These fudgy Grinch brownies are such a fun and easy Christmas dessert! They’re rich cocoa powder brownies smothered with creamy peppermint frosting that’s colored bright Grinchy green and topped with heart-shaped sprinkles.
If you love the flavors in my mint chocolate brownies, this Grinch brownies recipe is right up your alley. Also, try my Grinch cupcakes!
Grinch Brownies (The Perfect Easy Christmas Dessert)
After my Grinch cookies went viral, I knew I wanted to try even more Grinch Christmas treats. These Grinch brownies are fun and fudgy, decorated with bright green peppermint frosting and heart-shaped sprinkles. They’re very easy to make, with a quick batter that bakes up soft and chocolatey in the oven. These would be absolutely perfect for a Grinchmas Party or even a cookie exchange. Imagine how these would look on a cookie plate!
The base brownies are my Cocoa Powder Brownies, one of the highest-rated recipes on my site. Readers go crazy for them. They need just a handful of pantry ingredients and they always turn out so incredibly moist and chocolatey. I add peppermint flavor to the frosting, and you can add a dash to the brownie batter, too.
Ingredient Notes
Whip up the easy brownies first and then frost them with my favorite vanilla buttercream frosting which I colored bright green. Below are some notes on the key ingredients you’ll need for both. Scroll down to the recipe card for a printable ingredients list with the full amounts.
- Oil – Like most of my cakes and cupcakes recipes, I use vegetable oil instead of butter in these brownies.
- Milk – Any kind of milk you’d like. Take it out of the fridge and let it come to room temperature before you start.
- Cocoa Powder – I like to use natural unsweetened cocoa powder in my cocoa powder brownies. Since this recipe contains baking soda, it is not recommended to use Dutch-processed cocoa powder.
- Baking Soda – Gives the brownies just a little bit of lift while still maintaining a fudgy brownie.
- Chocolate Chips – To add to the brownie batter. These can be semisweet, dark, or milk chocolate chips, or you can skip the mix-ins if you prefer.
- Flavoring Extracts – Along with vanilla, I like to add a little peppermint extract to my Grinch desserts. It’s a good idea to add a small amount to start and add more to taste so that it doesn’t overpower the frosting.
- Green Gel Colors – I use Electric Green gel food coloring for the brightest green frosting. I recommend gel colors over liquid-based food coloring as they’re much more concentrated.
- Sprinkles – I found these large red heart-shaped sprinkles online (the same ones that I used for my Grinch cookies). If you can’t find them, you could use candy cinnamon hearts or red rod sprinkles instead.
How to Make Grinch Brownies
You can use just about any brownie recipe for these whether it’s a boxed mix or a super dense and fudgy homemade brownie , but his recipe is quick, easy and the results are amazing! Be sure to scroll to the bottom of this post for a printable recipe card.
- Mix the wet ingredients. Mix the sugar with the oil, milk, and vanilla extract. Next, beat in the egg and continue to mix for another 30 seconds, until that’s just combined.
- Add the dry ingredients. Now, mix the dry ingredients in a separate bowl. Add the dry mixture to the wet batter until they’re partially incorporated, then add and fold in the chocolate chips.
- Fill the pan and bake. Spread the brownie batter into a greased and lined 9×13” baking pan. Afterward, bake the brownies at 350ºF for 28-32 minutes. They’ll need to cool completely before you frost them.
Frosting and Decorating
Once your chocolate brownies have cooled to room temperature, it’s time to Grinch-ify them! I make a quick buttercream frosting and color it green following the steps below. You’ll find the full directions in the printable recipe card.
- Beat cold butter until it’s fluffy. Cut the cold butter into cubes, add it to the bowl of your stand mixer, and whip the butter for 5-7 minutes. The goal is to get it super fluffy before adding anything else.
- Add powdered sugar. Next, slowly mix in the powdered sugar. Then, beat in the vanilla and peppermint extracts. If needed, you can add a spoonful of heavy cream to help thin out frosting that’s too thick.
- Add green gel coloring. Lastly, add the green gel color, beating until it’s incorporated. Whip the butter at a high speed for a minute or so, and then reduce the speed to the lowest setting for another minute or two if you want to take some of the air bubbles out.
- Frost the brownies. Spread the frosting generously over your pan of cooled brownies and shower the top with heart sprinkles. Slice, and enjoy!
