Pine Cone Brownies

image of a pine cone brownie that's been made with chocolate cereal and dusted with powdered sugar

5 from 1 rating

These pine cone brownies are such a fun, whimsical Fall dessert! The brownie centers are soft and fudgy, and they have an amazing crunch thanks to the chocolate cereal.

Prep Time15

Cook Time22

Additional Time1

Total Time1 37

Course: Brownies & Bars

Cuisine: American

Servings: 20 pine cones

Calories: 102kcal

Author: Chelsey White

Equipment

Ingredients

Brownie Batter

2 large eggs, room temperature 112g
1/2 cup granulated sugar 100g
1/2 cup packed light brown sugar 100g
1/2 cup unsalted butter, melted and cooled 113g
2 tsp vanilla extract or vanilla bean paste 8g
1/2 cup all-purpose flour 65g
1/3 cup unsweetened baking cocoa 33g
1/4 tsp fine salt
1/4 tsp baking powder >1g

Pine Cone Decorations

6 cups Shell shaped hocolate cereal (I used premier protein)
1/4 cup powdered sugar (for dusting)

Instructions

Preheat oven to 350°F/175°C and line an 8x8-inch metal baking pan with parchment paper. Set aside.
Place 2 large eggs, 1/2 cup of granulated sugar, and 1/2 cup of brown sugar in a large bowl and mix on high for 1 minute with a hand or stand mixer. The mixture should get lighter in color and look creamy.
Mix in 1/2 cup melted and cooled butter (it should still be liquid, just not hot to the touch) and 2 tsp vanilla on a medium speed until combined.
Whisk 1/2 cup all-purpose flour, 1/3 cup cocoa powder, 1/4 tsp fine salt, and 1/4 tsp baking powder into the egg mixture.
Fold the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients with a rubber spatula.
Pour batter into the prepared pan and spread it into an even layer. Bake for 22-25 minutes or until a toothpick comes out mostly clean. In my oven, the sweet spot is 23 minutes, but every oven bakes a bit differently!
Set on a wire rack to cool fully before topping. If you want to accelerate the process, place the pan in the freezer for 30 minutes.

Pine Cone Garnish

Use a cookie scoop or spoon to scoop out about 2 Tbsp of cooled brownie and roll it into a ball in your hands. Then shape it into a rounded cone to look like the center of a pine cone (see pictures above).
Press the chocolate cereal into the pine cone, starting at the top and working your way down in rings to look like the outside of a pine cone. Repeat this process until you've used up all the brownies.
Dust with powdered sugar, then enjoy! These can be kept at room temperature for 3 days, in the fridge for up to a week, or in the freezer for 2 months if stored in an airtight container.

Video

Notes

For a detailed list of ingredient swaps and substitutions that can be made in each component of this recipe, please refer to the "swaps and substitutions" section above.

Making These Pine Cone Brownies in Advance

These brownies can be stored at room temperature for up to 3 days or in the fridge for up to a week. Store them in an airtight container or cover the pan tightly with plastic wrap and foil to keep it fresh.

You can also freeze decorated brownie pine cones for up to 2 months in an airtight container.

Or you can wait to decorate them and freeze the sheet of brownies. Once they're baked and cooled, remove them from the pan, then freeze the entire sheet of brownies until it's firm to the touch (about 1 hour). Wrap the brownies in a couple of layers of plastic wrap and then foil.

When you're ready to make the pine cones from the frozen brownies, place them in the fridge overnight, then unwrap and decorate them the following day.

How to Make the Best Pine Cone Brownies

Be sure the ingredients are at room temperature. It helps them mix together better.
Properly measure your flour! I like to use a scale, but the fluff and level method works great too.
Bake these brownies in a metal pan, not a glass pan! Glass gets hotter than metal pans. If you have to bake these in a glass pan, bake them at 325°F.
Don’t over-bake your brownies!! Unlike cake layers, a toothpick inserted into the center won't come out clean when they're done. You'll know they're done when the edges have risen, and the center is still a tiny bit wiggly.
Chill your brownies fully before forming the pine cones. It will make them much easier to handle.
Decorating these takes a while, so give yourself plenty of time when you make them.

Nutrition