Are you looking for a festive bake that’s as delightful to look at as it is to eat? Picture this: a platter of deeply chocolatey, fudgy brownies, each one adorned to look like a charming little present. It’s a treat that perfectly captures the joy of the season. Well, your search is over! Our definitive Christmas Present Brownies Recipe Holiday is just what you need to bring that festive magic to your kitchen.

We feel that festive baking ought to be a source of joy, not stress. That’s why we’ve crafted this recipe to be simple, enjoyable for bakers of all ages, and completely delicious. We’ll walk you through creating an incredibly decadent brownie base and then show you how to transform each piece into a miniature, edible gift. Let’s pop on our aprons and bake some festive joy together!

What Are Christmas Present Brownies?

In essence, these are the most Christmassy brownies imaginable. We begin with a classic, rich chocolate brownie, baked to achieve that perfect fudgy texture. Once cooled and sliced into squares, the real fun begins. We use simple icing and festive sprinkles to add “ribbons” and “bows,” turning each brownie into a delightful, edible present. Christmas Present Brownies are ideal for school fairs, office gatherings, family get-togethers, or as a lovely homemade gift for friends and neighbours. They’re a feast for the eyes that tastes even more incredible than it looks.

But before we get to the sweet finale, have you thought about the rest of your festive feast? A wonderful main course truly sets the scene for a showstopping dessert. We can help with that, offering comforting meals such as our Garlic Parmesan Chicken Pasta Recipe or these delicious Sticky Chicken Rice Bowls, guaranteed to please your family and friends.

Why You’ll Love This Recipe

• Exceptionally Rich and Fudgy: This recipe is about more than just good looks. It creates a wonderfully moist, chewy, and intensely chocolatey brownie that is sure to have everyone asking for your secret.
• An Enjoyable Christmas Activity: The decoration stage is a brilliant opportunity to get the whole family involved in the festive preparations. Let the children have fun with the icing and sprinkles!
• Ideal for Homemade Gifts: Move over, generic shop-bought gifts. A beautifully presented box of these homemade brownies is a thoughtful, personal, and tasty present that comes straight from the heart.
• Easily Customisable: Feel free to get creative with the “wrapping paper” and “ribbons.” You can use different icing colours and a huge array of sprinkles to suit your personal holiday colour scheme.
• Stunning Results from Simple Ingredients: You won’t require any specialist equipment or hard-to-source ingredients to whip up these impressive treats. All you need are standard kitchen staples and a sprinkle of festive enthusiasm.

Ingredients

• 185g Unsalted Butter, cubed
• 185g Dark Chocolate (at least 70% cocoa solids), roughly chopped
• 85g Plain Flour
• 40g Cocoa Powder
• 3 Large Free-Range Eggs
• 275g Caster Sugar
• 1 tsp Vanilla Extract
• A pinch of Salt
• 200g Icing Sugar, sifted
• 2-3 tbsp Milk or Water
• Food Colouring Gels (red, green, or your preferred festive colours)
• Assorted Christmas Sprinkles
• Edible Glitter (optional)

To make things clear, we’ve separated the ingredients into two groups: one for the brownie base and another for the festive decorations. We find that using good-quality dark chocolate and cocoa powder really elevates the final flavour, making a noticeable difference.

• For the Brownies:
• 185g Unsalted Butter, cubed
• 185g Dark Chocolate (at least 70% cocoa solids), roughly chopped
• 85g Plain Flour
• 40g Cocoa Powder
• 3 Large Free-Range Eggs
• 275g Caster Sugar
• 1 tsp Vanilla Extract
• A pinch of Salt
• For the Decoration:
• 200g Icing Sugar, sifted
• 2-3 tbsp Milk or Water
• Food Colouring Gels (red, green, or your preferred festive colours)
• Assorted Christmas Sprinkles
• Edible Glitter (optional)

Step-by-Step Guide to Your Christmas Present Brownies

Just follow our straightforward steps to bake the most delightful brownies for the festive season. We have laid out the process clearly to ensure you can bake with complete confidence.

Making the Fudgy Brownie Base

A truly superb brownie is the heart of this recipe. The secret lies in the technique—melting the butter and chocolate together yields that iconic dense, fudgy consistency we adore. This is an excellent, versatile Brownie Recipe that you’ll want to use time and time again.

1. Prepare Your Tin: To begin, preheat your oven to 180°C (160°C Fan/Gas Mark 4). Grease a 20cm (8-inch) square baking tin and line it with baking parchment, leaving a bit of an overhang to make lifting the brownies out easier later on.
2. Melt Chocolate and Butter: Put the cubed butter and chopped chocolate in a heatproof bowl. Place the bowl over a saucepan of simmering water, making sure the bowl does not touch the water. Stir periodically until you have a smooth, glossy, melted mixture. If you’d like more guidance on this technique, have a look at this helpful article on how to melt chocolate from BBC Good Food. Once melted, take the bowl off the heat and allow it to cool slightly.
3. Whisk Eggs and Sugar: In a different large bowl, use an electric mixer to beat the eggs, caster sugar, and vanilla extract. Continue whisking for 3-5 minutes, or until the mixture becomes pale, thickens, and nearly doubles in size. A trail should be visible when you lift the beaters.
4. Combine Wet Ingredients: Carefully pour the slightly cooled chocolate and butter mixture into your whisked eggs. Using a spatula, gently fold the two mixtures together until they are just incorporated. Be careful not to knock out the air you just whisked in.
5. Add Dry Ingredients: Sift the plain flour, cocoa powder, and salt over your wet ingredients. Fold gently once more until no floury streaks remain. It’s important not to overmix; stop as soon as everything is combined.
6. Bake to Perfection: Pour the batter into the prepared tin, smoothing the top with your spatula. Bake for 25-30 minutes. The top should form a light, papery crust, and while the edges will be set, the middle should still have a slight wobble. If you insert a skewer into the centre, it should come out with moist crumbs attached, not wet batter. This is the secret to a fudgy brownie!

