighbours because they are rich. Like, rich rich. Chocolate overload, for lack of a better word. The frosting, or buttercream, is of course extremely sweet, but the whole point here is how adorable these Christmas brownie trees are. The perfect holiday bake to whip up quickly and decorate as Christmas music is blasting through the house. Do not expect snow, that would be a little too picturesque and romantic!

Why should I bake these Christmas Tree Brownies?

I know what you are thinking right now, who in their right mind would even consider covering brownies with buttercream? Well, while I understand it is a sugar overload, they look extremely cute for a dessert buffet, if you have one. And if not, they are simply adorable and will be a great project to work on with your kids. I know I would have loved decorating this as a kid, a bit like I would have loved to decorate cookies with icing!

And with the right crowd, these brownie Christmas trees are going to be a great hit for sure! The colours, the decorations and the chocolate overload are going to be something you really do not want to miss. And your guests and kids will be forever grateful to you. Trust me!

Are these easy to bake?

As with anything you have seen done around here, we try and keep our recipes as easy as they can get. And these Christmas brownie trees are no different. The brownie recipe it’s literally one of the easiest – and tastiest! – we have ever made. They are fudgy and rich, which is what the perfect brownie should be. So we could not have these Christmas brownies be any different. But fear not, this is a matter of dumping ingredients in the bowl and mixing it with all the love and dedication you might have!

These Christmas brownie trees are all you will need this festive season, and we’re here to show you how simple they will be to whip up. Even a person who never bakes can make them, trust me. And we can’t claim this brownie recipe as our own, but it’s from the lovely Sarah at Broma Bakery. Definitely make sure to check out her blog and Instagram because it’s wild.

What ingredients do I need to make these Christmas Tree Brownies?

The Christmas tree brownies recipe calls for very much staple ingredients from your pantry. Make sure all of these are of the best quality as when it comes to brownies, all ingredients do matter. But let’s go in order because I tend to run wild when it comes to writing and I am sure all you need is the recipe here. Unsalted butter is first on the list. Best quality is extremely important, as the butter may not be the main character as the cocoa powder will be, but close enough. Fat is important, as you know, in every bake. And brownies are definitely no different.

So then we have brown sugar, eggs and flour, but also cocoa powder, vanilla and a pinch of salt. Balancing the sweetness with salt it’s just as important as it gets when you bake, so always add a pinch of salt!

How do I make these brownies?

First off, you will turn the oven on to warm up at 180°C and prepare a 20cm round pan (or 8” x 8” square pan) with some parchment paper at the bottom of it. You will then need to microwave and melt the butter, add the sugar and microwave it in 30 seconds intervals. This process will help to mix the sugar and butter well until the sugar is fully dissolved. Once the sugar is dissolved and the butter is melted, you will let the mixture cool slightly and only then add the eggs one at a time to combine. You do not want your eggs to scramble if the mixture is too hot!

Now you can sift in the cocoa powder, flour and salt, then add the vanilla and fold in until smooth. You can now pour it into the baking pan or tin of your choice and bake it for 35 minutes. This homemade brownie recipe is the only one you will need. No brownie mix will be able to be as good as this one! And while you would be able to add all the things you can think of, including chocolate chips, we went plain at this time.

Once the Christmas brownie trees are ready, make sure they cool completely before you cut and decorate. When you cut them, the edge will dry up a bit so make sure you prep them very last minute!

And what about the buttercream, what are the ingredients and how do I decorate them?

Just like anything else, I cannot stress how important is for the Christmas brownie trees to be fully cooled down before you can decorate them. The buttercream is the main decorative part, and because of it, you don’t want it to all melt off your brownies!

The ingredients you will need for the buttercream are butter and icing sugar, to start. Beating the butter with a standing mixer or hand mixer is mandatory at this point. The butter needs to go light and fluffy, and beating it by hand would be insane. Once you do that, you can add the icing sugar gradually half a cup at a time until you reach your desired consistency. It has to be firm enough to stand on a brownie, but also soft enough to be able to pipe it easily.

You can finally add the green food coloring, vanilla paste and cream and beat in until fully incorporated. You will add as much food colouring as long as you reach the perfect shade of green and then you are ready to transfer to a piping bag fitted with a nozzle and pipe it in single strips all up to the top! Decorate with the sprinkles and serve, nothing easier with these Christmas brownie trees!

Can I change anything in this recipe?

Aside from picking your favourite butter – yes, it’s a thing – and cocoa powder, I guess there is very little room for changes here. But, as you can see we have used cake pops stick to hold the brownies. Maybe not the nicest, admittedly, but we have also thought about how to solve that for your little Christmas trees! Candy canes are the way to go – a candy cane trunk is what makes these Christmas brownie trees even more Christmas-sy than ever before!

Decorated Christmas Brownie Trees

Simona

The most adorable little Christmas trees, but in brownie form! Decorated with a quick buttercream and Christmas sugary sprinkles, the best bake to do with your children this time of the year!

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Prep Time 20 minutes mins

Cook Time 35 minutes mins

Course Sweet

Cuisine American

Servings 6 brownies

Ingredients

  

• For the brownies
• 142 g unsalted butter
• 250 g light brown sugar
• 2 large eggs at room temperature
• 75 g cocoa powder
• ½ tsp salt
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 42 g flour
• For the buttercream & decoration
• 170 g unsalted butter cold
• 260 g-390g icing sugar
• 1 tsp vanilla paste
• 1 tbsp double cream
• pinch of salt
• green food colouring
• Christmas sprinkles

Instructions

 

• Turn the oven on to warm up at 180°C and prepare a 20cm round pan (or 8” x 8” square pan) with some parchment paper at the bottom of it.
• Microwave and melt the butter, then add the sugar and microwave it in 30 seconds intervals. Mix the sugar and butter well until the sugar is fully dissolved.
• Let the sugar and butter mixture cool slightly, then add the eggs one at a time and combine.
• Once all the eggs are incorporated, add the cocoa powder, salt and vanilla and fold in.
• Fold in the flour and pour into the tin of your choice.
• Bake for 35 minutes and let it cool completely before decorating.
• Once you are ready to decorate, cut the round brownie into 8 slices, then set them aside.
• Using your standing mixer or hand mixer, beat the cold butter cubes for 3-5 minutes, making sure you scrape the bowl down every so often. It needs to look light in colour and increased in volume.
• Now add the icing sugar, starting with 200g, and mix on low speed until it’s fully incorporated. You might need to keep adding more icing sugar until you reach your desired consistency, but make sure you add the cream and vanilla before you do so.
• Add the colouring and reach your desired shade of green, then transfer to a piping bag fitted with the piping nozzle of your choice and decorate each brownie slice. Add the sprinkles and serve them.

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Alas, it’s the end for the Christmas decorated brownie trees!

Did you enjoy this recipe? We have had so much fun baking these Christmas brownie trees and we hope you’ll have as much fun too!

If you fancy some more Christmas content, make sure you check out these posts:

• The Christmas Edit – A 2021 Summary
• The Best Stocking Stuffers For Cats

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