Santa Hat Brownie Bites
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Welcome the Christmas season with a fun, festive, and incredibly easy holiday dessert. These Santa Hat Brownie Bites are made with mini brownies, fresh strawberries, and a snowy dollop of whipped cream and come together in minutes!
If you love quick holiday treats, try my 5-minute Christmas snack mix or these favorite Christmas Muddy Buddies!
Recipe Overview
- Best For: Parties, dessert boards, cookie boxes, class treats, Christmas brunch
- Taste: Chocolatey, creamy, lightly sweet, and bright from fresh berries
- Texture: Fudgy brownies, juicy strawberries, fluffy whipped cream, snowy coconut
- Time: 10-15 minutes (faster with store-bought brownies)
- Holiday Vibe: Joyful, whimsical, kid-friendly, crowd-pleasing
What I Love About These Santa Hat Brownie Bites
There's a certain magic in these brownie bites that feels like the official start of the festive season. They're playful, nostalgic, and just whimsical enough to make everyone smile. And, it's lovely to have a treat that feels special but takes almost no effort at all.
Whether you're hosting a cookie swap, decorating the tree, or simply easing into the weekend after Thanksgiving, these little treats are pure delight.
I love that they're bite-sized, bright, and infinitely shareable!
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Ingredients
Here are the simple ingredients you’ll need to make these brownie bites:
- Mini Brownie Bites: Use store-bought brownie bites for a quick shortcut, or make your own using my Espresso Brownie Bites recipe. Homemade can be baked ahead and stored until you're ready to assemble.
- Fresh Strawberries: Choose medium berries with flat tops when possible - they sit neatly on the whipped cream and make the cutest "hats."
- Whipped Cream or Whipped Topping: Homemade whipped cream (with vanilla and powdered sugar) is delicious and holds up beautifully. Whipped topping works too and saves time.
- Grated Coconut: Sweetened or unsweetened - it creates the "snowy" rim and pom-pom on each Santa hat.
Shortcut or By Scratch Variations
Perfect when you need a quick holiday treat:
- Whipped topping instead of homemade whipped cream
- Store-bought mini brownie bites
From Scratch Option: For the baker-at-heart
- Homemade brownie bites, made ahead using my Espresso Brownie Bites recipe
- Freshly whipped cream with powdered sugar and vanilla
How to Make Santa Hat Brownie Bites
If you have about 10 minutes and a batch of brownie bites, this treat takes me about 10 minutes to assemble.
- Step 1: Using a whisk attachment, whip heavy cream, powdered sugar, and vanilla until stiff peaks form. Fill a piping bag fitted with a large tip nozzle or use a baggie with the corner snipped off.
- Step 2: Pipe a swirl of whipping cream on top of each brownie bite and sprinkle coconut over the top.
- Step 3: Press a strawberry on top, cut-side down, with the tips trimmed off so they lay flat.
- Step 4: Finish with snow! Add a tiny dot of cream to the top of the strawberry and sprinkle coconut around the base. Dust with powdered sugar just before serving.
Serve immediately or refrigerate up to 2 hours before serving.
Variations
- Chocolate Mint: Add a drop of peppermint extract to the whipped cream.
- Snowmen: Use banana slices instead of strawberries for a "snowman head" look.
- Gluten-Free: Use gluten-free brownie bites.
- Coconut-Free: Skip the coconut and dust lightly with powdered sugar instead.
- Extra Festive: Add holiday sprinkles or edible glitter.
Serving Ideas
These are wonderful for:
- Christmas cookie platters
- Dessert boards
- Holiday brunch
- Classroom parties
- Tree-decorating celebrations
- Office treats
- Christmas Eve dessert tables
Recipe FAQs
You can prep the brownies and strawberries ahead, but assemble within 1-2 hours of serving for the best texture.
Homemade whipped cream with powdered sugar holds well for about 2 hours refrigerated. Whipped topping holds the longest as it contains stabilizers.
Yes, but the look will be less snowy and more glossy. Still delicious!
Store covered in the refrigerator up to 24 hours. The strawberries may release some moisture, so they're best enjoyed the day they’re made.
Freezing is not recommended for fully assembled Santa Hat Brownie Bites - fresh strawberries and whipped cream change texture when thawed. You can bake and freeze the brownie bites up to 3 months ahead of time.
More Christmas Cookies & Treats
Looking for more holiday cookies or treats like this? Try these:
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Santa Hat Brownie Bites Recipe
Equipment
Ingredients
- 12 mini brownie bites store-bought or homemade
- 12 strawberries tops cut off
- 1 cup heavy whipping cream or whipped topping
- 2 tablespoons powdered sugar
- ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
- 3/4 cup grated coconut sweetened or unsweetened
Instructions
- Brownie Bites: If making homemade brownies, bake them in a mini muffin tin and let them cool completely. I love my espresso brownie bites recipe both with and without the espresso!
- Whipped Cream: Using a whisk attachment, whip the heavy cream, powdered sugar, and vanilla extract until stiff peaks form. Fill a piping bag fitted with a large tip nozzle. Or use a baggie with the corner snipped off. If you're using whipped topping, fill a piping bag with the same tip.
- Assembling Santa Hats: Pipe a swirl of whipping cream on top of each brownie bite. Sprinkle the coconut over the top of the cream. Then place a hulled strawberry (pointed side up) on top to form the hat. Pipe or spoon a small dollop of cream on top of the strawberry and dust with powdered sugar. Refrigerate until ready to serve. These are best served the same day.
Video
Notes
- Strawberries: Choose similar-sized strawberries for the cutest presentation.
- Whipped Cream: Homemade whipped cream holds its shape best when stored chilled until assembly.
- Grated Coconut: I used unsweetened grated coconut for the hats. Just a pinch around the base instantly creates the classic Santa hat look, but you can also eliminate this if preferred.
- For Parties: Assemble shortly before serving for maximum freshness.
Nutritional information is only an estimate. The accuracy of the nutritional information for any recipe on this site is not guaranteed.
We made these for our family and they were such a hit! Everyone loved how they are so festive and tasty. Thanks!
They are so fun to make, I’m glad you enjoyed them!
These are the cutest, easiest, most festive Christmas treats to make in a busy season. I love the options for making ahead, or the convenience of store-bought options! They’re delicious, fun, and chocolaty!