Easy Christmas Brownies with Reindeer, Snowmen & Christmas Trees

I don’t think you can ever have too many fun Christmas treats, especially ones that don’t need you to be particularly good at decorating! These Christmas brownies are really simple to make, but once you add the frosting, sprinkles, and little decorations, they look so cute and festive.

The brownies themselves are made from scratch and are lovely and chocolatey with that chewy brownie texture that makes it very difficult to stop at just one. Once they’ve completely cooled, you simply cut them into triangles and then comes the fun part – turning them into Christmas trees, reindeer, and snowmen.

This is also a lovely recipe to make with the kids over the holidays because there really isn’t a right or wrong way to decorate them. Put out a few bowls of frosting, sprinkles, pretzels, and whatever other Christmas decorations you have and let everyone make their own. They might not all look perfect, but I think that makes them even more fun!

Equipment

• 8×8-inch baking pan
• Parchment paper
• Large mixing bowl
• Spoon or spatula
• Small saucepan or microwave-safe bowl for melting the chocolate
• Sharp knife
• Piping bags and tips (optional)

Ingredients

• Butter – Gives the brownies that lovely rich flavor and helps keep them soft and chewy.

• Semi-sweet chocolate chips – These are melted with the butter to give the brownies plenty of chocolate flavor.

• Vanilla extract – Just a teaspoon adds a little extra sweetness and flavor to the brownies.

• Milk – Helps bring everything together and keeps the brownie batter nice and smooth.

• White sugar – Adds the sweetness and helps give the brownies their chewy texture.

• All-purpose flour – Regular all-purpose flour is all you need for these brownies.

• Cocoa powder – Adds even more rich chocolate flavor alongside the melted chocolate chips.

• Baking powder – Just a little helps give the brownies some lift without making them too cakey.

For Decorating

• Twisted pretzels – Break these in half and they make the cutest little reindeer antlers.

• Chocolate frosting – Perfect for turning some of your brownie triangles into reindeer.

• Vanilla frosting – Use this as it is for the snowmen or color it green for the Christmas trees.

• Eyeball sprinkles – An easy way to give your reindeer their little faces without having to pipe the eyes yourself.

• Green food coloring – Mix a little into the vanilla frosting for the Christmas trees, although you can leave the frosting white and use green sprinkles instead.

• Orange jimmies – These make really easy little carrot noses for your snowmen.

• Sugar pearls and sprinkles – Use black ones for the snowmen’s eyes, mouths, and buttons, then bring out any colorful ones you have for decorating the Christmas trees.

Recipe Instructions

Full measurements and cooking times can be found in the recipe card at the bottom of this post.

Step 1: Preheat the oven to 350°F and line an 8×8-inch baking pan with parchment paper.

Step 2: Add the butter and chocolate chips to a small saucepan and melt over medium-low heat, stirring regularly until smooth. You can also melt them in the microwave in 15–30 second intervals, stirring well after each one.

Step 3: Add the flour, sugar, cocoa powder, and baking powder to a large mixing bowl and stir to combine. Pour in the melted butter and chocolate mixture, then add the vanilla and milk. Stir everything together until you have a smooth brownie batter.

Step 4: Pour the brownie batter into your prepared pan and spread it out evenly. Bake for around 45 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.

Step 5: Leave the brownies to cool completely in the pan before removing and cutting them.

Step 6: Cut the brownies in half vertically and then horizontally to make four sections. Cut each section diagonally to give you 8 triangle-shaped brownies.

Step 7: Now for the fun part! Frost each brownie depending on which Christmas design you’re making. Use vanilla frosting for the snowmen, chocolate frosting for the reindeer, and green-tinted vanilla frosting for the Christmas trees. You can also use white frosting and green sprinkles for the trees if you prefer.

Step 8: Finish by adding your decorations. Use broken pretzels for reindeer antlers, black sugar pearls for snowman eyes, mouths, and buttons, orange jimmies for carrot noses, and colorful sprinkles for your Christmas tree ornaments. Add any extra frosting, sprinkles, or decorations you like to make each one your own.

What to Serve with Christmas Brownies

These Christmas brownies are pretty good just as they are, but there are lots of ways you can turn them into a proper Christmas dessert. I especially love the idea of putting them out with a few other festive treats and letting everyone help themselves.

• Vanilla ice cream – A scoop of vanilla ice cream with a chocolate brownie is always going to be a winner, especially if you warm the brownie slightly first.

• Hot chocolate – Serve these with mugs of hot chocolate for a really cozy Christmas treat. Extra whipped cream and marshmallows are definitely encouraged!