Julianne’s Recipe Tips
- Measure the ingredients correctly. Overmeasuring dry ingredients like flour can lead to dry, crumbly brownies. Make sure to measure your flour correctly, ideally with a food scale. At the very least, use the spoon-and-sweep method and never scoop straight from the bag.
- Don’t over mix the brownie batter. It’s important not to overblend the wet ingredients once the egg is added. Since this brownie recipe uses baking soda, overbeating the egg causes the brownies to puff up in the oven and sink as they cool. Also, once you add the dry flour mixture, be careful not to overmix. Too much mixing overdevelops the gluten, leading to dense, chewy brownies.
- Avoid over baking. These brownies continue to set in the pan while they cool. To avoid overbaking, you’ll want to pull them from the oven when a toothpick stuck into the center of the brownies comes out a little damp (but not gooey or wet). Unlike cake, you don’t want the toothpick to come out completely clean, otherwise the brownies will be overdone.
- More Peppermint flavor. For me, there’s pleny of peppermint flavor with just the frosting alone, but if you’d prefer a stronger flavor, add ½ teaspoon of peppermint extract to the brownie batter.
How to Store
- At room temperature. Store these frosted Grinch brownies in an airtight container on the countertop for up to 3 days. You can also keep them in the fridge for up to 5 days.
- Freeze. I like to wrap each brownie individually in plastic wrap, and then store them in a freezer bag. Freeze them for up to 2 months, and thaw the brownies in the fridge or quickly in the microwave.
More Brownies Recipes
Grinch Brownies
- Prep Time: 30 minutes
- Cook Time: 32 minutes
- Total Time: 1 hour 2 minutes
- Yield: 15 brownies
- Category: Brownies
- Method: Oven
- Cuisine: American
Description
These Grinch brownies are the perfect easy Christmas dessert! This recipe combines fudgy chocolate brownies and minty green frosting, topped with red heart sprinkles.
Ingredients
For the Brownies
- 2 ½ cups (475g) granulated sugar
- 2/3 cup (157ml) vegetable oil
- ½ cup (118ml) milk
- 1 tablespoon (15ml) pure vanilla extract
- 2 large eggs
- 2 cups (280g) all-purpose flour
- 1 cup (80g) natural unsweetened cocoa powder
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 ½ cups semi-sweet chocolate chips
For the Frosting
- 1 cup (226g) unsalted butter, cold
- 2 cups (260g) powdered sugar
- 1 teaspoon (5ml) pure vanilla extract
- ¼ –1/2 teaspoon peppermint extract
- 2–4 teaspoons milk or heavy cream, as needed
- Electric Green gel colors
- Heart-shaped sprinkles
Instructions
For the Brownies
- Preheat the oven to 350°F. Generously grease a 9×13-inch baking pan and line it with parchment paper.
- In a medium-sized mixing bowl, combine the granulated sugar with the oil, milk, and vanilla extract and beat together until well combined. Next add the egg and beat just until combined, about 30 seconds or so.
- Combine the dry ingredients in a separate bowl and stir to combine. Add the dry ingredients to the batter and mix just until combined. Fold in the chocolate chips with a spatula.
- Spread the batter evenly in the prepared pan. Bake at 350°F for 28-32 minutes. A toothpick inserted into the center will be damp but not gooey or wet. Remove from the oven and allow to cool completely before frosting.
For the Frosting
- Cut the butter into pieces. Using the paddle attachment, whip the butter for 5-7 minutes, scraping down the bowl occasionally, and beating until the butter is whipped and fluffy.
- Add the powdered sugar and mix on low speed until incorporated into the butter then add the extracts and heavy cream (only if needed to thin out the frosting) and mix to combine. Then add the green gel color. Beat for about 1-2 minutes or until the color is well incorporated into the frosting. Reduce to the lowest speed for another minute or two if needed to remove air bubbles. Spread over cooled brownies and top with heart-shaped sprinkles.
Notes
- Storage: Store the brownies in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 3 days, or refrigerate them for up to 5 days. You can also freeze the brownies for up to 2 months.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1
- Calories: 586
- Sugar: 62.5 g
- Sodium: 213.9 mg
- Fat: 30.1 g
- Carbohydrates: 80.3 g
- Fiber: 4.2 g
- Protein: 5.7 g
- Cholesterol: 57.9 mg
