4th of July Firecracker Bites (Printable)

Festive brownie bites with creamy frosting and red, white, blue sprinkles for a holiday treat.

# 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

# How To Make It:

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 butter. Stir in sugar, eggs, and vanilla extract until smooth.
03 - Add cocoa powder, flour, salt, and baking powder to the wet mixture. Stir just until combined.
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 comes out with a few moist crumbs.
06 - Let cool in pan for 5 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.
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 brownies have cooled completely, pipe or spread a dollop of frosting on each brownie bite.
09 - Top each frosted brownie with red, white, and blue sprinkles. Add mini sparklers or festive picks if desired.

# Expert Tips:

01 -
  • They're fudgy enough to feel indulgent but small enough that you can eat three without guilt.
  • The frosting-to-brownie ratio is exactly right, which honestly took me a few batches to figure out.
  • Kids can help decorate them, and suddenly you've created a whole celebration activity, not just a dessert.
02 -
  • Don't skip the cooling step, even though you want to frost them while they're still warm; cold brownies hold frosting like a dream and warm ones turn it into a mess.
  • If your frosting is too thick, a tiny splash of milk at a time will fix it, but you can't undo adding too much liquid.
03 -
  • Use edible glitter instead of sprinkles for an elegant look, or mix in pop rocks for a fun crackling surprise.
  • If you want extra-fudgy brownies, bake them for just 12 minutes instead of 15, and let them cool completely before frosting so they don't fall apart.
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