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Christmas Brownies decorated as reindeer with pretzel antlers, candy eyes, and red noses are arranged on a white surface.

Christmas Brownies

Author: Mandy Applegate
Christmas Brownies are always a hit on any dessert table I serve them at because they're rich, fudgy, and chocolatey with adorable reindeer faces that make everyone smile. The Pretzel antlers stay crunchy against the soft brownie base, and the candy eyes with red M&M noses create that festive Rudolph look kids and adults both love. I make them for Christmas parties, potlucks, and holiday baking with kids every December because they're surprisingly easy to pull off without any fuss. Store them at room temperature for up to 3 days, refrigerate for up to 5 days, or freeze for up to 2 months.
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Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 30 minutes
Total Time: 40 minutes
Course: Dessert
Cuisine: American
Keyword: Christmas Brownies, Christmas Reindeer Brownies
Servings: 16
Calories: 63kcal

Equipment

Ingredients

  • 1 box brownie mix
  • ½ cup melted butter
  • ½ cup water
  • 3 large eggs
  • Sugar eyes
  • Red and green M&Ms
  • Pretzels
  • Holiday sprinkles or extra chocolate for decorating optional
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A smiling woman points downward beside a video player graphic with a play button and text that reads, ‘Watch the recipe video now.’ The heading says, ‘Prefer to watch? I’ve got you covered below.

Video

[adthrive-in-post-video-player video-id="zgVvt2xa" upload-date="2025-10-23T12:05:55+00:00" name="Festive Christmas Brownies Recipe" description="A crowd-pleasing Christmas dessert that’s quick, festive, and full of chocolate." player-type="default" override-embed="default"]

Instructions

  • Prepare the brownie batter according to package directions using melted butter, water, and eggs. Bake as directed and allow the brownies to cool completely.
    1 box brownie mix, ½ cup melted butter, ½ cup water, 3 large eggs
  • Cut the cooled brownies into rectangles. Use frosting or melted chocolate as “glue” to attach sugar eyes and an M&M nose.
    Sugar eyes, Red and green M&Ms
  • For antlers, gently press pretzel pieces into the sides of each brownie. Decorate with extra holiday sprinkles if desired.
    Pretzels, Holiday sprinkles or extra chocolate for decorating

Notes

  • Enhance the flavor: Add a teaspoon of vanilla extract to your brownie batter before baking to deepen the chocolate flavor, or half a teaspoon of cinnamon if you want the warm note like that of spiced cake or gingerbread.
  • Cool completely before decorating: Warm brownies will melt your chocolate glue and make decorations slide off or pretzels fall out.
  • Add extra toppings: Coat the top with chocolate ganache made with heavy cream for a glossy finish, and sprinkle sea salt to balance the sweetness, or coconut for a snowy effect and extra texture, before decorating with the reindeer faces.
  • Match pretzel sizes for symmetry: Sort through your pretzels to find pieces that are similar sizes so each reindeer has matching antlers.
  • Press pretzels gently but firmly: You want them deep enough to stay secure but not so hard that you break the pretzel or crumble the brownie.
  • Store properly: These brownies stay fresh in an airtight container for up to 3 days at room temperature, up to 5 days in the fridge, or up to 2 months in the freezer. Place parchment between layers if you need to stack them to keep the decorations intact.

Nutrition

Calories: 63kcal | Carbohydrates: 0.1g | Protein: 1g | Fat: 7g | Saturated Fat: 4g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 0.4g | Monounsaturated Fat: 2g | Trans Fat: 0.2g | Cholesterol: 46mg | Sodium: 58mg | Potassium: 13mg | Sugar: 0.1g | Vitamin A: 222IU | Calcium: 7mg | Iron: 0.1mg
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