Christmas Brownies

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Making Christmas desserts doesn’t have to be hard. You can make Christmas tree brownies and reindeer brownies all from one brownie mix! With a few simple decorations and store-bought frosting, these Christmas brownies are simple to make and adorable, too! This is a fun activity to make with your kids. They'll love decorating brownies with their favorite Christmas designs.
Christmas brownies cut into triangles and decorated like Christmas trees or reindeers with green icing, sprinkles, M&Ms, candy eyes, and pretzels.
Christmas brownies in the shape of triangles and decorated like Christmas trees and reindeer with green frosting, candy eyes, M&Ms and pretzels.

Why this easy recipe works

Box brownie mix is a staple in my house around the holidays. There are so many ways you can use it to create something fun and festive for Christmas! These easy Christmas brownies are the perfect example. You can make both reindeer brownies and festive Christmas tree brownies from one box of brownie mix!

With a few simple decorations and store-bought green frosting, you can have these adorable brownies that kids and adults alike will absolutely love! They’re perfect for your next holiday party! 

Whether you go for traditional Christmas brownies or something a little more unique, brownies are a delicious way to enjoy the holiday season. So get creative and have fun! The Christmas dessert table at your next Christmas party or cookie exchange will be looking extra delicious with these brownies as a festive treat! Chocolate lovers are going to love this sweet treat come Christmas time!

You’ll love these fudgy brownies because:

  • They’re easy. Using a box brownie mix, store-bought frosting and simple sprinkles, pretzels and M&Ms make these Christmas brownies really easy to make. I bet you might have most of these ingredients in your pantry already!
  • They’re quick. Making brownies from scratch takes a while, but these box mix brownies are super quick to throw together. Just let them cool before decorating!
  • They’re festive. While these Christmas tree and reindeer brownies are absolutely adorable, you can add more sprinkles and candies to small bowls and let your kids use their creativity to come up with their own Christmas brownies! Such a fun activity!

Here’s what you’ll need:

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Ingredients

Ingredients in small bowls on a table for making Christmas brownies, including brownie mix, sprinkles, M&Ms, green icing, pretzels, eggs, butter, and candy eyes with text overlays over each ingredient.

Ingredient Notes

  • Brownie mix – Use your favorite brownie mix for this recipe. Keep in mind that you will need to add the additional ingredients that are called for on the back of the brownie mix. This normally includes eggs, water, and oil. Prepare the chocolate brownies according to the package instructions. 
  • Pretzel sticks – Mini pretzel sticks make a great tree trunk for the cute Christmas tree brownies. You could also use a mini candy cane for the base if you prefer. 
  • Mini pretzels – You’ll need mini pretzels to make the reindeer antlers. Use green icing to attach them to the brownie. 
  • Candy eyes – These are candy eye sprinkles that are available at craft stores and even most local grocery stores. You can find them in the baking aisle. I typically use the smallest candy eyes. 
  • Green icing – You will need green frosting to ice the Christmas tree brownie and also to help the decorations stick to the reindeer brownies. You can find store-bought green frosting in the baking aisle of your local grocery store. If you can’t find green icing, you can make your own creamy vanilla frosting or buy a tub of white frosting from the store and and dye it with green food coloring. To decorate the brownies, place the green frosting in a piping bag or pastry bag fitted with a star tip.

Step-by-step instructions

These Christmas tree and reindeer Christmas brownies are very easy to make with a few simple ingredients. The steps below with matching photos are meant to help you see the recipe at various stages so that you can make these fun holiday brownies perfectly every time.

For the ingredient list with measurements, full instructions, printable recipe and additional notes, please scroll down to the recipe card.

A bowl of brownie mix and 2 eggs before mixing together.
Pour your brownie mix into a large bowl with the ingredients listed on the back of the brownie mix box. This will normally be eggs, water, and either butter or oil. Follow instructions listed on the box.
A glass bowl of brownie batter on a white background.
Mix the ingredients together until combined.
A 9x13-inch glass baking dish of brownies.
Bake the brownies according to the package directions.
A slab of brownies on a cutting board that have been sliced into triangles.
Allow the brownies to cool completely. Once cool, cut them into triangles with a sharp knife.
Four Christmas brownies in the shape of triangles and decorated like Christmas trees with green frosting, M&Ms and Christmas sprinkles.
Decorate the Christmas tree brownies using green frosting, Christmas sprinkles, and a yellow M&M.
Four Christmas brownies in the shape of triangles and decorated like Christmas trees and reindeer with green frosting, candy eyes, M&Ms and pretzels.
Decorate the reindeer brownies with a red M&M, two candy eyeballs and two mini pretzel twists. Enjoy!

