Cute little Christmas Tree Brownies

I made these little treats for my son's preschool Christmas party, and he loved them! I was trying to find a treat that was cute and fun for my son to be excited about, but also that I could reasonably produce over 40 of them. These were exciting for the kids and delicious for the adults there. My inspiration for these were my favorite mint brownies. It is basically a fudgey brownie with green mint frosting on top and decorated with a string of melted chocolate, some red sprinkles, and a yellow M&M star on top.

Like I said, I had to make about 4 dozen, so I wanted to keep it simple. Besides, I don't believe there is a from scratch brownie recipe that can beat a good boxed brownie, and believe me, I have been on never ending search to find one. I followed the box directions for mixing up the brownies, but put them in a pan larger than suggested to make them thinner. For example, instead of an 8x8 pan, bake in a 9x13, or instead of a 9x13 bake in a half sheet pan. Because they are thinner, you will need to reduce the baking time. Start the timer for 8 minutes less than the suggested baking time then check your brownies and add time from there if needed. (Probably not more than 3 minutes of additional time.)

While baking or cooling, you need to whip up the mint frosting. This recipe is really an approximate. It is the basis of my frosting, but I have done it enough, that I go off of flavor and consistency more than precise measurements, so taste and observe to make the frosting just how you like it.

• 1/2 cup butter, softened
• 1/2 tsp vanilla
• 1-2 tsp peppermint extract 
• approximately 6 drops of green food coloring
• 4 TBL milk (more if needed)
• 4 cups powdered sugar

Beat butter until light and fluffy. Add milk, vanilla, peppermint extract, and green food coloring then beat until just incorporated. Add powdered sugar, one cup at a time, and beat in each addition. Add additional milk if needed. Sample for flavor, and add more peppermint extract if needed, 1/4 tsp at a time.

When the brownies have cooled, spread evenly with the frosting. Melt 1/2 cup of semi-sweet chocolate chips in the microwave for 50-60 seconds. Stir and add 1 Tbl of vegetable oil to thin it out. Use a fork to splatter over the frosted brownies in a random, but decorative design. Then add the sprinkles for extra decoration if you'd like.

Let the chocolate set. (Just a couple minutes in the refrigerator will do the trick.) Then cut in a triangle pattern to maximize the number of trees you can produce. Every row will have a half a tree left on each end, but the rest is used perfectly. Carefully remove the triangles, then top with a yellow M&M and let the kiddos enjoy!