Vegan Christmas Tree Brownies Food

CHRISTMAS BROWNIE TREES

Steps:

• For the brownies: Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Butter the bottom and sides of two 8-inch round cake pans. Cut two 8-inch circles out of parchment and line the bottoms of the cake pans with the parchment.
• Stir together the butter, granulated sugar, vanilla and eggs in a medium bowl. In another bowl, whisk together the flour, cocoa powder, salt and baking powder. Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients and stir until just combined. Stir in the chocolate chips and divide the batter between the prepared pans, smoothing the tops. Bake until the brownies begin to gain a crust around the edges, pull away from the edge and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean, 35 to 40 minutes.
• Let the brownies cool fully in the pans on cooling racks, about 1 hour. Cut each circle into 8 equal triangles with a knife. Use a small offset spatula or pie server to lift each triangle out of the pan.
• For the American buttercream frosting: Combine the confectioners' sugar, butter and salt in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment (or in a large bowl if using a handheld electric mixer). Mix on low speed until mostly incorporated. Add the vanilla, increase the speed to medium-high and mix until smooth. Loosen the consistency with milk as desired. Add 24 drops green food coloring and 1 drop red food coloring and mix on medium speed for 1 minute. Set aside.
• To assemble: Using the tip of a paring knife or a skewer, poke a small hole along the bottom edge of each brownie. Insert a candy cane "trunk" into each hole.
• Fill the piping bag with the frosting and cut 1/4 inch off the tip. Using a zig-zag motion, pipe the frosting from the base to the tip of each tree. Decorate the trees with the sanding sugars and candy-covered chocolate, as desired.

VEGAN CHRISTMAS TREE BROWNIES

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Grease a rectangular baking dish.
• Combine flour, sugar, cocoa powder, baking powder, and salt in a large bowl. Make an indention in the middle and pour in water, oil, and vanilla extract. Mix everything well into a smooth batter. Pour batter into prepared baking dish.
• Bake in the preheated oven until the surface is no longer shiny and a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean, 30 to 40 minutes. Cool on a wire rack for 5 minutes. Run a table knife around the edges to loosen. Invert carefully onto a serving plate or cooling rack. Let cool completely.
• Cut brownies into pointy triangles. Garnish each with pomegranate seeds and place a star-shaped candy on top.

VEGAN CHRISTMAS PUDDING BROWNIES

Steps:

• Cut or crumble the free from Christmas pudding into small chunks or pieces, and set aside. Mix the ground flaxseed or linseed with 4 tbsp water in a small bowl, and leave to thicken and become gel-like.
• Melt 150g of the chocolate, the spread and milk together in a heatproof bowl set over a small pan of just-simmering water (ensure the bottom of the bowl does not touch the water). Stir until the chocolate has melted and the mixture is smooth. Remove from the heat.
• Heat the oven to 180C/160C fan/gas 4. Oil a 20cm brownie or square cake tin and line with baking parchment. Briefly whisk the flour, ground almonds, cocoa, sugars and salt together in a large bowl with an electric whisk to break up any lumps of sugar. Make a well in the centre, then whisk in the chocolate mixture, along with the flaxseed mixture and vanilla. Beat until smooth and all the flour is incorporated - the batter should be thick.
• Fold in the Christmas pudding pieces and the remaining chocolate chunks until just incorporated, then scrape into the prepared tin. Smooth the surface with a spatula and bake for 40-50 mins until the top has a light crust and there's a slight wobble in the centre. A skewer inserted into the middle should have moist crumbs clinging to it, but no raw batter. Leave to cool completely in the tin.
• Cut the brownies into squares and serve at room temperature, or chill for a more fudgy texture. Will keep in an airtight container at room temperature or chilled for up to three days, or frozen for up to three months. Dust with the cinnamon icing sugar just before serving.