Christmas Brownies

Move over sugar cookies, the traditional brownie is here to show off with sweet frosting and candy decorations just in time for the Christmas season! I used the Best Brownies recipe and 1/2 of the Special Buttercream Frosting recipe on this site. I do not suggest using different recipes.

Ingredients

• 0.5 cup unsalted butter
• 1 cup white sugar
• 2 large eggs
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 0.5 cup all-purpose flour
• 0.3333333333333333 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
• 0.25 teaspoon salt
• 0.25 teaspoon baking powder
• 1 cup shortening
• 4 cups confectioners' sugar
• 3 fluid ounces heavy cream, or more as needed
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 0.25 teaspoon salt
• 2 drops green gel food coloring, or as desired
• edible candy decorations

Steps

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Grease and flour an 8-inch square pan.
2. Melt butter in a large saucepan. Remove from heat and stir in sugar, eggs, and vanilla. Beat in flour, cocoa powder, salt, and baking powder. Spread batter into the prepared pan.
3. Bake in preheated oven for 25 to 30 minutes. Do not overcook. Remove from the oven and let cool on a wire rack for at least 20 minutes.
4. Meanwhile cream shortening for frosting until fluffy. Gradually add confectioner's sugar and continue beating until creamy and well blended. Add 3 ounces cream, vanilla, and salt and blend on low speed until moistened. Add up to 1 more ounce cream if necessary. Beat on high speed until frosting is fluffy.
5. Transfer 1/2 of the frosting into another bowl and mix in green gel food coloring to get your preferred shade of green.
6. Use a tree-shaped cookie cutter to cut out 8 Christmas trees from the pan of cooled brownies.
7. Pipe green and white frostings onto cooled brownies to look like snow-covered trees. Decorate with candies.