Strawberry Brownie Santa Hat Bites

Need a cute treat to bring to your Christmas party? Make these and I guarantee they will fly off the plate. If you’re in a hurry, you can use a boxed brownie mix and a tub of frosting to speed up the process and simplify things. But I like the homemade version, so I’ve included the recipes I used.

They made for some treats as tasty as they were adorable! They are sure to add a little hohoho to any Christmas party.

Ingredients

24 strawberries

For the brownies:
2 1/4 sticks unsalted butter
2 1/4 cups sugar
5 eggs
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
3/4 cup flour
3/4 cup baking cocoa powder
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips {optional}

For the frosting:
8 oz cream cheese, room temperature
3 3/4 cups powdered sugar
1 stick of unsalted butter, room temperature
2 tablespoons lemon juice {optional}
1/4 teaspoon salt

Directions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees, grease a mini muffin tin and set aside.

In a saucepan melt the butter and sugar over low heat. Transfer the butter and sugar to a mixing bowl and slow beat in the eggs one at a time. Add vanilla and stir. Sift the flour, cocoa powder and salt together and add to the mixture. Mix gently then fold in chocolate chips. Fill muffin cups 3/4 full and bake for 25 minutes. Do not over bake. Remove from oven and let cool completely.

While brownies are baking, make your frosting and cut your berries. Cream the butter and the cream cheese together in a stand mixer with the whisk attachment or with an electric mixer on high until smooth, 1 to 2 minutes. Add the sugar, lemon juice, and salt and beat until fluffy, about 4 minutes.

Wash and dry strawberries. Cut the stems off and just the tip off the bottom, as pictured.

Pipe frosting onto cooled brownie. Place an upside down strawberry on top of the frosting, pressing slightly down to secure in place. Pipe a small dot of frosting on top to complete the look. Enjoy!