Last Updated on December 14, 2021 by Kathryn Donangelo
These adorable semi-homemade Christmas Tree Brownies are the perfect way to celebrate the holiday season. Rich and fudgy brownies are shaped into a tree, adorned with smooth frosting, and topped with fun holiday sprinkles and M&Ms. These Christmas Tree Brownies are an easy kid-friendly activity that is both fun and delicious!
PIN these Christmas Tree Brownies to try later!
CHRISTMAS TREE BROWNIE RECIPE
These Christmas Tree Brownies are a fun twist on traditional fudgy brownies. Take your favorite store-bought brownie box-mix and turn the finished product into a fun, festive, and oh-so-easy dessert that even your kids will love helping you make!
These easy-to-make Christmas tree brownies are an adorable holiday treat that are tasty enough to serve at holiday family get-togethers, cute enough to give as hostess gifts, or sweet enough to leave out for Santa and his elves! Serve these Christmas tree brownies with a glass of ice-cold milk for one decadent festive Christmastime sweet treat.
And if you love simple and ridiculously adorable holiday treats, try my Gingerbread Men Cookies, or my fun Melted Snowman Cookies, and my easy Reindeer Cookies this holiday season, too.
INGREDIENTS
- Boxed brownie mix
- Vanilla frosting
- Green food coloring
- Sprinkles
- Pretzel sticks
Boxed brownie mix: While this recipe calls for store-bought brownie mix, feel free to make brownies from scratch if you prefer!
Vanilla frosting: Use your favorite pre-made tub of vanilla frosting. During the holidays many stores sell already green tinted frosting down the baking aisle. If you are able to locate already dyed frosting, omit the green food coloring from the ingredient list.
Green food coloring: I find that gel food colorings mixes the easiest and provides the most vibrant color but feel free to use whichever type of green coloring you can find.
Sprinkles: I added multi-colored nonpareils to mimic twinkling lights but feel free to use whatever sprinkles you like or have on hand!
Pretzel sticks: Used for the tree base. You could also swap these with peppermint sticks!
HOW TO MAKE CHRISTMAS TREE BROWNIES
STEP ONE: Prepare a 9×13 baking dish with parchment paper and set aside. Prepare brownie mix and bake as directed on box. Allow brownies to cool. Transfer to a large cutting board.
Cut brownies lengthwise into 3 equal parts. Cut 8 triangles out of each section; creating 24 triangles total.
Place parchment paper on countertop. Press half of a pretzel stick into the bottom of each brownie triangle.
STEP TWO: Add food coloring to frosting tub and mix until combined. Place frosting in piping bag or in a large Ziplock bag with a small piece of the corner snipped off. Starting at the top, squeeze frosting in a curvy zigzag pattern all the way down the tree.
STEP THREE: Add a yellow M&M at the top for the star and decorate with sprinkles. Enjoy!
CHRISTMAS TREE BROWN VARIATIONS
- Swap the yellow M&Ms for Lemon Heads, yellow Sixlets, yellow Skittles, or yellow Sprees!
- Use small candy canes for the tree trunk instead of pretzels
- Keep the frosting white to represent a snow-covered tree
- Add red and green M&Ms verse the multi-colored nonpareil balls
TIPS FOR CHRISTMAS TREE BROWNIES
- Be sure to place parchment down prior to decorating to keep the mess and clean up a breeze!
- This semi-homemade recipe can be made 100% homemade by using your favorite from scratch brownie and buttercream frosting recipes
- Display as a single layer on a large serving dish to ensure the frosting stays on each tree
- Place brownie trees in the freezer for 15 minutes prior to decorating to ensure that the frosting won’t melt
STORING LEFTOVERS
Store any leftover Christmas Tree Brownies in a single layer in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 days.
CAN THESE BE MADE AHEAD?
CAN THESE BE MADE AHEAD?You bet! Prepare the brownie base according to box directions, bake, cut into triangle shapes, and freeze for up to 1 month.
