This Christmas Reindeer Brownies Recipe is a rich and fudgy recipe, which features semisweet chocolate chips and festive candy toppings. It’s a great choice for holiday parties, ready in about 2 hours (including cooling time).
Jump to RecipeChristmas Reindeer Brownies Recipe Ingredients
The Brownies
- 1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, melted and cooled, plus more for greasing the pans
- 1 1/2 cups sugar
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 3 large eggs
- 1 cup all-purpose flour
- 1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
- 1 teaspoon fine salt
- 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
- 2 cups regular semisweet chocolate chips (about 12 ounces)
The Decorations
- 16 small chocolate-flavored candy chews, such as Tootsie Rolls
- 16 red or brown candy-coated chocolates, such as M&M’s
- 16 mini vanilla wafer cookies
- 16 mini marshmallows
- 32 mini semisweet chocolate chips (about 1 teaspoon)
- 32 mini peppermint candy canes (about 2 1/2 inches long)
How To Make Christmas Reindeer Brownies Recipe
- Prep the oven and pans: Preheat the oven to 350°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.
- Mix the batter: 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.
- Bake the brownies: Stir in 1 cup of the regular chocolate chips and divide the batter between the prepared pans, smoothing the tops. Bake for 35 to 40 minutes, until a crust forms and a toothpick comes out clean.
- Prepare the faces: While baking, shape the candy chews into teardrops for ears. Melt 2 tablespoons of chocolate chips and use a dab to stick a red M&M onto each vanilla wafer (noses). Cut marshmallows in half and insert a mini chocolate chip into the sticky side (eyes).
- Frost the brownies: As soon as the brownies come out of the oven, sprinkle the remaining chocolate chips evenly over the tops. Let stand for 5 minutes until melted, then spread smooth with a spatula.
- Cool and slice: Let the brownies cool fully in the pans on racks (about 1 hour). Cut each circle into 8 equal triangles.
- Assemble the reindeer: Arrange the triangles with the point facing you. Press a cookie nose onto the point. Poke two holes near the top corners and insert candy canes for antlers. Press candy chew ears below the antlers and place marshmallow eyes in the center.
Recipe Tips
- How to cut clean slices: To get perfect triangles without dragging crumbs, wipe your knife clean with a warm, damp cloth between every single cut.
- Don’t overmix: When combining the wet and dry ingredients, stop mixing as soon as the flour streaks disappear. Overmixing develops gluten, which makes brownies tough rather than fudgy.
- Measuring flour correctly: Avoid scooping flour directly from the bag, as this packs it down and leads to dry brownies. Instead, spoon the flour into the measuring cup and level it off with a knife.
- Decoration timing: Make sure the brownies are completely cool before adding the candy cane antlers and marshmallow eyes, otherwise, the heat may cause the candies to melt or slide off.
- Alternative antlers: If you cannot find mini candy canes, small pretzels twists or broken pretzel sticks make excellent salty-sweet antlers.
What To Serve With Christmas Reindeer Brownies Recipe
These sweet treats are perfect for a holiday spread.
- A tall glass of cold milk
- Hot chocolate with whipped cream
- A platter of gingerbread cookies
- Vanilla ice cream
How To Store Christmas Reindeer Brownies Recipe
- Room Temperature: Store the decorated brownies in a single layer in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 3 days.
- Freezing: It is best to freeze the brownie triangles undecorated. Wrap them tightly in plastic wrap and freeze for up to 3 months. Thaw and decorate before serving.
Christmas Reindeer Brownies Recipe Nutrition Facts
- Calories: 320
- Total Fat: 16g
- Saturated Fat: 9g
- Cholesterol: 45mg
- Sodium: 180mg
- Total Carbohydrates: 42g
- Dietary Fiber: 2g
- Sugar: 30g
- Protein: 3g
Nutrition information is estimated per brownie.
FAQs
Yes. You can bake a standard box of brownie mix in the round cake pans as directed. Just ensure you bake them in rounds so you can cut the necessary triangle shapes.
Brownies often become hard if they are overbaked. Start checking them at the 30-minute mark. They should still be slightly moist in the center when you take them out, as they continue to set while cooling.
Yes. You can bake the brownies a day in advance. However, it is best to add the candy decorations (especially the pretzels or candy canes) on the day of serving so they stay crisp and don’t get soggy from the moisture in the brownie.
Christmas Reindeer Brownies Recipe
Course: DessertCuisine: AmericanDifficulty: Easy16
servings25
minutes40
minutes320
kcalAdorable and festive fudgy brownies cut into triangles and decorated with candy to look like Rudolph.
Ingredients
1 cup butter, melted
1 1/2 cups sugar
3 eggs
1 cup flour
1/2 cup cocoa powder
2 cups semisweet chocolate chips
Candy canes, M&Ms, Vanilla Wafers, Marshmallows (for decorating)
Directions
- Preheat oven to 350°F and line two 8-inch round pans with parchment.
- Whisk butter, sugar, vanilla, and eggs.
- Stir in flour, cocoa, salt, baking powder, and 1 cup chocolate chips.
- Divide batter into pans and bake for 35-40 minutes.
- Top hot brownies with remaining chips; let melt and spread smooth.
- Cool completely, then cut each round into 8 triangles.
- Assemble faces using wafers for noses, candy canes for antlers, and marshmallows for eyes.
Notes
- Kid-Friendly: This is a fantastic recipe to make with children, as they can help with the decorating step.
- Yield: Uses two 8-inch pans to create perfect triangle “faces.”
