Christmas Tree Brownies

Name: Christmas Tree Brownies
Prep time: 1 h
Cook time: 20 min
Total time: 1 h 20 min
Yield: 10
Ingredients: 200 g of Dark Chocolate; 120 g of Butter; 100 g of All Purpose Flour; 180 g of White Sugar; 60 g of Hazelnuts; 2 Eggs; 1 teaspoon of Vanilla Baking Powder; 1 pinch of Table Salt; 100 g of White Chocolate; Food Coloring; Sugared Almonds (Confetti); Sugar Star; 10 Candy Canes

A soft dark chocolate and hazelnut brownie turns into a little Christmas tree: an individual treat that is perfect for a holiday brunch.

Difficulty Medium
Preparation 1 hour
Cooking 20 minutes
Servings for about 10 servings

At this time of year we are all looking for fun, original recipes to please our guests over the holidays. These Christmas Tree Brownies will be your secret weapon for winning over everyone at the table, even the pickiest.

They are individual treats made from a soft, rich dark chocolate brownie with chopped hazelnuts , cut into the shape of a small Christmas fir tree and decorated with a garland of white chocolate, colored candies and, on top, the obligatory little sugar star.

The brownie used as the base is a classic American chocolate dessert, named after its dark color: really simple to make and never disappointing. It is usually served cut into squares, and there is also a “white” version made with white chocolate, called the “blondie”.

You can serve these Christmas Tree Brownies at a relaxed pre-Christmas brunch, perhaps alongside other classic treats such as Gingerbread Cupcakes or spiced cookies like Snickerdoodles.

Ingredients for about 10 servings

For the brownie base:
200 g of Dark Chocolate
120 g of Butter
100 g of All Purpose Flour
180 g of White Sugar
60 g of Hazelnuts (preferably skinned)
2 Eggs
1 teaspoon of Vanilla Baking Powder
1 pinch of Table Salt
For the decoration:
100 g of White Chocolate
Food Coloring green to taste
Sugared Almonds (Confetti) candy-coated chocolates to taste
Sugar Star to taste
10 Candy Canes

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Method

To make the Christmas tree brownies, start with the brownie. Toast the hazelnuts in a small nonstick skillet for a few minutes and let them cool.
Meanwhile, melt the dark chocolate, broken into pieces, with the butter in a double boiler or in the microwave, and let it cool slightly.
Chop the cooled hazelnuts with a tablespoon of the sugar and set them aside. In a bowl, beat the eggs with the sugar using an electric mixer until pale and foamy (about 10 minutes).
In the same bowl, keep beating on low speed while you pour in the melted dark chocolate in a thin stream, until the mixture is smooth.
Patiently add the flour, sifted with the teaspoon of vanilla baking powder, a little at a time, taking care not to form lumps. Finally, still stirring, add the chopped hazelnuts and the pinch of salt.
Using a spatula, pour the batter into a 20 x 20 cm (8 x 8 in) square pan lined with parchment paper (if you don’t have one, a rectangular pan of about the same size works too). Bake in a preheated conventional oven at 180 °C (350 °F) for about 20 minutes. Take the brownie out of the oven and let it cool before removing it from the pan.
Once the cake has cooled, cut out your Christmas trees by slicing it into triangles (about 10) with a knife, or use a tree-shaped cookie cutter. Now move on to the decoration: start by melting the white chocolate in a double boiler. Once melted, carefully stir in a few drops of green food coloring (adjust the amount to the shade of green you want).
Once the tinted melted chocolate is ready, decorate the Christmas trees: draw a zigzag line of chocolate all along each tree to make a garland, and press a few colored candies onto it before it sets, like Christmas ornaments. Gently stick a yellow sugar star on the tip of each brownie.
To finish, make the tree trunks: cut off the curved part of the candy canes and insert the straight part into the base of each tree. Your Christmas tree brownies are now ready to serve. Finally, remember to download our App with exclusive content and fewer ads!

Variations and Alternatives

The brownie base for these trees can be made gluten-free by replacing the flour with the same amount of rice flour or potato starch. Instead of the green-tinted chocolate and the candies, you can decorate the trees with royal icing and candied fruit.

Tips

Besides hazelnuts, you can use other kinds of nuts such as walnuts or almonds. If you can’t find candy canes or don’t like them, you can simply replace them with rolled wafer cookies.

Storage

The Christmas tree brownies keep well in a cookie tin for a few days.