Adorable mini-sized Santa Hat Brownie Bites are a perfectly poppable Christmas treat with the taste of chocolate, strawberries, and cream! They are easy to pull off and are so fun for all your holiday gatherings!
I am most definitely not the most talented decorator of cakes, cookies, and baked goods. But I still like treats that are fun and festive for celebrating the holiday season!
These Santa hat brownie bites are right up my alley with fresh fruit, chocolate, and minimal effort to achieve a Christmasy feel without any stress over ending up with a Pinterest fail.
Looking for more fun holiday desserts that are quick and easy to make? Be sure to also try our Candy Coated Crispix Mix, Easy Homemade Peppermint Bark, or Oreo Balls (aka Oreo Truffles) next!
Why this recipe works
- Even mediocre decorators with modest skills can pull off these cute little Santa hats! You don’t even need a piping bag and decorate tip (although they definitely help). Instead, you could just use a Ziploc bag with one corner snipped off.
- The combination of chocolate brownie, fresh fruit, and sweetened whipped cream is the perfect little dessert bite that isn’t too heavy.
- The Santa hat appearance is iconic and easily recognizable. Trust me, if you take these to a cookie exchange or holiday party, these are going to be the first thing to go!
Ingredient Notes
- Brownie mix: You know I’m totally loyal to my favorite brownie recipe, which you can absolutely use here. However, there is a time and a place for box mix and with the hustle and bustle of the season I wanted to share a super laidback recipe for holiday entertaining that you can throw together with almost zero effort. But definitely feel free to make these from scratch!
- Vanilla pudding: I use the vanilla pudding to help stabilize the whipped cream since these brownie bites are typically party fare or taken to a cookie exchange and they get left out a little longer. The pudding not only sweetens the whipped cream but keeps it more firm instead of wilting over time, like fresh cream sometimes does.
- Strawberries: Try to use the strawberries with a nice cone shape. I will usually buy an extra package of strawberries so there are plenty to choose from (and extras for eating out of hand). In order to pull off the Santa hat appearance, it’s best for the strawberries to be uniform and cone-shaped.
How to Make This Recipe
- Start by making the brownie bites so they have plenty of time to cool completely. If you are using a mix, it’s a simple matter of adding oil, water, and eggs, then mixing everything together in a bowl. Although if you have the time, I definitely recommend trying these with this fudgy brownie recipe for even more chocolate flavor!
- Grease and flour the cups of a large mini-muffin pan, then use a small cookie scoop to evenly divide the batter between the cups. They should be about ¾ full. Bake for 12 minutes at 350°F until a toothpick inserted into the center of a few of them comes out with just a few crumbs. Let them cool completely.
- In a large bowl, beat the heavy cream and vanilla pudding until stiff peaks form. Transfer the whipped cream to a piping bag fitted with a small decorative tip (I used a #21) and set aside in the fridge.
- Wash and dry the strawberries, selecting the best looking, most uniformly cone-shaped of the bunch, and slice off the bottom leafy part and the very tip. Set aside.
- Pipe enough of the whipped cream to cover the top of each brownie bite. Place a strawberry on top of the whipped cream, then finish with a dot of additional whipped cream to form each Santa hat. That’s it!
Recipe FAQ’s
You need to let the brownie bites cool completely before piping on the whipped cream or it will melt all over the place, so these should served at room temperature or chilled from the fridge. If storing them before serving, they are best when they have had at least 20 minutes to come up to room temperature for the best flavor.
The best way to know if your brownies are done is to use a toothpick to check them. You want a few crumbs clinging to it so you know the brownies are still moist. If the toothpick is coming out completely clean, it means that the brownies are likely overbaked. You just don’t want the toothpick to come out wet from the brownie batter.
I really don’t recommend it for this recipe. They don’t have the stability to hold up for longer periods like freshly whipped cream that has been stabilized with a little pudding mix. If they melt before you get a chance to serve your brownie bites, it will really ruin the effect. Plus, homemade whipped cream just tastes better anyway!
Recipe Tips
- Storage: These brownie bites should be kept in the fridge because of the cream, although they will be fine sitting out at room temperature for about 2 hours. They should be good for up to 3 days, and the brownie bites can be made a couple days in advance, then topped with the strawberry and cream hats just before you plan to serve them.
- Make sure the brownies are completely cool before decorating! This really is important because even with stabilized whipped cream it will melt if the brownies are still warm in the middle. Let them cool for 15 minutes in the pan, then remove them to a cooling rack so they can finish cooling the rest of the way.
More Christmas Dessert Recipes
- Pecan Pie Cheesecake Bars
- Peppermint Bark Cheesecake
- Gingerbread Cupcakes with Eggnog Buttercream
- German Chocolate Cake Truffles
Did you make this recipe?
Let me know what you thought with a comment and rating below. You can also take a picture and tag me on Instagram @houseofnasheats or share it on the Pinterest pin so I can see.
Santa Hat Brownie Bites
Ingredients
- 1 brownie mix
- 2 large eggs
- 1/2 cup vegetable oil
- 1/4 cup water
- 24 large fresh strawberries
- 1 cup heavy cream
- 3 Tablespoons instant vanilla pudding mix
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350°F. Spray a 24-cup mini-muffin pan with baking spray and lightly dust with flour.
- In a medium mixing bowl add the brownie mix, eggs, oil and water and stir until no dry brownie mix remains.1 brownie mix, 2 large eggs, ½ cup vegetable oil, ¼ cup water
- Using a 1” cookie scoop, scoop a spoon of the brownie batter into each muffin cup; it should be about ¾ full.
- Bake in the oven for 12 minutes and remove onto a cooling rack to cool for 15 minutes.
- Remove each of the brownie bites, easing them out with a fork if needed and place onto the cooling rack to cool completely.
- In a large mixing bowl, with a mixer and wire whip attachment, whip the cream until soft peaks form.1 cup heavy cream
- Add the the vanilla pudding and whip again until stiff peaks form.3 Tablespoons instant vanilla pudding mix
- Fill a piping bag with the cream and a decorative #21 piping tip.
- Cut the green off the strawberries and the tips off the small end.24 large fresh strawberries
- Pipe a complete layer of cream on top of the brownie then sit the strawberry large end down on top of the cream. Then pipe a tiny dollop on top of the strawberry to create a little Santa hat.
Notes
- Storage: These brownie bites should be kept in the fridge because of the cream, although they will be fine sitting out at room temperature for about 2 hours. They should be good for up to 3 days, and the brownie bites can be made a couple days in advance, then topped with the strawberry and cream hats just before you plan to serve them.
- The best way to know if your brownies are done is to use a toothpick to check them. You want a few crumbs clinging to it so you know the brownies are still moist. If the toothpick is coming out completely clean, it means that the brownies are likely overbaked. You just don’t want the toothpick to come out wet from the brownie batter.
- I really don’t recommend using Reddi-Whip or Cool Whip in this recipe. They don’t have the stability to hold up for longer periods like freshly whipped cream that has been stabilized with a little pudding mix. If the cream melts before you get a chance to serve your brownie bites, it will really ruin the effect. Plus, homemade whipped cream just tastes better anyway!