Cooling and Cutting Your Brownies

We know it’s tempting, but patience is key here! Allowing the brownies to cool down fully is crucial for achieving the neat, clean squares required for our little presents.

1. Cool Completely: Let the brownies cool entirely in the tin on a wire cooling rack. This could take a couple of hours. Trying to cut them while warm will lead to a crumbly mess.
2. Chill for Clean Cuts: For exceptionally sharp squares, we suggest popping the cooled brownies (still in their tin) into the refrigerator for at least 30 minutes before you start slicing.
3. Cut into Squares: Use the parchment overhang to lift the entire brownie slab from the tin. Set it on a cutting board. With a large, sharp knife, trim the edges (a tasty treat for the cook!) and then slice the slab into 16 uniform squares.

Decorating Your Perfect Christmas Brownies

And now for the enchanting part! This is where we turn our fudgy squares into charming Christmas Brownies. Have your icing and sprinkles at the ready.

1. Prepare the Icing: In a mixing bowl, combine the sifted icing sugar with 2 tablespoons of milk or water. Stir until the mixture is thick yet fluid enough to pipe. If it feels too stiff, add a drop more liquid; if it’s too thin, add a little more icing sugar.
2. Colour Your Icing: Separate the icing into small bowls, one for each colour you wish to use. Add a very small amount of food colouring gel to each bowl and mix thoroughly. We think classic red and green look lovely, but white, gold, or blue can also be wonderfully festive.
3. Create the Ribbons: Spoon your coloured icing into piping bags fitted with small, round nozzles. Alternatively, you can use small food-safe bags with a tiny piece of the corner snipped off. Gently pipe two lines across each brownie to form a cross shape, which will look like a ribbon.
4. Add the Bows and Sparkle: Before the icing sets, place a festive sprinkle (such as a star or a holly leaf) in the centre where the “ribbons” intersect to form a bow. You can add other sprinkles or a light dusting of edible glitter for some extra festive magic.
5. Let Them Set: Give the icing about an hour at room temperature to set completely before you attempt to stack or package your finished brownies.

Tips for the Best Holiday Brownies

To guarantee your Holiday Brownies are a huge success, here are a few extra pointers from our kitchen.

• Don’t Overbake: The golden rule for achieving fudgy brownies is to lean towards slightly underbaking them. They will carry on setting from the residual heat of the tin as they cool.
• Use Room Temperature Eggs: Bringing your eggs to room temperature before you begin whisking helps them to hold more air, which contributes to a lighter final texture and that desirable crackly top.
• Storage: Keep your decorated brownies in a sealed container at room temperature for up to 4 days. You can also freeze the undecorated brownie slab for as long as 3 months. Just ensure it is fully thawed before you begin decorating.

FAQ

The Perfect Edible Gift

And there you have it—a straightforward yet impressive recipe that is certain to spread some festive cheer. These Christmas Present Brownies are much more than a simple dessert; they represent an opportunity to make joyful memories in the kitchen and to share a piece of homemade affection with your loved ones.

So, we warmly invite you to try this recipe during the holiday season. We are confident you will enjoy the creative process just as much as the scrumptious final product. Get your ingredients ready, turn on some festive tunes, and let the baking begin! We would absolutely love to see your gorgeous brownie creations, so please do share a picture and tag us on social media!

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Prep: 20 mins
Cook: 30 mins
Serves: 16

Ingredients

• For the Brownies:
• 185g Unsalted Butter, cubed
• 185g Dark Chocolate (at least 70% cocoa solids), chopped
• 85g Plain Flour
• 40g Cocoa Powder
• 3 Large Free-Range Eggs
• 275g Caster Sugar
• 1 tsp Vanilla Extract
• A pinch of Salt
• For the Decoration:
• 200g Icing Sugar, sifted
• 2-3 tbsp Milk or Water
• Food Colouring Gels (red, green, etc.)
• Assorted Christmas Sprinkles & Edible Glitter

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 180°C (160°C Fan). Grease and line a 20cm square baking tin.
2. Melt the butter and dark chocolate in a heatproof bowl over simmering water until smooth. Let it cool slightly.
3. In a separate bowl, whisk the eggs, caster sugar, and vanilla extract for 3-5 minutes until pale, thick, and nearly doubled in volume.
4. Gently fold the cooled chocolate mixture into the egg mixture until just combined.
5. Sift in the flour, cocoa powder, and salt. Fold again gently until no floury streaks remain. Do not overmix.
6. Pour the batter into the prepared tin and bake for 25-30 minutes. The center should still have a slight wobble.
7. Allow the brownies to cool completely in the tin before lifting out. For best results, chill for 30 minutes before slicing into 16 squares.
8. Prepare the icing by mixing the sifted icing sugar with milk or water until thick but pipeable.
9. Divide and colour the icing with food gels. Transfer to piping bags.
10. Pipe two intersecting lines on each brownie to create a “ribbon” effect.
11. Before the icing sets, place a festive sprinkle where the lines cross to form a “bow” and add more sprinkles or glitter as desired.
12. Let the icing set for about an hour at room temperature before serving or storing.