Description
These Santa Hat Brownie Bites are a delightful holiday treat featuring rich, fudgy brownies topped with fresh strawberries and creamy vanilla pudding whipped cream, resembling festive Santa hats. Perfect for holiday parties and easy to prepare in under 30 minutes.
Ingredients
Scale
Brownie Bites
- 1 brownie mix (standard size for one 9×13 pan)
- 2 large eggs
- 1/2 cup vegetable oil
- 1/4 cup water
Santa Hat Topping
- 24 large fresh strawberries
- 1 cup heavy cream
- 3 tablespoons instant vanilla pudding mix
Instructions
- Preheat and Prepare Pan: Preheat your oven to 350°F (175°C). Spray a 24-cup mini-muffin pan with baking spray and lightly dust it with flour to prevent sticking.
- Make Brownie Batter: In a medium mixing bowl, combine the brownie mix, 2 large eggs, 1/2 cup vegetable oil, and 1/4 cup water. Stir thoroughly until the batter is smooth and no dry mix remains.
- Scoop Batter: Using a 1-inch cookie scoop, portion the brownie batter into each muffin cup, filling each about 3/4 full to allow room for rising.
- Bake Brownie Bites: Bake the brownie bites in the preheated oven for 12 minutes. Once baked, remove the pan and transfer it to a cooling rack to cool for 15 minutes.
- Remove Brownie Bites: Carefully ease each brownie bite out of the pan using a fork if needed, and place them on the cooling rack to cool completely.
- Whip Cream: In a large mixing bowl, use a mixer fitted with a wire whip attachment to whip 1 cup heavy cream until soft peaks form.
- Add Vanilla Pudding Mix: Add 3 tablespoons of instant vanilla pudding mix to the whipped cream and whip again until stiff peaks form, creating a thick, fluffy frosting.
- Prepare Piping Bag: Fill a piping bag fitted with a decorative #21 piping tip with the whipped cream mixture for easy and neat application.
- Prepare Strawberries: Remove the green tops from each strawberry and trim the small end tips slightly to create a flat surface.
- Assemble Santa Hats: Pipe a complete layer of the vanilla whipped cream on top of each brownie bite. Place each strawberry upside down (large end down) onto the cream, then pipe a small dollop of cream on the tip of the strawberry to resemble a Santa hat’s pom-pom.
Notes
- Ensure the brownie bites are completely cool before adding the cream topping to prevent it from melting.
- You can substitute the brownie mix with your favorite homemade brownie batter if preferred.
- For a different flavor, try using chocolate pudding mix instead of vanilla.
- Make sure to use fresh, firm strawberries for best presentation and ease of assembly.
- If you don’t have a piping bag, a plastic zip-top bag with a small corner cut off can be used as a substitute.
