4th of July Firecracker Brownies (Printable)

Fudgy brownie bites with creamy frosting and festive red, white, and blue sprinkles for joyful celebrations.

# What You Need:

→ Brownie Bites

01 - 1/2 cup unsalted butter
02 - 1 cup granulated sugar
03 - 2 large eggs
04 - 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
05 - 1/3 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
06 - 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
07 - 1/4 teaspoon salt
08 - 1/4 teaspoon baking powder

→ Frosting

09 - 4 oz cream cheese, softened
10 - 2 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened
11 - 1 cup powdered sugar
12 - 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
13 - 1 to 2 tablespoons milk

→ Decoration

14 - Red, white, and blue sprinkles
15 - Mini sparkler toppers or festive toothpicks

# Directions:

01 - Preheat oven to 350°F. Grease a 24-cup mini muffin pan or line with mini paper liners.
02 - In a microwave-safe bowl, melt the butter. Stir in sugar, eggs, and vanilla extract until smooth.
03 - Add cocoa powder, flour, salt, and baking powder. Stir just until combined without overmixing.
04 - Spoon batter evenly into prepared mini muffin cups, filling each approximately 3/4 full.
05 - Bake for 12 to 15 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center emerges with a few moist crumbs.
06 - Let cool in pan for 5 minutes, then transfer to wire rack to cool completely before frosting.
07 - Beat softened cream cheese and butter together until creamy. Gradually add powdered sugar and vanilla extract, then beat until fluffy. Add milk as needed to achieve spreadable consistency.
08 - Once brownie bites are completely cool, pipe or spread a dollop of frosting on each bite.
09 - Top each frosted brownie bite with red, white, and blue sprinkles. Add mini sparklers or festive picks if desired.

# Expert Advice:

01 -
  • They're small enough that nobody feels guilty eating three or four, but rich enough that two is sometimes all you need.
  • The frosting stays put even on a hot day, unlike regular frosting that slides right off brownies.
  • You can make them hours ahead and actually have time to enjoy your guests instead of sweating in the kitchen.
02 -
  • Overbaking these by even two minutes dries them out completely, so set a timer and check them at 12 minutes first.
  • If your frosting is too soft to hold shape, refrigerate it for 10 minutes before piping; cold frosting behaves so much better than room temperature frosting.
03 -
  • Room temperature ingredients mix together more smoothly, so pull your eggs, butter, and cream cheese out of the fridge 30 minutes before you start.
  • If you don't have a piping bag, snip a corner off a zip-top bag and use that instead; it works just as well and requires zero cleanup.
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