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Christmas Tree Brownies

Christmas tree brownies are cut from a fudgy chocolate slab and decorated with piped green icing, pretzel trunks, and red and green sprinkles. Chill the brownies before cutting for cleaner tree shapes.
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Prep Time 20 minutes
Cook Time 34 minutes
Chilling and setting 50 minutes
Total Time 1 hour 44 minutes
Servings: 12 servings
Course: Dessert
Cuisine: American
Calories: 500
Ingredients Equipment Method Notes

Ingredients
  

For the brownies
  • cooking spray nonstick
  • 1 cup unsalted butter
  • 8 oz unsweetened chocolate chopped
  • 2 cups granulated sugar
  • 4 eggs large
  • 1 tsp vanilla extract
  • 1.5 cups all-purpose flour
  • 0.5 tsp kosher salt
For the icing
  • 2 cups confectioners' sugar
  • 2 tbsp milk 2-3 tablespoons
  • 0.5 tsp vanilla extract
  • 0.25 tsp green gel food coloring plus more as needed
For decorating
  • 12 pretzel sticks
  • 2 tbsp sprinkles red and green

Equipment

  • 1 9x13-inch baking pan

Method
 

Bake the brownies
  1. Heat the oven to 350°F. Grease a 9x13-inch baking pan with nonstick cooking spray, line it with parchment paper with overhanging edges, and grease the parchment.
  2. Melt the butter and chocolate in a microwave-safe bowl in 30-second increments, stirring between each, until smooth; cool for 5 minutes.
  3. Whisk the sugar into the chocolate mixture, then whisk in the eggs one at a time and the vanilla.
  4. Fold in the flour and salt just until no dry streaks remain.
  5. Spread the batter evenly in the pan.
  6. Bake for 28-34 minutes, until the edges are set and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out with a few moist crumbs.
  7. Cool completely in the pan.
  8. Refrigerate the brownie slab for 30 minutes.
  9. Lift it out using the parchment and cut 12 trees with a 2 1/2-inch tree-shaped cookie cutter.
Make the icing
  1. Whisk the confectioners' sugar, 2 tablespoons milk, vanilla, and green food coloring until smooth, adding the remaining milk a teaspoon at a time until the icing is thick enough to pipe.
Decorate
  1. Spoon the icing into a piping bag or a zip-top bag with a corner snipped off, then pipe a zigzag over each brownie.
  2. Press a pretzel stick into the base of each tree for a trunk, snapping the sticks to fit if needed.
  3. Add sprinkles.
  4. Let the icing set for 20 minutes.

Notes

For clean tree shapes, chill the brownie slab well before cutting. Store in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 4 days; freezer-friendly. For a dairy-free variation, use plant-based butter, dairy-free chocolate, and plant milk.