Reindeer brownies with pretzels are the ultimate Christmas chocolate treat! These fudgy brownies are decorated with adorable reindeer faces, using salty pretzel antlers, candy eyes, and red noses. Perfect for Christmas parties, these Rudolf brownies festive, easy to make, and loved by kids and adults alike.
TL;DR
- Prep time: 10 minutes Cook time: 30 minutes
- Meal prep: absolutely! Pair with something a little healthier like a blueberry chia pudding.
- Fridge storage: 1 week
- Freezer storage: 3 months
- Customise: use different decorations for your reindeer or make my Christmas tree brownies.
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Why you'll love this recipe
Festive. These add a playful, holiday-themed touch like my reindeer tim tams.
Easy. With simple decorations, you can transform regular brownies into adorable reindeer brownies with minimal effort.
Chocolatey. I am a huuuuuge choccie fan, if you are too make sure to try my baked chocolate oatmeal and chocolate peanut butter chip cookies.
Ingredients and substitutions
Butter. I've used both salted and unsalted, as well as dairy-free alternatives and have all been fine with minimal difference.
White sugar. Substitute for coconut sugar or brown sugar for a more caramelised texture.
Cacao powder. I use this because it has less sugar than cocoa powder and the brownies are already quite sweet.
You can substitute for cocoa powder, but I recommend unsweetened because there's already a lot of sugar in this recipe (of course, you can use sweetened if you're a super big sweet tooth!)
Dark chocolate. Make sure to get your chocolate from the baking aisle as this will melt and then set the best. You can substitute with milk chocolate for something sweeter.
Salt. Balances the sweetness and enhances the chocolate flavour in the reindeer brownies.
Please check the recipe card for full list of ingredients and quantity.
How to make reindeer brownies
Step 1: In a large mixing bowl, add the room temperature butter and white sugar. Using a hand mixer or a stand mixer, beat the butter and sugar together on medium speed until it reaches a light and creamy texture, about 2 minutes.
This step is essential to achieve a soft, fudgy texture.
Step 2: Place a small pot with a little hot water over low heat and set a heatproof glass bowl on top, making sure the bowl doesn't touch the water.
Add the chopped dark chocolate to the bowl and stir constantly until it's fully melted and smooth. Remove from heat and let it cool slightly.
Step 3: Once the chocolate has cooled a bit, add the room temperature eggs and vanilla extract to the chocolate mixture, stirring until fully combined. Next, gradually fold in the butter and sugar mixture until everything is well incorporated.
Step 4: Sift in the flour, cacao powder, and salt into the wet ingredients. Using a spatula or a mixer on low speed, gently fold everything together until just combined.
Be careful not to overmix, as this can make your brownies more cakey rather than fudgy.
Step 5: Grease and line a circular baking pan with parchment paper for easy removal. Pour the brownie batter into the prepared pan, spreading it evenly with a spatula. Bake in a preheated oven at 350°F/175°C for about 30 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the centre comes out with a few moist crumbs. Allow the brownies to cool completely in the pan.
Step 6: Once cooled, carefully lift the brownies out of the pan using the parchment paper. Cut the round brownie into 8 equal triangles to prepare them for decorating.
Step 7: For reindeer brownies with pretzels, place a red M&M or raspberry at the tip of each triangle as a nose, add candy eyes above it, and press two pretzels into the top corners of each triangle to create antlers.
My Top Tips
If you like super fudgy brownies, undercook them slightly. This will leave the centre slightly gooey, while still keeping their integrity (I've given the time which will make them like this)
Prep ahead, storing and freezing
To store Christmas rudolf brownies, keep them in an airtight container at room temp for up to 3 days, or refrigerate for up to 7 days.
To freeze brownies, wrap a serve (or a couple of serves) individually in aluminium or baking paper, then add to a freezer safe bag or container for up to 6 months. Thaw them at room temperature or fridge, or you can warm brownies up for 10-15 seconds in the microwave.
I've got a post on freezing baked oats, which are a similar baked good and there's a heap of tips and tricks for freezing on that post.
To prep ahead brownies, mix all the dry ingredients (flour, cacao powder, and salt) together and store in an airtight container. This way, when you're ready to bake, you can just add the wet ingredients, making the process quicker and easier for your reindeer brownies.
Do you want more Christmas Recipes?
I have put together a Christmas Recipes E-Book with over 35 recipes and guides on cooking specifically focused on Christmas to help you put your best entertaining food forward.
It's your one-stop-shop for mains, sides and desserts
You can download this my Christmas Recipe E-Book to have the recipes on hand at all times!!
Ready to put your best entertaining foot forward? Check out more here!
Other Christmas Recipes
Or, you can have a browse through my easy Christmas recipes for more delicious eats.
I hope you enjoy this as much as I do - Love & Pasta, Lauren x
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Recipe
Reindeer Brownies with Pretzels
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Equipment
- round baking pan, removable bottom preferred, approx. 9.5in / 24cm
- Small pot
Ingredients
Brownie Ingredients
- 145 g (⅔ cups) Butter, room temperature (see Note 1)
- 150 g (¾ cups) White Sugar
- 50 g (½ cups) Cacao Powder, see Note 2
- 50 g (½ cups) Dark chocolate, see Note 3
- ¼ teaspoon (¼ teaspoon) Salt
- 1 teaspoon (1 teaspoon) Vanilla extract
- 100 g (1 cups) Flour
- 2 Eggs, room temperature
Reindeer Decorations
- 24 candy eyes
- 12 raspberries or red m&m or candy
- 24 pretzels
- 4 squares dark cooking chocolate , melted
Instructions
Prepare mixture
- Add room temperature 145 g (⅔ cups) Butter and 150 g (¾ cups) White Sugar to a large bowl. Using a hand mixer or bench mixer, combine until they're a creamy texture (approx. 2 minutes)
- Heat small amount of hot water in a pot, add a glass bowl on top (make sure it doesn't touch the water) and add 50 g (½ cups) Dark chocolate. Stir constantly until melted. Remove from heat.
- Add 2 Eggs and 1 teaspoon Vanilla extract to the chocolate mixture and stir until combined. Then add in the butter sugar mixture. Once combined, slowly mix in 100 g (1 cups) Flour, 50 g (½ cups) Cacao Powder, ¼ teaspoon Salt until just combined.
Bake
- Add mixture to a greased and lined circular pan and bake for 30 minutes at 350°F/175°C. Remove and let cool.
- Remove from the circular pan and cut into 8 triangles.
- Decorate the brownies like a Reindeer by melting 4 squares dark cooking chocolate and placing dots on the large side for the 24 pretzels , halfway down for the 24 candy eyes, and at the pointy end for the 12 raspberries or red m&m or candy.
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