These fudgy Easy Christmas Tree Brownies made from a brownie mix are delicious and simple to make. You only need a few ingredients and a little bit of time to make the brownies, cut into Christmas shapes, and then decorate them with homemade green buttercream icing and sprinkles to make these merry brownie Christmas trees.
Cookie season has officially arrived, but I’m giving a holiday twist on my favorite sweet treat – brownies! Trust me; these fudgy Christmas tree brownies are the simplest, yummiest desserts to take to your next Christmas party. Since they start with an boxed mix, you’ll save time so you can get to the fun part….decorating!
If you are planning any Christmas parties, these are great to make ahead of time and let each person decorate their own. Kids especially enjoy participating in fun holiday food crafts like this.
Ingredients for Brownie Christmas Trees
Chocolate brownie mix + ingredients from the box (water, oil, eggs) – I said simple, folks! Choose your favorite brand and follow the instructions.
Butter – Real butter is always better! This will make a delicious homemade buttercream frosting.
Powdered sugar – Mix with the butter to make the frosting sweet and smooth. This also acts as a thickening agent.
Milk – Whole milk will add flavor and creaminess to the frosting.
Vanilla flavoring – Use pure vanilla extract.
Green gel food coloring – It’s essential to make your brownie Christmas trees!
Christmas sprinkles – These will mimic Christmas tree lights. Fun, right?!
HOW TO MAKE CHRISTMAS TREE BROWNIES
Step 1: Choose your favorite boxed brownies and follow the directions.
TIP: You can’t go wrong with Betty Crocker’s Milk Chocolate Brownie Mix!
Step 2: Pour mixture into your 9×13 baking pan.
TIP: Use non-stick spray to keep the brownie from sticking to the pan.
Step 3: Next, mix your simple 4 ingredients in a large bowl to make your buttercream frosting from scratch.
Step 4: Stir in the green food coloring. Be sure to mix until there are no streaks! For these brownies a neon green food coloring was used, but a deep forest green would work!
Step 5: Use a sharp knife to cut the brownies into triangles. Then place the brownies on parchment paper for decorating. Use a piping bag to create a cute squiggle.
TIP: Allow the brownies to cool completely before cutting. You can speed up the process by placing the baking dish on a wire rack as soon as you remove the brownies from the oven.
Step 6: For an official brownie Christmas tree, you must add SPRINKLES! Voila! You have a most decadent treat for your next party.
How to Cut the Christmas Tree Brownies
For a lovely presentation, don’t skimp on these steps! I recommend cooling the brownies for at least one hour. Then, use cooking spray on both sides of your knife to help the blade cut more smoothly. Wipe the knife clean and respray between cuts. You can eyeball or measure, but make sure you know how many brownies you want and where you’ll cut before you start. The shapes don’t have to be perfect to look and taste delicious, but I recommend cutting off and discarding the rounded corners to be sure each piece is indeed a triangle. And by discarding, I mean eating while you work!
Tip: If you happen to have one handy, a plastic knife works really well to cut brownies. Even when I’m not cutting brownies into shapes, I still use a plastic knife.
How to decorate Christmas Tree Brownie Bites
A quick squiggle and Christmas sprinkles are all it takes to create the cutest Christmas tree brownies. If you’re feeling a lil “extra,” you can replace the sprinkles with crushed peppermint for a burst of flavor! A piece of peppermint stick could also be used as a tree trunk. Or, for something savory, a pretzel stick would make a great trunk, too!
TIPS FOR CHRISTMAS TREE BROWNIES
Keep it simple. Boxed brownies are delicious, but I do recommend elevating the dessert a bit by making homemade frosting. Let your children pick out the sprinkles and decorate. This final step is always my kiddos’ favorite part!
BROWNIE CHRISTMAS TREE VARIATIONS
Add chocolate chips to your brownie batter for extra-rich brownies. And by all means, use store-bought frosting of your choice, if you’d rather not make homemade. Also, while I suggest just a squiggle of frosting, you can frost your Christmas tree brownies as generously as you’d like.
Switch up the toppings! Add mini M &M’s to look like Christmas decorations or another favorite candy. You can vary the decorations any way you’d like to make these Christmas Tree Brownies your own. There is no wrong way to make them.
CAN THESE BE MADE AHEAD?
You can make these up to 3 days in advance.
How to store decorated Christmas Brownies
I recommend storing them at room temperature in a sealed container for 1-2 days or in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.
More Christmas Dessert Recipes:
- Easy Oreo Bark
- Fun with Kids! Easy Christmas Reminder Pretzels
- Rice Krispie Christmas Trees
- Old Fashioned Peanut Butter Balls
- Southern Buttermilk Pie Recipe
- No Bake Candy Cane Pie with Oreo Crust
More Christmas Tree Dessert Ideas:
Easy Brownie Christmas Trees from a Mix
Ingredients
- 1 Box milk chocolate brownie mix + ingredients from the box
- 1 ½ Sticks of butter (¾ cup softened)
- 3 cups Powdered sugar
- 3 tbsp. Milk
- 1 tsp. Vanilla flavoring
- Green gel food coloring
- Christmas sprinkles
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Coat a 9x13-inch baking pan with non-stick spray to prepare for the brownie mix.
- Prepare the brownie batter according to the box directions.
- Pour the mixture into the pan and bake according to the time recommendation on the box.
- Place the pan of brownies on a wire rack and allow the brownies to cool completely. If you don't have one, you could set the brownie pan on a trivet so that air can circulate around the pan to help them cool faster.
- Once the brownies have cooled, cut your brownie pieces into the shape of triangles by cutting the entire pan of brownies in half lengthwise. Then, divide the halves into triangles. Cut the rounded corners off and discard (AKA eat right away!).
- Remove the triangle brownies from the pan and place them on parchment paper to decorate!
- Begin preparing the frosting.
- Use a mixer to beat the sticks of butter until smooth and creamy.
- Add powdered sugar and beat to combine the sugar and butter until thoroughly mixed and fluffy.
- Add pure vanilla extract and 1-2 tbsp of whole milk. Mix to combine.
- Add the last tbsp of milk, if necessary, to create your desired consistency.
- Add a generous amount of green food coloring and mix completely. Add more until you reach your desired shade of green. If the frosting becomes too thin, add 2 tbsp of powdered sugar at a time to thicken it. Do this again until the frosting thickens to your desired consistency.
- To decorate, add a squiggle of green frosting to your tree brownies, and top them with Christmas sprinkles of your choice!
Nutrition