Frosted Brownie Cut-Out Cookies
A fun alternative to sugar cookies, frost these cut-out brownies for the holidays instead!
Ingredients
For the brownies:
- 1 cup unsalted butter , cut into cubes
- 6 ounces bittersweet chocolate , chopped or use chips
- 1 ½ cup granulated sugar
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- 4 large eggs
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 ½ cups all-purpose flour
For the frosting:
- 1 cup unsalted butter
- 4 cups powdered sugar , sifted
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- Pinch salt
- 2-3 tablespoons milk
- Food coloring , as desired
- Sprinkles , as desired
Instructions
To make brownies:
- To make the brownies, preheat oven to 350°F. Grease a 9x13-inch baking dish or line with parchment paper.
- In a saucepan set over low heat, melt the chocolate and butter. Stir until smooth. Remove from heat and add sugar and salt. Add the eggs one at a time, mixing after each. Stir in the vanilla extract. Add the flour and stir until just combined.
- Pour batter into the prepared baking dish and bake until edges are set and the middles appear dry, about 20-25 minutes. Let cool completely.
To make frosting:
- In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, or in a bowl with a hand mixer, beat together the butter, powdered sugar, vanilla extract, salt and 2 tablespoons of milk on low speed until smooth.
- Increase speed and beat until frosting is light, fluffy and creamy, pausing to scrape down the bowl if needed. Add more milk if needed to get the right spreadable consistency.
- Color as desired with food coloring (I used green).
To cut and decorate into Christmas trees:
- Cut cooled brownies into 4 long rectangles parallel with the short edges. Taking one rectangle at a time, cut from one corner diagonally across to the other edge 1 inch in. Then cut diagonally again back to the other side another 1 inch in. Use a ruler if you have one to make sure all cuts are even.
- Repeat until you've cut 7 triangles, then repeat with the remaining brownie strips until you have 28 total triangles. You'll have a few scraps leftover from each side, which make great snacks!
- Use a piping bag and tip, or a spatula, to top brownie triangles with the frosting. Add sprinkles as you like.
- Store brownies in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 1 week, or well-wrapped with plastic wrap for a month or more. Be careful to let the frosting set up an develop a "crust" before storing, especially if you plan to stack brownies on top of each other.
Nutrition
Calories: 295kcal | Carbohydrates: 36g | Protein: 2g | Fat: 16g | Saturated Fat: 10g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 4g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 59mg | Sodium: 33mg | Potassium: 57mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 30g | Vitamin A: 444IU | Calcium: 14mg | Iron: 1mg