This is the cutest and easiest Christmas dessert recipe! Christmas Tree Brownie Bites are festive brownies decorated with tall buttercream trees. They are fun to make and even more fun to eat.
Christmas time is the best time when it comes to making fun themed desserts. I love putting on some loud holiday music and baking and decorating for an afternoon with my family. These Christmas brownies are a really simple dessert to make, and they are super impressive when added to a cookie tray.
More fun cookie recipes for Christmas include these Grinch Cookies (they’re made with a cake mix, and super easy), Grinch Sugar Cookie Bars, and Meringue Pop Cookies that look like santa hats.
Christmas Tree Brownie bites start with a boxed brownie mix and a homemade buttercream frosting tops them off. Decorate with your favorite Christmas sprinkles!
Want another easy brownie recipe? Try my Caramel Cake Mix Brownie, it’s the best thing ever!
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Why You’ll Love This Recipe
- Semi-Homemade: No need to make brownies from scratch when a boxed mix is just as delicious and super simple.
- Bite Sized: A mini muffin pan makes little brownie bites that are perfectly round and small enough to eat in 2 bites. Plus, making brownies this way makes them all edges, which is my favorite part.
- Fun and Festive: Green frosting is piped into perfect Christmas tree shapes that are decorated with your favorite fun sprinkles. Kids will love helping to decorate these.
Key Ingredients
Complete list of ingredients with quantities and instructions is located in the recipe card below
- Brownie Mix: Use your favorite. I used a Ghirardelli double chocolate mix which is 18 ounces. You may get more or less batter using a different brand. You’ll also need the ingredients that the mix calls for which are usually oil, water, and eggs.
- Unsalted Butter: The base of our green frosting is butter. Unsalted butter is preferred for making frosting, as we want it to be sweet, and the amount of salt in salted butter is unpredictable.
- Powdered Sugar: This mixes with the butter to make a sweet, creamy buttercream frosting.
- Heavy Cream: Just a few tablespoons help to get the frosting to the right consistency for piping.
- Vanilla Extract: This stuff is magic when it comes to baked goods. The warm, sweet flavor of vanilla goes perfectly with the chocolate brownies.
- Food Coloring and Sprinkles: We’re making our trees green with a bit of food coloring. Wilton gel color in leaf green is the perfect Christmas tree color. Choose your favorite Holiday Sprinkles. Grab some gold star sprinkles to put on the top if you can.
How to Make Brownie Christmas Trees
- Bake Brownie Bites: Preheat the oven to 350°F/180°C and grease a mini muffin/cupcake pan with non-stick spray. Prepare the brownie mix according to the instructions on the box and fill each cupcake cavity ⅔ full with the batter. Bake for 15-17 minutes until the edges are firm.
- Cool Brownies: Remove the pan from the oven and use the back of a rounded spoon to indent the center of each brownie to create cups. Let the brownies cool in the pan for 10 minutes, then remove them to a wire rack to cool completely.
- Make Frosting: Cream the butter on low speed in a stand mixer with a paddle attachment or a hand mixer until it is pale and creamy. Slowly add in 3 cups of powdered sugar and 3 tbsp of heavy cream a little at a time, alternating between each. Mix on low for about 3 minutes. Add more sugar or more cream to get the frosting to the desired consistency.
- Finish Frosting: Add vanilla, salt, and food coloring, and whip on high speed for two minutes until well combined.
- Pipe Trees and Decorate: Fill a piping bag fitted with a large closed star tip with the frosting. Pipe the frosting into the cooled brownie cups, twisting back and forth to make a Christmas tree shape. Decorate with sprinkles.
Tip: Let the brownies cool completely! If you try to add icing to warm brownies, the icing will melt.
Tips and Tricks
- Indent the Brownies: Use a rounded teaspoon to create a space in the center of each brownie. This turns them into cups that will hold the icing much better than a flat surface will.
- Add Sprinkles Quickly: Once piped, the icing will start to form a crust on the outside. If you wait too long, the sprinkles won’t stick, so add them right away.
- Prep the pan: Cooking spray is a must when making mini brownies, it gets them to release from the pan so easily. If your brownies need more help getting out of the pan, use the tip of a sharp knife to loosen them.
FAQs
These little brownies are delicate with their tall buttercream trees! Carefully place them into an airtight container and store them at room temperature. A cupcake carrier or cake carrier works really well to store these since they are tall like cupcakes. Eat within 5 days for best results.
Nope, no strawberries here. Making these without any fruit under the frosting makes them last longer, and I like the flavor of the rich chocolate brownie with the sweet vanilla frosting without interference.
You really can use any type of sprinkles that you have on hand, or extras from your other Christmas cookie projects. I like these star sprinkles for the tops of the trees, and using nonpareils as tiny ornaments.
More Delicious Holiday Dessert Recipes
- Chocolate Lasagna is a no-bake layered dessert that is perfect for the holidays.
- These Ricotta Cookies are a traditional Christmas cookie that’s soft and sweet.
- Make these Stacked Christmas Tree Cookies for the best holiday cookie ever!
Enjoy these easy Christmas brownies with buttercream trees! Make an afternoon of holiday memories baking and decorating these fun treats.
Christmas Tree Brownie Bites
Equipment
- Mini muffin pan
- Pipping bag
Ingredients
- 1 box brownie mix plus ingredients called for on the back of the box (usually water, eggs, oil), Note 1
- 1 cup unsalted butter softened to room temp
- 3-4 cups powdered sugar
- 3-4 tablespoons heavy cream
- 1 tablespoon pure vanilla extract
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- Green food coloring
- Holiday sprinkles
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350°F/180°C and grease a mini muffin/cupcake pan with non-stick spray.
- Prepare the brownie mix according to the instructions on the box and fill each cupcake cavity ⅔ full with the batter. Bake for 15-17 minutes until the edges are firm.
- Remove the pan from the oven and use the back of a rounded spoon to indent the center of each brownie to create cups. Let the brownies cool in the pan for 10 minutes, then remove them to a wire rack to cool completely.
To Make Frosting:
- Cream the butter on low speed in a stand mixer with a paddle attachment or a hand mixer until it is pale and creamy. Slowly add in 3 cups of powdered sugar and 3 tablespoons of heavy cream a little at a time, alternating between each. Mix on low for about 3 minutes. Add more sugar or more cream to get the frosting to the desired consistency.
- Add vanilla, salt, and food coloring, and whip on high speed for two minutes until well combined.
To Decorate:
- Fill a piping bag fitted with a large closed star tip with the frosting. Pipe the frosting into the cooled brownie cups, twisting back and forth to make a Christmas tree shape. Decorate with sprinkles.
Notes
- Brownie Mix: Use your favorite. I used a Ghirardelli double chocolate mix which is 18 ounces.
- Let the brownies cool completely. If you try to add icing to warm brownies, the frosting will melt.
- Storing: These little brownies are delicate with their tall buttercream trees! Carefully place them into an airtight container and store them at room temperature. A cupcake carrier or cake carrier works really well to store these since they are tall like cupcakes. Eat within 5 days for best results.
Nutrition
This website provides approximate nutrition information for convenience and as a courtesy only. Nutrition data is gathered primarily from the USDA Food Composition Database, whenever available, or otherwise other online calculators.
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