Christmas brownie bites are individual brownies baked up in festive muffin cups and garnished with whipped cream, sugared cranberries and sparkly rosemary for a bite-sized holiday dessert!
Sometimes when it comes to holiday treats and desserts it just makes sense to give people what they already love…chocolate! These dressed up Christmas brownie bites are festive holiday treats but (don’t tell anyone) they’re the same chocolatey dessert we love with a glass of milk all year long.
Here’s how we do it: we bake up a luscious deep dish brownie batter in pretty muffin cups. Then garnish each Christmas brownie bite with a swoop of whipped cream and glittery sprigs of rosemary and sugared cranberries.
what’s in this post
Christmas brownie bites ingredients
- unsalted butter
- dark chocolate chips
- also use semi sweet or bittersweet chips or bar chocolate.
- unsweetened cocoa powder
- white and brown sugar
- eggs
- vanilla
- all purpose flour
- salt
- mini semi sweet chocolate chips
- these get folded in to the batter at the end for an extra chocolatey bite.
garnish
- whipped cream
- sugared cranberries
- sugared rosemary
easy way to make sugared cranberries
This method works for the rosemary sprigs, too. These sparkly garnishes put the Christmas in Christmas brownie bites!
- Rinse raw cranberries or rosemary sprigs. Shake off excess water.
- Working in batches, add the berries or herbs in a bowl of white sugar. Use a spoon to toss them around to coat with the sugar.
- Remove to a plate and let them dry before moving.
tips for making Christmas brownie bites in a muffin pan
Use parchment paper liners: This makes the brownies easy to remove, makes cleanup easier and prevents the bottoms from getting overbaked. Parchment liners are also non-stick, so they will peel off neatly, without taking half of your brownie with it! If you want a more decorative look you can add a clean holiday cupcake liner over the parchment after baking.
Over baking brownies is a no-no, and these brownie bites are small, so keep an eye on them.
Let them cool completely: brownies are very soft when they come out of the oven but will set as they cool. Allow them to cool in the pan for at least 15 minutes before attempting to remove them.
Don’t add whipped topping until ready to serve your Christmas brownie bites.
more of our favorite chocolate holiday desserts!
- Bûche de Noël Layer Cake
- Dark Chocolate Truffle Tart
- Ina Garten’s Chocolate Cake Recipe
- Chocolate Walnut Shortbread Cookies
- Jewel Box Truffles
- Chocolate Hazelnut Torrone ~ 3 ingredients!
Christmas Brownie Bites
Equipment
- muffin pan and parchment paper liners
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup unsalted butter
- 12 ounces dark chocolate chips (also use semi sweet or bittersweet)
- 1 cup white sugar
- 1/4 cup brown sugar
- 3 large eggs
- 2 tsp vanilla extract
- 3/4 cup all purpose flour
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
- 1/2 cup mini semi sweet chocolate chips
garnish, optional
- sweetened whipped cream
- sugared cranberries*
- sugared rosemary sprigs*
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 375°F and line a muffin pan with parchment paper liners.
- In a microwave safe bowl microwave the butter and dark chocolate chips for 60 seconds. Stir and heat again for 30 seconds. Stir until melted and set aside. Note: if not completely melted, heat in 15 second bursts, stirring in between, until melted.
- In a stand mixer, or a bowl with hand mixer or a whisk, beat the sugars, eggs, and vanilla together until smooth and creamy.
- Beat in the melted chocolate, mixing until well combined.
- Whisk together the flour, salt, and cocoa powder and then fold into the batter. Mix until well combined but don't over mix.
- Fold in the chocolate chips. The batter will be thick.
- Scoop the batter into muffin cups, filling quite full. You'll get 12-15 brownie bites.
- Bake for 15-20 minutes, just until the brownies are dry and glossy on top. For me they took about 17-18 minutes, but I like them fudgy inside.
- Serve topped with whipped cream or whipped topping plus sugared cranberries and sugared sprigs or rosemary.*
Notes
*EASY WAY TO MAKE SUGARED CRANBERRIES
This method works for the rosemary sprigs, too. These sparkly garnishes put the Christmas in Christmas brownie bites!- Rinse raw cranberries or rosemary sprigs. Shake off excess water.
- Working in batches, add the berries or herbs in a bowl of white sugar. Use a spoon to toss them around to coat with the sugar.
- Remove to a plate and let them dry before moving.
Could these be made in mini muffin cups?
Yes, but the baking time will be super quick, so keep an eye on them.
Thank you for this gorgeous dressed up dessert – I am making this for Christmas gatherings! I don’t know what I would do without your recipes, they make me look like a pro – as always thank YOU! Where do I get those gorgeous cupcake liners?