Strawberry Santa Hat Brownie Bites

10 min 10 min 20 min 16

Nutritional
Information

  • 0.539 per browniekj
  • 5gm
  • 19gm
  • 40mg
  • 4gm

One of the most adorable and healthy Christmas desserts, these Strawberry Santa Hat Brownie Bites are guaranteed to be a crowd favourite every Christmas!

What's In It?

  • 1 brownie mix
  • 16 pieces fresh strawberries, tops cut off
  • 1/4 C unsalted butter
  • 1 1/2 C confectioners sugar
  • 1 to 3 tbsps half cream or milk
  • 1/2 tsp vanilla

Let's Get Cooking

Brownies from scratch

  1. Prepare the brownie mix according to directions. Bake for 10 minutes and then let it cool.
  2. Cut the brownies into squares or rounds.

Strawberries

  1. Cut the strawberries in half or three-fourths of their size. To get the Santa hat look, keep the bottom (pointed) part of the strawberries and chop off the top part. Make sure that you remove the stem.

Frosting

  1. Mix softened butter, half cream or milk, confectioners sugar, and vanilla in a large bowl. Use an egg beater or a mixer to beat the mixture for two minutes. Add more half cream, if necessary.
  2. Pour the frosting into a zip lock bag and cut the end with a scissor to create a piping bag. Then, pipe a bit of icing swirl on top of the Santa hat brownie.
  3. Stick the strawberries on top of the brownies. Add a dot of frosting on the pointed part of the strawberry to make it look like a Santa hat.

Why is this so Good?

This dessert fits with the holiday season without being too sinful for you and your kids. Yes, it is made with chocolate brownies and whipped cream, but it also contains a fat-free, low-calorie and vitamin-rich fruit: strawberries.

One serving of eight medium-sized strawberries provides:

  • 12% of the Recommended Dietary Intake (RDI) for fibre
  • 6% of the RDI for potassium
  • 8% of the RDI for folate
  • 140% of RDI for Vitamin C

Strawberries are also good for your heart. It contains a natural plant chemical called anthocyanins, which may help lower your risk of developing cardiovascular diseases. A 2013 study found that high anthocyanin intake (i.e., 3+ servings of strawberries weekly) is linked to a reduced risk of a heart attack in young and middle-aged women.

Aside from anthocyanins, strawberries are also one of the top sources of phenolic antioxidants, with amounts two to 11 times greater than other fruits. These antioxidants are associated with numerous health benefits, such as:

  • Decreased oxidative stress levels
  • Reduced inflammation
  • Improved vascular function
  • Improved blood lipid profile
  • Reduced bad cholesterol levels
  • May help reduce the risk of liver cancer

This recipe and featured image are from I Heart Naptime.

This is the second recipe in our Healthy Christmas Treats series.