When ready to decorate, simply thaw the brownies overnight in the fridge, decorate, and enjoy!
OTHER HOLIDAY TREATS TO TRY:
- Reindeer Cookies
- Melted Snowman Cookies
- Christmas Rice Krispie Treats
- Rocky Road Candy
- M&M Santa Cookies
- Gingerbread Men
- Oreo Truffles
- Chocolate Peppermint Graham Crackers
- Salted Caramel Brownie Pie
CAN’T GET ENOUGH?
Subscribe and I’ll send all my newest and FREE recipes to your inbox! You can also keep up with me on Pinterest, Instagram, and Facebook. If you make this recipe, please let me know how it turned out! Leave a comment below and share a picture on Instagram so I can see and feature you!
Christmas Tree Brownies
Ingredients
- 1 box brownie mix; plus everything to make brownies
- 1 tub vanilla frosting
- green food coloring
- sprinkles
- 12 pretzel sticks; cut in half
Instructions
- Line a 9 x 13 inch baking pan with parchment paper and coat with non-stick cooking spray. Prepare the brownie mix as directed on box and bake accordingly.
- When brownies are done baking, let them to cool completely and then lift out of the baking dish and place on a large cutting board.
- With a sharp knife, cut the brownies into 3 equal strips (longwise). Then cut 8 triangles out of each stripe (see photos in post). You will have 24 triangles total.
- Press half of a pretzel stick into the bottom of each brownie triangle. Place the brownies on a countertop covered with foil or parchment paper
- Add 4-6 drops of green food coloring to the frosting tub and mix until combined. Add more if you prefer a darker green color. Place the frosting in a large ziplock bag and snip off a small piece of the corner.
- Starting at the top of the brownie triangle, gently squeeze out the frosting in a curvy zigzag and go down the tree. Add as much or little frosting as you wish!
- Add a yellow M&M (or any yellow candy) to the top of the tree and add your favorite sprinkles. Enjoy!
Notes
- Store in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 days.
- To make ahead: Bake brownie base according to box directions, bake, cut into shape and freeze for up to 1 month. When ready to make thaw and then decorate!
Making a batch of these brownies was the perfect way to kick off the holiday season! They were so easy to make, and we had a great time decorating. Too cute!
Thank you Amanda!So glad you loved these brownies 🙂
Great idea! I passed this recipe onto my sister as she was looking for a cool Christmas idea to send with my niece to daycare. It was a big hit!
Love that, thank you so much Bernice!
These are so cute and so simple! We had so much fun making them (and eating them).
Thank you so much Colleen! So happy you enjoyed these brownie Christmas trees:)
Well, aren’t these little trees just adorable! What a great idea! Will be making these for daycare and school treats!
So fun! That is a perfect idea, I hope they all love them! Thank you 🙂
These are so fun and easy!!! Definitely going to make these for my kiddos. They will absolutely adore them.
Thank you Jessica! Enjoy!
These were too cute to pass up, me and my daughter had to make them! Not quite as picture perfect as yours but they were tasty!
Yay that’s amazing! So happy you made these with your littel one Tristin!
What a simple but fun and delicious Christmas treat for kiddies. Am going to give these a try when my granddaughter comes to stay over Christmas!
That’s so fun, I hope you have a blast with your grand daughter making these! 🙂
A fabulous idea for making with the kids this Holiday season. We love brownies and have all the fixings to make this tree colorful, we already tried with green, but my kids want to try with another frosting flavor next. We are going for double chocolate.
Thank you so much Silvia! Switching up the frosting is so fun and I love how you are going to double the chocolate. Sounds like a great idea! 🙂
Ahh such a fun way to get into the spirit of the holidays! These look SO cute! They would make perfect gifts to send home too.
I agree! Thank you so much!
Oh my gosh these are just adorable! My 7 year old will help me make these for our family Christmas party. I know she’s going to have a blast baking with me 😀
That’s great to hear, I hope you have fun making these fun treats! 🙂