Gingerbread spice, eggnog frosting and mint layers give these four Christmas brownie recipes their holiday place. Choose a pan for a baking afternoon, a dessert plate or a box you're sharing with a friend. The differences are in the base and the finish: sugar-dusted gingerbread, creamy gingerbread frosting, chocolate with eggnog frosting, or mint with a chocolate top.
Amanda Rettke, Jen of Carlsbad Cravings and Sally McKenney created the recipes linked below. This roundup helps you choose among them. Follow each creator's own ingredient list, full method and storage notes when you're ready to bake.
Choose your holiday brownie before shopping
For gingerbread without chocolate, compare Amanda's two versions. The sugar-dusted bars have a lighter finish. Her frosted version adds a thick gingerbread ermine topping. Jen's bars bring chocolate and eggnog frosting together, while Sally's mint brownies give you a green frosting band and a dark chocolate cap.
The frosting and chilling stages matter when you're choosing a baking day. Pick the finish you want, then check the full source recipe for the time it needs. A brownie that has several layers makes a different afternoon project from one finished with powdered sugar.
For the year-round chocolate and peanut butter choices, use our brownie recipes for your next baking night.
Sugar-dusted gingerbread brownies
Recipe by Amanda Rettke of i am baker
Amanda's Gingerbread Brownies bring brown sugar, molasses, ginger and cinnamon to the pan. Her recipe has no cocoa or chocolate. Pick this one when you want a chewy gingerbread bar with a brownie-like texture and a light dusting of sugar on top.
The recipe makes 12 brownies in a 9-inch square pan. Amanda also gives a larger-pan option on her page. Let the bars cool before the powdered sugar goes on. That makes these a fitting choice to bake earlier in the afternoon and put out when friends arrive.
A plate of these and a mug from our fall coffee drink ideas make a good starting point for a baking afternoon.
Get the full gingerbread brownie recipe from Amanda Rettke at i am baker.
Frosted gingerbread brownies
Amanda Rettke of i am baker adds gingerbread ermine frosting to her brown sugar and molasses bars. The ginger and cinnamon base has no chocolate, so this is the pick for gingerbread flavor with a thick, creamy top. It gives you a frosted option alongside her sugar-dusted version above.
The recipe uses a 9-inch square pan and makes nine brownies. Amanda lists 50 minutes for prep and baking. Leave extra room for the bars and the cooked frosting base to cool before finishing. Her make-ahead notes also let you bake the unfrosted bars up to two days ahead.
Get Amanda Rettke’s full Frosted Gingerbread Brownies recipe at i am baker.
Chocolate gingerbread brownies with eggnog frosting
Recipe by Jen of Carlsbad Cravings
Jen's version pairs chocolate and cocoa with molasses and ginger. Chopped crystallized ginger adds more spice, while eggnog cream cheese frosting tops the cooled bars. Pick this one when you want both chocolate and gingerbread in the same bite.
The recipe makes 24 brownies in a 9-by-13-inch pan. The listed total is one hour; allow time for the bars to cool before frosting. Jen suggests baking them a day ahead, so this is another option to prep before friends arrive.
Get the full gingerbread brownie recipe from Carlsbad Cravings.
Mint chocolate brownies with three layers
Recipe by Sally McKenney of Sally's Baking
Sally's Classic Mint Chocolate Brownies have three layers: a chocolate brownie base, peppermint frosting and a chocolate topping. The green coloring is optional; the peppermint flavor comes from the extract. Choose these when you want a layered bar and have time to let each part set.
Her recipe makes 24 to 30 brownies in a 9-by-13-inch pan. The six-hour total includes cooling and chilling. If dessert is part of tonight's plans, start early. You can also check Sally's make-ahead notes and prepare them before the day you want to share them.
Get the full mint brownie recipe from Sally McKenney at Sally's Baking.
Build a holiday plate around one batch
Choose one recipe first, then decide how much you'll put out. Check its yield against the number of people you're sharing with. If you're making more than one kind, read each recipe's cooling and storage notes before putting the batches in the same container.
Keep a frosted top clear of the lid when you choose a box. Set each kind on its own small plate if that helps you keep the names and recipe links with the right batch. The creator's notes are the best place to check what can be made ahead.
Want decorating to be part of the afternoon? Our Christmas tree brownie feature has a green ganache finish to explore next. These four choices stay focused on gingerbread, eggnog and mint, so you can pick by the flavor and finish you want most.
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