These adorable Rudolf the Reindeer Christmas Brownies are made in a round cake pan to create a fudgy brownie layer that is iced with chocolate ganache. Decorating these Christmas brownies are pretzels, candy eyeballs, and red M&M's.
These cute Christmas brownies are easy to make and the kids absolutely love them.
Ingredients in Reindeer Christmas Brownies
- Unsalted butter, cut into small pieces
- Dark chocolate chips or dark chocolate baking bar
- Granulated sugar
- Eggs
- Vanilla extract
- All-purpose flour
- Instant espresso powder
- Salt
- Semisweet chocolate chips
- Red M&M's
- Candy eyeballs
- Pretzel Twists
- Semisweet chocolate chips
- Heavy cream
RELATED: Gingerbread Cupcakes
How to make Reindeer Christmas Brownies
Preheat the oven and prepare the pan - Preheat oven to 350º F. Grease a 9" round cake pan with cooking spray, line it with parchment paper, and set aside.
Melt the dark chocolate - In a microwave-safe bowl, add the cut butter and the dark chocolate chips.
Reduce the microwave power by 50% and melt at 15-20 second intervals. Stirring in between.
TIP: A double boiler can also be used to melt the chocolate.
Combine the chocolate and sugar - In a large bowl, add the granulated sugar and pour the melted chocolate over the top of it. Stir the chocolate into the sugar allowing the granulated sugar to dissolve.
Add the eggs and vanilla - Add the eggs and the vanilla extract and mix until just incorporated.
Stir in the dry ingredients - Measure and add the flour, salt, and espresso powder to the melted chocolate mixture and stir until everything is moistened. The texture will be fudgy.
Stir in the semisweet chocolate chips and pour the brownie batter into the prepared round cake pan.
Bake - Bake for 24-26 minutes.
Cool - Allow the brownie to cool completely before removing it from the pan and decorating.
TIP: A pie cutter tool creates equal slices every time!
RELATED: Old Fashioned Potato Candy
How to Make Chocolate Ganache
Heat the heavy cream - In a saucepan, heat the heavy cream to a low boil.
Measure the chocolate - Measure the chocolate chips and place them in a heatproof bowl.
Combine the chocolate with the heavy cream - Remove the heated heavy cream from the heat and pour the heavy cream over the chocolate chips.
Allow the chocolate chips to melt - Allow the mixture to sit for a minute or two before mixing the chocolate into the heavy cream.
Allow the ganache to cool - Let the mixture cool slightly before pouring the chocolate ganache over the brownie.
Harden - Allow the ganache to harden before slicing the brownies into triangles and decorating.
Make the Reindeer Faces on the Brownies
Prepare the pretzels - Cut the pretzel twists in half to create the reindeer ears and gently press them into the top of the brownie slices.
Add the eyes - Place two eyes onto each brownie below the antlers.
Add the nose - Press 1 red M&M onto the tip of the reindeer brownie to finish the look.
Store - Store these Reindeer Christmas rownies in an airtight container in a single layer. After 24 hours place the brownies in the fridge to keep the ganache fresh.
How Long Does Ganache Last?
Freshly made ganache can safely stay good for up to 2 days before needing to transfer it to the fridge. Once in the fridge, it can last for up to 1 week.
How Long Do Brownies Stay Good?
Brownies can stay good for 3 to 4 days on the counter and up to a week in the fridge.
For this Reindeer Christmas Brownies recipe, store the brownies glazed with the ganache but not decorated in the fridge if not serving right away. That way, the brownies, and the ganache will keep their flavor and the pretzels and candies don't change in texture or color during storage.
📖 Recipe
Reindeer Christmas Brownies
Equipment
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Ingredients
Brownie
- ½ cup unsalted butter cut into pats
- 1 cup dark chocolate chips
- ¾ cup granulated sugar
- 2 eggs
- 2 teaspoon vanilla extract
- ½ cup all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon instant espresso powder
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ½ cup semisweet chocolate chips
- 8 Red M&M's
- 16 Candy eyeballs
- 8 Pretzel Twists
Chocolate Ganache
- 1 cup semisweet chocolate chips
- ½ cup heavy cream
Instructions
Brownies
- Preheat oven to 350º F.
- Grease a 9" round cake pan with cooking spray, line it with parchment paper, and set aside.
- In a microwave-safe bowl, add the cut butter and the dark chocolate chips. Reduce the microwave power by 50% and melt at 15-20 second intervals. Stirring in between.
- In a large bowl, add the granulated sugar and pour the melted chocolate over the top of it.
- Stir the chocolate into the sugar allowing the granulated sugar to dissolve.
- Add the eggs and the vanilla extract and mix until just incorporated.
- Measure and add the flour, salt, and espresso powder to the melted chocolate mixture and stir until everything is moistened. The texture will be fudgy.
- Stir in the semisweet chocolate chips and pour the brownie batter into the prepared round cake pan.
- Bake for 24-26 minutes.
- Allow the brownie to cool completely before removing it from the pan.
- Chocolate Ganache
- In a saucepan, heat the heavy cream to a low boil.
- Measure the chocolate chips and place them in a heatproof bowl.
- Once the heavy cream comes to a low boil, remove it from the heat and pour the heavy cream over the chocolate chips.
- Allow the mixture to sit for a minute or two before mixing the chocolate into the heavy cream.
- Let the mixture cool slightly before pouring the chocolate ganache over the brownie.
- Allow the ganache to harden before slicing the brownies into triangles and decorating.
- Once the heavy cream comes to a boil, turn off the heat and pour heavy cream over the chocolate chips.
To make the Reindeer faces
- Cut the pretzel twists in half to create the reindeer ears and gently press them into the top of the brownie slices.
- Place two eyes onto each brownie below the antlers.
- Press 1 red M&M onto the tip of the reindeer brownie to finish the look.
- Store the brownies in an airtight container in a single layer.
Notes
Nutrition
Dana is an experienced recipe creator who crafts easy and delicious recipes for all levels of home cooks.
Her recipes range from classic comfort foods to healthy and nutritious meals, and she is always on the lookout for new and exciting ways to bring flavor and variety to the table.
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