• Fresh berries – Strawberries or raspberries are lovely if you want something fresh alongside all that chocolate.

• Whipped cream – Keep it simple with a spoonful of whipped cream on the side.

• A Christmas dessert platter – Add the brownies to a big platter with Christmas cookies, candy canes, chocolates, and other little holiday treats.

• Milk – Sometimes you really can’t beat a cold glass of milk with a chewy chocolate brownie.

Storing

These Christmas brownies will keep well for around 3–4 days. Once they’re completely cool and decorated, pop them into an airtight container and keep them at room temperature somewhere cool and dry. If you need to stack them, I’d put a sheet of parchment paper between the layers to try and keep all those cute decorations intact.

You can also keep them in the refrigerator if your kitchen is particularly warm, although I prefer brownies at room temperature as they stay softer and chewier. If you do refrigerate them, just take them out a little while before serving so they have time to come back to room temperature.

Variations & Substitutions

One of the best things about these Christmas brownies is that you really can have fun with them and use whatever decorations you already have. Don’t worry if you can’t find exactly the same sprinkles either – there are loads of easy ways to change them up and still make them look really festive.

• Use your favorite frosting – Store-bought frosting keeps things really easy, but homemade chocolate or vanilla frosting will work just as well.

• Change the decorations – Use whatever Christmas sprinkles, candies, sugar pearls, or decorating icing you can find. They definitely don’t all need to look the same.

• Make just one design – You don’t have to make reindeer, snowmen, and Christmas trees. If you want to keep things simple, make a whole batch of Christmas tree brownies instead.

• Add peppermint – Add a tiny bit of peppermint extract to the brownie batter or sprinkle crushed candy canes over the finished brownies for a chocolate peppermint version.

• Add extra chocolate – Stir some extra semi-sweet or milk chocolate chips into the batter before baking if you want them even more chocolatey.

• Try different Christmas characters – Once you start decorating, you can get a bit creative. Santa hats, Christmas ornaments, or even little Rudolph faces would all be really cute.

• Keep the trees simple – If you don’t want to color the frosting green, use vanilla frosting and cover it with green sugar or Christmas sprinkles instead.

FAQs

What are Christmas brownies?

Christmas brownies are regular chocolate brownies given a festive makeover with frosting, sprinkles, and other Christmas decorations. These brownies are cut into triangles and decorated as Christmas trees, reindeer, and snowmen.

How do you make Christmas tree brownies?

To make Christmas tree brownies, bake the brownies in a square pan and allow them to cool completely before cutting them into triangles. Frost each triangle with green frosting and decorate with colorful sprinkles or sugar pearls to look like Christmas ornaments.

How do you cut brownies into Christmas tree shapes?

The easiest way is to bake the brownies in an 8×8-inch square pan. Once completely cool, cut the brownies vertically and horizontally into four sections, then cut each section diagonally to create eight triangle-shaped brownies.

Can I make these Christmas brownies ahead of time?

Yes! You can bake the brownies a day ahead and keep them in an airtight container once they've cooled. You can either decorate them ahead of time too or wait and decorate them on the day you plan to serve them.

Can kids help decorate Christmas brownies?

Definitely! Decorating is probably the most fun part of this recipe for kids. Put out bowls of frosting, sprinkles, pretzels, and other decorations and let them create their own Christmas trees, reindeer, and snowmen.

Can I use store-bought frosting for Christmas brownies?

Yes, and it makes decorating much quicker! Chocolate and vanilla frosting work perfectly. You can mix green food coloring into some vanilla frosting for the Christmas trees.

How long do Christmas brownies last?

Christmas brownies should keep for around 3–4 days when stored in an airtight container at room temperature. Keep them somewhere cool and dry so the frosting and decorations stay looking their best.

Do Christmas brownies need to be refrigerated?

Not usually. These brownies can be kept at room temperature in an airtight container. If your kitchen is particularly warm, you can refrigerate them, but let them come back to room temperature before serving for a softer, chewier texture.

What can I use to decorate Christmas brownies?

You can use frosting, Christmas sprinkles, sugar pearls, pretzels, candy, and decorating icing. For these brownies, broken pretzels make easy reindeer antlers, orange jimmies work as snowman noses, and colorful sprinkles make cute ornaments for the Christmas tree brownies.

Can I freeze Christmas brownies?

Yes, although I would freeze them before decorating if possible. Let the brownies cool completely, wrap them well, and place them in a freezer-safe container. Thaw them at room temperature before adding the frosting and Christmas decorations.