Easy Christmas Tree Brownies Recipe: A Delicious Holiday Activity for Families by Ann Marie G. Halstead

Does your holiday to-do list feel overwhelming right now? Mine does. All I really want to do is spend time with the kids during Christmas week and yet there are some things I can’t avoid (I’m cutting back where I can!). One possible solution to this dilemma is to involve the kids in what you’re doing. Of course they probably won’t enjoy grocery shopping, gift shopping or trips to the post office, but there are some things they might find fun (without rolling their eyes!).

One great example is baking cookies together. If your child is old enough to help in the kitchen, go for it! You can even use a holiday theme to make the experience all the more fun. For instance, this Christmas recipe is a standard brownie recipe (from the box!), but with a twist. The brownies are shaped in triangles and decorated like Christmas trees! It’s so fun and easy to do with the kids. The trunk is a candy cane stick, so the whole thing is edible. And it’s easy for the kids to help, even if just for the decorating step.

Cuisine: American
Prep Time: 30 minutes plus 1 hour and 45 minutes to cool 
Cook Time: 27 to 31 minutes
Total Time: 2 hours and 45 minutes
Servings: 15

Ingredients

• 1 box (16 ounces) brownie mix, plus ingredients to make it
• miniature candy canes (2 inches), unwrapped or festive holiday straws
• 1/3 cup cake frosting
• 1 - 2 drops food coloring (optional)
• sprinkles

Here’s how to make it:

1. Heat oven to 350 degrees F (325 degrees F for dark/nonstick pan). Line a 9-inch square pan with aluminum foil, allowing some to hang over edges of pan. Grease bottom and sides of foil with cooking spray. Make brownie mix batter as directed on box and then pour into pan. Bake 27 to 31 minutes or until toothpick inserted in the center comes out almost clean. Let brownies cool completely on cooling rack, about 1 1/2 hours, then freeze in pan for 15 minutes.
2. Using the foil to lift, remove brownies from pan and then peel foil away. Using a plastic knife, cut brownies into triangles, cut into 3 rows. Cut each row into 5 triangles.
   
3. Break off curved end of each candy cane, then insert a straight piece into the bottom of each triangle to make the tree trunks (or use holiday straws). 
4. Decorate the Christmas trees. You can top them with chocolate or vanilla frosting, green or red frosting (using 1 or 2 drops of food coloring) and sprinkles.

Note: If you’d like to use frosting, I suggest making a homemade piping bag if you don’t have one. It’s easy! Spoon some frosting into a small resealable plastic food storage bag, then partially seal it. Cut off a tiny bottom corner of bag. Squeeze bag to pipe the frosting over the brownies. Happy decorating!

Photo (diagram): Betty Crocker

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