Grinch Brownies

Fudgy Grinch brownies are the perfect mix of chocolate, mint Oreo cookies, then topped with a sweet green frosting and red heart sprinkles. These fun Grinch-inspired Christmas brownies are perfect for holiday parties, your holiday feast after your roast beast, or after a cozy Christmas movie night.

 

Why We Love This Grinch Brownies Recipe

• Holiday Fun – Surprise your family with a little fun, they’ll love the chocolate mint flavor from the Oreos and the thick green frosting on top. Let the kids help frost and sprinkle the top, or bake them together! They’re worth a little extra wait to let the frosting set.
• Perfect For Sharing – If the Grinch teaches us anything, it’s that Christmas is better when shared. These gooey chocolate mint brownies are also perfect for sharing with your favorite family and friends. The Grinch may have stole Christmas for a little while, but these brownies will bring your family around the table together, and are perfect for a Christmas party.
• Great Chocolate Mint Flavor – Chocolate and mint go together at the holidays so well, they were a big hit in my family and I know they will be for your family and friends too.

Ingredients For Grinch Brownies

Ingredients For The Brownies

• eggs
• butter unsalted, melted, 1 stick
• brown sugar
• white sugar
• vanilla extract
• all purpose flour
• unsweetened cocoa powder
• salt
• mint Oreo cookies – you can also use regular Oreo cookies, another holiday-themed Oreo or a similar chocolate sandwich cookie.

Ingredients For The Frosting

• cream cheese softened to room temperature
• butter soften, salted – softened to room temperature
• powdered sugar
• vanilla extract
• green gel food coloring gel food coloring will give you a better color and is preferred. You’ll only need to add a few drops with gel food coloring, with the liquid food coloring you may need a little more to get a good Grinch green color.
• mint Oreo cookies – you can also use regular Oreo cookies, another holiday themed Oreo or a similar chocolate sandwich cookie.
• red heart sprinkles flat sprinkles that are heart-shaped, sometimes called quins

How To Make Grinch Brownies

Making The Brownies

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Line an 8 x 8 dish with parchment paper and set to the side.
2. Crack the eggs into a large mixing bowl and whisk eggs with a whisk until the yolks are fully mixed. Add melted butter, brown sugar, white sugar and vanilla to the eggs, then mix well with a whisk.
3. Place flour, cocoa powder and salt to a medium sized mixing bowl. Mix well with a silicone spatula until just combined.

4. Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients. Mix together with a silicone spatula until well combined into a brownie batter.

5. With a large knife and a cutting board, slice 15 mint Oreos into quarters. Fold the Oreo pieces into the brownie batter. Pour the batter into the prepared pan, spreading the batter evenly.

6. Bake the brownies for 25-28 minutes. You’ll know the brownies are done when the center of the brownies are fudgy but not wet, you can check with a toothpick. Let the brownies cool completely in the pan before frosting so the frosting doesn’t melt off the brownies.

Making The Frosting And Decorating

1. Place the cream cheese and butter until smooth. Add vanilla, a few drops of green food coloring and powdered sugar. Whisk together until smooth. Add more green color food coloring as needed to make the frosting a vibrant green color. Spread frosting over cooled brownies.

2. Chop the remaining five mint Oreo cookies into small pieces. Top the brownies with the chopped mint Oreos and red heart sprinkles.

3. Refrigerate the brownies for 1-2 hours to help set the frosting. Then slice and enjoy!

Grinch Brownies Variation Ideas

Try Other Flavors Of Oreos – They always seem to have some fun holiday flavored Oreos, and they can be even more fun if they have holiday colors. In a pinch classic Oreos work too.

Swap The Sprinkles – You can use other red sprinkles, red mini M&M’s, other small red candies, or holiday sprinkles in a pinch in place of the heart sprinkles. You can also add chopped up peppermint candy cane pieces for even more of a Christmas treat.

I don’t recommend using red hots candy. They may look like the perfect size candy, but I find the hot cinnamon isn’t a great flavor combo with the chocolate mint, especially for most kids.

Can I Use A Brownie Mix?

Yes, you can use a brownie mix in place of the homemade brownies. Mix the boxed brownie batter according to the directions on the package directions, skipping all the brownie ingredients except the mint Oreos. Before you add the brownie batter to the pan fold in the chopped mint Oreos, then bake.

Once the brownies have cooled completely you can follow the directions for the frosting and follow the directions from there. Then enjoy!

Can You Freeze Grinch Brownies?

Yes you can totally freeze these brownies. I recommend placing them on a baking sheet topped with parchment paper. Freeze the individual brownies on the baking sheet, then once frozen place them in a freezer storage container or zip top freezer bag.

How Long Will Grinch Brownies Last?

Expect these brownies will last for 4-5 days if stored in a covered airtight container in the refrigerator. These brownies do need to be stored in the refrigerator due to the cream cheese frosting, but you can have them out at a party on a platter for about 2 hours safely.