Viral Pine Cone Brownies
These Pine Cone Brownies are seriously the cutest and make such a fun dessert to share around the holiday! They might look intimidating, but aren’t too hard to make actually! You can use a boxed brownie mix to save some time as well. I made these gluten, dairy, egg, and refined sugar-free because I have food sensitivities. These would be the perfect dessert to make for the holidays or a fun activity to do with friends or your kiddos.
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What you will need
Boxed Brownie Mix – I make these gluten free and paleo and the brownie mix I love to use is the one by Simple Mills. You may get different results depending on what brownie mix you use, but this one worked fine for me.
Vegan Butter – To make this recipe vegan friendly you will need to use a vegan butter alternative. I love the organic vegan butter from the brand Miyokos.
Egg Replacer – To make these brownies egg free, use either flax eggs( 1 tbsp ground flax plus 2 tbsp water per egg) or use my favorite egg replacer by Bob’s Red Mill. (You can use regular eggs as well if you prefer.)
Sliced Almonds – This is what we will use to make the “scales” of the pine cones. If you can not eat almonds or just don’t like them, you can use some type of cereal flake as a substitute.
Chocolate Chips – We will melt the chocolate to coat the pine cone brownies. I love using the dairy and refined sugar free chocolate from the brand Hu Kitchen. Any chocolate chips will work for this recipe though!
Coconut Oil – We will melt the chocolate chips with a little bit of coconut oil to thin it out for coating the pine cones more easily.
Powdered Sugar – To give the pine cone brownies a pretty frosted look, you can add a little powdered sugar on top. (For a refined sugar free option use powdered monk fruit.)
How to make the pine cone brownies
First, make your brownie mix accordingly to the instructions(make sure to not over bake them so they will be somewhat gooey in the middle and easy to work with.) Bake your brownie mix and then let it cool down for around 10 minutes so they will still be a little warm and soft enough to mold.
Next, take the baked brownie mixture and remove any really crispy parts then form into about 12 cone shapes(Like you would make a cake pop!) Place them on a parchment paper lined sheet pan.
Then, place the almond slices( or cereal flakes) in and around the brownie cones(carefully because they are fragile), making the pine cone look full with “scales.”
Once you have added all the sliced almonds or cereal flakes in the cones, place them in the freezer for 30 minutes.
Melt the chocolate chips with the coconut oil by heating in a bowl in the microwave in 30-second increments.(Or use a double boiler if you don’t want to use a microwave).
Take the pine cones out of the freezer and carefully coat each one with the melted chocolate by placing them on a large fork and then using a spoon to pour over the chocolate on top. Place the pine cone brownies back on the parchment paper to set.
Sprinkle some powdered sugar on top of the pine cone brownies for a frosted look and enjoy!
Frequently asked questions
Q: Can you form the brownies before you bake them?
A: I wouldn’t recommend trying to form the brownies before baking because the batter is too gooey and will most likely deform when baked. The brownies would also get too hard on the outside, and it would make it very difficult to puncture with the almonds or cereal flakes.
Q: What if my brownies become too hard and wont form very well?
A: There can be differences between how brownie mixes bake. Some are more gooey than others for sure. You can try using more butter in the brownie mix when baking them or you can crumble up your brownies and mix with some chocolate frosting.(This is the cake pop method.)
Q: What if my chocolate is to thick and hardens too quickly?
A: If your chocolate is to thick for drizzling, you will need to add more coconut oil to thin it out. Start with 1 tbsp at a time until it reached the right consistency. I recommend using a dark or semi sweet chocolate because milk chocolate is harder to work.
Q: Should I undercook my brownies to make them softer?
A: You can undercook the brownies a little as long as they are egg free! If you use eggs in this recipe please don’t undercook your brownies for food safety. Try using an egg substitute if that is the case.
Q: What can I use to substitute the almonds with do to allergies or because I don’t like almonds?
A: Instead of using almonds you can use some type of cereal flake instead that will be firm enough.
Q: Can I make these ahead of time and freeze them?
A: I haven’t tested freezing them for long periods of time yet. I would suggest that you can prep them to the point of them being formed with the almonds and then keeping them in an air tight container in the freezer. Wait to coat them with the chocolate and powdered sugar the day before you want to serve them.
Other recipes you will enjoy
Paleo Gingerbread Loaf
Peppermint Mocha Donuts
Mummy Cosmic Brownies
Gingerbread Twix Cookie Squares
Viral Pine Cone Brownies
colorfulsuperfoodie
These Pine Cone Brownies are seriously the cutest and make such a fun dessert to share around the holiday! They might look intimidating, but aren't too hard to make actually! You can use a boxed brownie mix to save some time as well. I made these gluten, dairy, egg, and refined sugar-free because I have food sensitivities. These would be the perfect dessert to make for the holidays or a fun activity to do with friends or your kiddos.
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Prep Time 1 hour hr 15 minutes mins
Cook Time 20 minutes mins
Freeze time 30 minutes mins
Total Time 3 hours hrs
Course Baked Goods, Dessert
Cuisine American
Servings 10
Equipment
1 8×8 baking dish
Ingredients
- 1 GF/Grain free boxed brownie mix and whatever ingredients it requires(I love Simple Mills)
- 1 cup sliced almonds(can sub with cereal flakes instead)
- 9 oz chocolate chips
- 1 tsp coconut oil
- Powdered Sugar or Powdered Monk fruit
Instructions
Make your brownie mix accordingly to the instructions(make sure to not over bake them so they will be somewhat gooey in the middle and easy to work with) Bake your brownie mix and then let it cool down for a few minutes but don't let them cool down too much to where they harden.(about 10 minutes)
Take the baked brownie mixture and form into about 12 cone shapes. (Like you would for a cake pop!)
Place the almond slices (or cereal flakes) in and around the brownie cones(carefully because they are fragile), making the pine cone look full with "scales."
Place the pine cones on a parchment paper lined sheet pan, and stick them in the freezer for 30 minutes.
Melt the chocolate chips with the coconut oil by heating in a bowl in the microwave in 30-second increments.(Or use a double boiler).
Take the pine cones out of the freezer and carefully coat each one with the melted chocolate. Place the pine cone brownies back on the parchment paper to set.
Sprinkle some powdered sugar on top for a frosted look and enjoy!
Notes
*Every brownie mix is going to work differently. I shared the one that works best for me but exact results are not guaranteed if you use a different brownie mix.
*If your chocolate is too thick of a consistency to pour over your brownies try adding more coconut oil to thin out the chocolate. A semi sweet or dark chocolate will work better than milk chocolate.
*If your brownie mixture is a little crumbly try adding some chocolate or cream cheese frosting to bind it together more.
Keyword Chirstmas desserts, chocolate, dairy free brownies, festive desserts, Gluten free, healthy brownie recipe, kid recipes, refined sugar freee, vegan brownies
Did you make this recipe?
I would love to see your creations! Don’t forget to tag @colorful_superfoodie on Instagram and I’ll re-share!