Expert Tips

  • Line your baking pan with parchment paper and leave a few inches of parchment hanging over the edges on each side so that you can easily remove the brownies from the pan to slice into triangles. 
  • Be sure to let the brownies cool completely before removing from the pan and decorating. They will be easier to move and slice cleanly into triangles when cool. Frosting will also slide off the brownies if they are still warm. 

FAQs

Can Christmas brownies be made gluten-free?

Yes, use gluten-free brownie mix and gluten-free mini pretzel twists and gluten-free pretzel sticks to make this recipe gluten-free. Regular M&Ms are already gluten-free (not all flavors are) and most sprinkles are gluten-free as well. Always double check ingredient labels to ensure that your recipe is gluten-free if need be. 

What’s the best boxed brownie mix for this recipe?

I really love the Ghirardelli Double Chocolate Premium Brownie Mix for this recipe, but you can use your favorite boxed mix or homemade brownies instead.

A close up of a Christmas tree brownie decorated with green frosting, Christmas sprinkles and a yellow M&M.

Storage Instructions

Storage: You can store leftover brownies at room temperature in an airtight container for about 3 days.

Related recipes

Christmas brownies cut into triangles and decorated like Christmas trees or reindeers with green icing, sprinkles, M&Ms, candy eyes, and pretzels.

Christmas Brownies

Making Christmas desserts doesn’t have to be hard. You can make Christmas tree brownies and reindeer brownies all from one brownie mix! With a few simple decorations and store-bought frosting, these Christmas brownies are simple to make and adorable, too! This is a fun activity to make with your kids. They'll love decorating brownies with their favorite Christmas designs.
Print Pin Rate
Course: Dessert
Cuisine: American
Keyword: christmas
Prep Time: 20 minutes
Cook Time: 30 minutes
Cooling Time: 1 hour
Total Time: 1 hour 50 minutes
Servings: 12 brownies
Calories: 261kcal

Ingredients

  • 1 box of brownie mix, with eggs/oil/other ingredients as called for on brownie mix box
  • 10 mini Pretzels
  • 5 pretzel sticks
  • 10 candy eyeballs
  • 5 red M&Ms
  • 5 yellow M&Ms
  • 1 cup green frosting, homemade or store-bought
  • 1 tablespoon Christmas sprinkles of choice

Instructions

  • Prepare brownie mix according to the instructions on the box.
  • Pour the brownie mix into the baking pan lined with parchment paper that is called for on your box (usually either 8×8-inch square baking pan or 9×13-inch rectangular baking pan).
  • Bake the brownies. Be sure not to over-bake.
  • Let the brownies cool in the pan. Then, lift the brownies out of the pan by the parchment paper and lay the brownies on a cutting board.
  • Trim edges if your pan has rounded sides to make them more square.
  • Cut the brownies in half lengthwise. Then, cut each half into a series of triangles. You may have some scraps that you will not need.
  • Frost half of the brownies with green icing to create Christmas tree brownies. Top with a yellow M&Ms at the tip of the triangle for the tree topper and add colorful sprinkles as ornaments all over the green icing. Stick a pretzel stick near the wider base of the triangle as the Christmas tree stump.
  • For the reindeer brownies, add two candy eyes near the wider side of the triangle. Then, add a red M&M near the tip of the triangle for the reindeer’s nose. Use icing to glue the candy eyes and red M&M to the brownies. Use two mini pretzel twists above the eyes for the reindeer antlers.
  • Serve and enjoy!

Notes

  • Depending on which brownie mix you choose, you may make more or less brownies than I did. I used a brownie mix that made a 9×13-inch pan and got about 12 large Christmas brownies out of it. Some mixes may only make an 8×8-inch baking dish of brownies, so you will probably get about 6 brownie triangles or have to make mini brownies, which would be adorable! 
  • You can also make this recipe in round baking pans. Just cut the brownies into wedges and then proceed with the recipe as written. 
  • Instead of a mini pretzel stick, try placing a short candy cane into the brownie as the base of the Christmas tree. 

Nutrition

Calories: 261kcal | Carbohydrates: 45g | Protein: 2g | Fat: 8g | Saturated Fat: 2g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 2g | Monounsaturated Fat: 3g | Trans Fat: 0.002g | Cholesterol: 0.1mg | Sodium: 159mg | Potassium: 9mg | Fiber: 0.1g | Sugar: 33g | Vitamin A: 2IU | Vitamin C: 0.03mg | Calcium: 2mg | Iron: 1mg

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