Reindeer Brownies

This is a sponsored post by Challenge Butter, but the text and opinions are all mine. Thank you for supporting brands that make Kylee's Kitchen possible!

I love holiday-themed treats more than anything. Any holiday – Valentine’s Day, Easter, Fourth of July, Halloween… I just think making holiday treats is so fun. And there’s just something so special about Christmas treats.

Last year, you may remember that I made Christmas tree brownies for National Brownie Day, which is December 8. They were a total crowd pleaser! Everyone wanted one!

This year I wanted to do the same concept except with reindeer instead of Christmas trees! 

The first step in making the treat is of course preparing the brownies! It is very rare that I use a box mix for anything, but in this case you should definitely use a box mix. The reason being is that you’re already going to decorate these brownies so why create even more work for yourself? 

This Ghirardelli mix is my absolute favorite. But I always doctor it up by substituting the water for milk and the oil for Challenge butter.  The brownies will taste so much richer! 

Also, to create the triangle shape of the reindeer, I recommend baking the brownies in a round cake pan. The cake pan I used is 9 inches in diameter. If you do not have a round cake pan, you can certainly use the pan with which you normally bake brownies. You just may have some scraps leftover after cutting the triangles.

Now, let’s talk about decorating the reindeer. For the antlers I used big twist pretzels, snapped in half. The eyes are brown M&Ms, and the nose is a mini vanilla wafer with a red M&M on top.

The “glue” that keeps everything in place is vanilla buttercream frosting.  This was the only way I could think of to adhere the reindeers’ facial features. If you find an easier way, go for it! Also, keep in mind, vanilla buttercream is delicious and you can use leftovers to spread on graham crackers.

So there you have it! That’s all it takes to make the most adorable holiday brownies ever!

Also, remember this month Challenge Dairy has partnered with UNICEF to fight the childhood malnutrition crisis with their campaign called “Pin a Recipe, Feed a Child." Through December 31, 2016, if you pin a recipe from the “2016 Pin a Recipe, Feed a Child” Pinterest board, Challenge will donate a meal to UNICEF for a child in need.

Reindeer Brownies

Yield: Makes 8 brownies

Ingredients

For the brownies

• 1 (18 ounce) box of brownie mix
• 1/3 cup Challenge butter, melted
• 1/3 cup milk
• 1 egg

For the buttercream frosting

• 1/2 cup Challenge butter, room temperature
• 4 cups powdered sugar
• 1/4 heavy whipping cream
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 1/4 teaspoon salt

For the decorations

• Large pretzel twists
• Brown M&Ms (or chocolate chips)
• Vanilla wafers
• Red M&Ms

Directions

For the brownies

1. Preheat oven to 325 degrees Fahrenheit
2. Line 9-inch cake pan with aluminum foil and spray with nonstick baking spray; set aside.
3. Mix the milk, butter, and egg in bowl. Add the brownie mix and stir until well blended.
4. Spread mix into cake pan and bake for 40 minutes.
5. Remove from oven and let cool completely.
6. Once cooled, lift aluminum foil out of pan and cut into 8 triangles. 

For the buttercream frosting

1. Beat softened butter on medium speed for about 2 minutes until smooth and creamy.
2. Add powdered sugar, cream, vanilla extract, and salt and mix until combined
3. Increase mixer to high speed and beat for 3 full minutes.
4. Add more powdered sugar if frosting is too thin or more cream if frosting is too thick.
5. Decorate brownies by using frosting to adhere the eyes and nose to the brownie. Stick 1/2 pretzel twist into each side of brownie for antlers