Fudgy Christmas Tree Brownies with Cream Cheese Frosting

If you show up to a holiday party with a plate of plain, square brownies, nobody is going to care. They will eat them, sure, but they will completely ignore them to go look at the intricate sugar cookies or the fancy layered cakes.

I decided a few years ago that I wanted the crowd-pleasing, aggressive chocolate hit of a dense brownie, but I wanted it to actually look like a festive centerpiece.

That is exactly how these Fudgy Christmas Tree Brownies became my default December bake. You bake a pan of my absolute thickest, richest brownie batter. Once it is rock cold, you cut the entire pan into sharp triangles. You jam a piece of a candy cane into the bottom to make a trunk, and you pipe a massive zig-zag of heavy green cream cheese frosting over the top. Add a few sprinkles for ornaments, and you suddenly have a tray of edible Christmas trees.

The best part? It looks like it took you five hours of delicate pastry work, but you are literally just cutting a brownie in half diagonally and squeezing a piping bag.

If you are putting together a massive dessert table and need another green treat to match, stack these right next to my No-Bake Grinch Oreo Truffles. If you want a traditional gingerbread option, grab my Eggnog Gingerbread Thumbprint Cookies. But if you want to turn a boring brownie into a holiday showstopper, let’s get cutting.

🎄 Bake Time · Holiday Centerpiece · 12-14 Trees

Prep time: 30 min · Bake time: 25 min · Chill time: 2 hrs · Calories: 320 kcal (per tree)

The Macro Reality Check

This is a thick block of butter, sugar, and chocolate, topped with a heavy layer of cream cheese frosting. It is a holiday celebration dessert, not a diet food. Here is the estimated breakdown per decorated tree (assuming you cut the 9×13 pan into 14 triangles):

• Calories: 320
• Protein: 3g
• Carbohydrates: 41g
• Dietary Fiber: 2g
• Total Sugars: 32g
• Fat: 17g
• Saturated Fat: 10g
• Sodium: 145mg

If you are looking for a dessert that actually has protein in it, skip these and go make my High Protein Cheesecake Fluff. If you make these brownies, commit to the sugar and enjoy the party.

The Geometry of the Pan (How to Cut Triangles)

Cutting a rectangular pan of brownies into perfect triangles sounds easy until you are actually holding the knife. If you just start hacking away at random, you are going to waste half the pan on weird, misshapen scrap pieces.

Here is the exact method:
Once the baked brownie block is completely cold and lifted out of the pan, use a sharp chef’s knife to cut the massive rectangle into three even, long strips (cutting lengthwise).

Take one of those long strips. Make diagonal, zig-zag cuts all the way down the strip. You will alternate cutting left-to-right, then right-to-left. By doing this, the top of one tree becomes the bottom of the next tree. You waste virtually zero brownie space, except for the tiny little corners at the very ends of the strip. Those corner scraps are the baker’s tax. Eat them immediately.

The Grocery List

The Fudgy Brownie Base:

• 1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, melted and hot
• 2 cups granulated sugar
• 4 large eggs, room temperature
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 1 cup all-purpose flour
• 1 cup Dutch-process cocoa powder
• 1/2 teaspoon fine sea salt
• 1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips

The Green Cream Cheese Frosting:

• 1 block (8 oz) full-fat cream cheese, completely softened
• 1/4 cup (1/2 stick) unsalted butter, softened
• 2 cups powdered sugar
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 3-4 drops Green Gel Food Coloring

The Trunks & Decor:

• 6 full-sized candy canes, snapped into 2-inch pieces (or pretzel sticks)
• Round holiday sprinkles (for ornaments)
• Yellow star sprinkles (for the top)

The Cocoa Powder: You have to use Dutch-process cocoa powder for these. It is less acidic and much darker than standard cocoa powder. It gives the brownie base that deep, almost-black color that makes the bright green frosting pop.

The Food Dye: Just like I warned in my Grinch Cookies with Red Heart Sprinkles recipe, you must use highly concentrated gel food coloring. Cheap, watery liquid dye will turn the cream cheese frosting into a sloppy, wet puddle that refuses to hold its shape.

Mix, Bake, Decorate

1. Whisk the hot butter and sugar.
In a massive bowl, dump the granulated sugar into the hot, melted butter. Whisk them together aggressively for a full minute. Add the room-temperature eggs and vanilla extract. Beat it furiously for another two minutes until the batter looks thick, pale, and glossy. This forces the sugar to dissolve, which gives you that classic crinkly brownie crust.

2. Fold the dry stuff.
Add the flour, cocoa powder, and salt directly into the bowl. Put the whisk in the sink and switch to a rubber spatula. Fold the dry ingredients in just until the white flour disappears. The batter will be incredibly thick and sticky. Fold in the chocolate chips.

