Christmas Brownies Recipes

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Butter the bottom and sides of two 8-inch round cake pans. Cut two 8-inch circles out of parchment paper and line the bottoms of the cake pans with the parchment.
• Stir together the butter, sugar, vanilla and eggs in a medium bowl. In another bowl, whisk together the flour, cocoa powder, salt and baking powder. Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients and stir until just combined. Stir in 1 cup of the regular chocolate chips and divide the batter between the prepared pans, smoothing the tops. Bake until a crust begins to form around the edges, the edges pull away from the pan and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean, 35 to 40 minutes.
• Meanwhile, halve the candy chews lengthwise. Use your fingers to shape each half into a teardrop shape for the reindeer's ears and set aside. Melt 2 tablespoons of the remaining regular chocolate chips in a heat-proof bowl in a microwave in 20 second intervals.
• Use a dab of the melted chocolate to stick a red candy-coated chocolate onto each of the vanilla wafers to make noses and set aside.
• Cut each mini marshmallow in half crosswise. Insert one mini chocolate chip, pointed-side down, into the flat, cut side of each marshmallow piece to make eyes and set aside.
• As soon as the brownies come out of the oven, sprinkle the top of each brownie round evenly with half of the remaining regular chocolate chips (7 tablespoons each) and let stand until the chips melt, about 5 minutes. Spread the chocolate evenly over the top of the brownies with a spatula.
• Let the brownies cool fully in the pans on cooling racks, about 1 hour. Cut each circle into 8 equal triangles with a knife. Use a small offset spatula or pie server to lift each triangle out of the pan.
• To assemble: Arrange the brownies so that the longest, sharpest point faces you and gently press a cookie-nose on that point of each brownie. To make antlers: Using the tip of a paring knife or a skewer, poke two small holes in the top side of each brownie, about 1/2 inch from the corners, and insert a mini candy cane in each hole.
• For the ears, press a piece of candy chew on each corner below the candy cane antlers
• Press 2 of the mini marshmallow eyes next to each other in the center of each brownie.

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Spray an 8-inch baking pan with nonstick cooking spray.
• In a small bowl, whisk together the flour, cocoa powder and kosher salt. Add the granulated sugar, melted butter, vanilla and eggs and whisk until a few lumps remain. Stir in the chocolate chunks.
• Pour the batter into the prepared pan and sprinkle with the turbinado sugar and flake salt. Bake until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out with just a few moist crumbs, about 25 minutes. Allow to cool completely in the pan.
• Cut the brownie in half. Using the tip of a knife, slice in angles making W's with the cut to form triangular pieces. Remove each piece and decorate with frosting and sprinkles as desired.

Steps:

• For the brownies: Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Butter the bottom and sides of two 8-inch round cake pans. Cut two 8-inch circles out of parchment and line the bottoms of the cake pans with the parchment.
• Stir together the butter, granulated sugar, vanilla and eggs in a medium bowl. In another bowl, whisk together the flour, cocoa powder, salt and baking powder. Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients and stir until just combined. Stir in the chocolate chips and divide the batter between the prepared pans, smoothing the tops. Bake until the brownies begin to gain a crust around the edges, pull away from the edge and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean, 35 to 40 minutes.
• Let the brownies cool fully in the pans on cooling racks, about 1 hour. Cut each circle into 8 equal triangles with a knife. Use a small offset spatula or pie server to lift each triangle out of the pan.
• For the American buttercream frosting: Combine the confectioners' sugar, butter and salt in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment (or in a large bowl if using a handheld electric mixer). Mix on low speed until mostly incorporated. Add the vanilla, increase the speed to medium-high and mix until smooth. Loosen the consistency with milk as desired. Add 24 drops green food coloring and 1 drop red food coloring and mix on medium speed for 1 minute. Set aside.
• To assemble: Using the tip of a paring knife or a skewer, poke a small hole along the bottom edge of each brownie. Insert a candy cane "trunk" into each hole.
• Fill the piping bag with the frosting and cut 1/4 inch off the tip. Using a zig-zag motion, pipe the frosting from the base to the tip of each tree. Decorate the trees with the sanding sugars and candy-covered chocolate, as desired.

Steps:

• Grease and line a 20cm x 20cm brownie tin. Heat oven to 180C/160C fan/gas 4. Put the butter and both types of chocolate in a heat proof bowl and either melt in the microwave (in 30 second bursts, stirring after each) or set over a pan of barely simmering water, stirring every now and then until the chocolate has melted.
• Leave the chocolate and butter mixture to cool a little while you whisk the eggs and caster sugar in a large bowl using electric beaters. Once the mixture is pale, fluffy and looks like it's roughly doubled in volume, whisk in the melted chocolate. Fold in the flour, cocoa powder and mixed spice until no pockets of flour remain then pour into your prepared tin. Level the top with a spatula and bake for 20-25 mins. The top should look set and shiny but should be a little wobbly if you gently jostle the tin.
• Leave the brownie to cool completely in the tin then chill in the fridge until set. While the brownie cools brush the rosemary sprigs and glacé cherries with egg white, dab off the excess with kitchen paper then dredge in caster sugar until well coated. Leave to dry on a wire rack. Put the chocolate truffles onto a sheet of baking paper or foil then spray with the edible gold lustre.
• Dust the chilled brownie with icing sugar to create a snowy surface and top with amaretti biscuit pieces then poke the crystalised rosemary sprigs into the surface at random intervals (cut the brownie into pieces and dust on icing sugar first, if you like). Nestle a glacé cherry or gold truffle alongside the rosemary sprig then add the buttons and silver balls.

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Grease and flour an 8-inch square pan.
• 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.
• 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.
• 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.
• Transfer 1/2 of the frosting into another bowl and mix in green gel food coloring to get your preferred shade of green.
• Use a tree-shaped cookie cutter to cut out 8 Christmas trees from the pan of cooled brownies.
• Pipe green and white frostings onto cooled brownies to look like snow-covered trees. Decorate with candies.