3. Spread and Bake.
Line a 9×13-inch light-colored metal pan with parchment paper, leaving a long overhang on the sides. Scrape the heavy batter into the pan and aggressively push it into the corners with your spatula.

Bake at 350°F (175°C) for 25 to 30 minutes. You want a toothpick inserted into the center to come out with gooey crumbs attached. If it is completely clean, you overbaked them.

4. The Mandatory Chill.
Pull the pan out of the oven. Do not touch them. Let them cool on the counter for an hour, then put the entire pan in the fridge for at least two hours. You absolutely cannot cut sharp triangles out of warm brownies. They will tear and crumble.

5. Whip the Frosting.
While they chill, use an electric hand mixer to beat the softened cream cheese and butter together until totally smooth. Add the powdered sugar and vanilla, and beat until thick. Squeeze 3 drops of green gel dye in and mix until you have a vibrant, pine-tree green. Put the frosting into a piping bag with a star tip (or a Ziploc bag with the corner snipped off).

6. Cut the Trees.
Use the parchment paper overhang to lift the cold brownie block onto a cutting board.

Use a sharp, heavy chef’s knife to cut the block into long strips, and then cut the zig-zag triangles as explained in the geometry section above. Wipe your knife blade completely clean with a damp towel between every single cut.

7. Plant the Trunks.
Take your 2-inch pieces of snapped candy canes (or thick pretzel sticks).

Gently push one piece into the center of the wide bottom edge of each brownie triangle. Do this slowly so you don’t crack the brownie in half.

8. Pipe the Garland.
Take your piping bag full of green cream cheese frosting.

Start at the narrow top point of the triangle and pipe a continuous, swooping zig-zag motion all the way down to the wide base, slightly overlapping the edges.

Immediately drop your round sprinkles onto the wet frosting so they stick like ornaments, and place a yellow star sprinkle at the very top.

My Christmas Tree Catastrophes

The first year I made these, I was completely impatient. The brownies felt cool to the touch on the top, so I lifted them out and tried to cut them into triangles. The center of the pan was still warm. When I dragged the knife diagonally, the gooey center gripped the blade and completely tore the brownies apart. I ended up with a pile of crumbled chocolate dirt instead of trees. You absolutely must respect the 2-hour fridge chill.

My second disaster was related to the candy cane trunks. I pushed them into the brownies, piped the frosting, and put the tray in the fridge overnight. The moisture from the fridge completely dissolved the candy canes. By morning, the candy canes were sticky puddles of red syrup bleeding all over my serving platter. If you use candy canes, insert them on the exact same day you plan to serve them. (If you use pretzels, this doesn’t happen).

Frosting & Decorating FAQ

Why is my cream cheese frosting completely liquid?
You either used cold cream cheese that refused to blend, or you overbeat it. Cream cheese breaks down and turns runny if you aggressively whip it for five minutes. Beat it just until the sugar is incorporated, then stop. If it is already runny, put the bowl in the fridge for 30 minutes to firm up the butterfats before piping.

Why didn’t my brownies get a shiny top crust?
You didn’t whisk the eggs and sugar long enough. The sugar has to physically dissolve into the hot butter to create that meringue-like top crust.

Can I use a different frosting?
If you hate cream cheese, you can absolutely use standard vanilla buttercream. Just follow my exact recipe for Wilton’s Buttercream Icing, dye it green, and pipe it on. It actually holds its shape significantly better in a warm room than cream cheese does!

Make-Ahead Holiday Schedule

Brownies are incredibly resilient, making them the ultimate prep-ahead dessert for a busy holiday week.

Up to 3 Days Before: You can bake the brownies, chill them, and cut them into the bare, un-frosted triangles. Store the bare triangles in an airtight Tupperware container on the counter. Make the green frosting, put it in the piping bag, and keep the piping bag in the fridge.

The Day Of: Let the piping bag sit on the counter for 20 minutes so the butter softens enough to squeeze. Pipe the frosting onto the triangles, add the trunks, throw on the sprinkles, and serve.

Freezing the Base: You can freeze the uncut block of baked brownies for up to 3 months. Wrap it tightly in plastic wrap and foil. Let it thaw overnight in the fridge before cutting your triangles and decorating. I do not recommend freezing the cream cheese frosting; it will separate and turn grainy.

Variations and Tweaks

The Gluten-Free Forest: If you need to serve a crowd with dietary restrictions, skip this flour-based batter entirely. Use the exact batter from my Best Almond Flour Brownies. Bake it in a 9×13 pan (you will need to double that specific recipe), chill it, and cut it into triangles.

Peanut Butter Trunks: If you don’t like the mint flavor of candy canes, swap them for thick, salty pretzel sticks. The salty crunch pairs beautifully with the chocolate.

White Christmas Trees: Skip the green food dye. Leave the cream cheese frosting pure, snowy white. Pipe it over the dark chocolate brownies and dust the wet frosting heavily with shredded coconut or white sanding sugar for a “blizzard” effect.