Christmas Tree Brownies

To make the Christmas tree brownies, start by preparing the cake: using a knife, cut the dark chocolate into fairly small pieces 1. Melt the butter in a bain-marie 2 over low heat, then add the chocolate 3:

when it begins to melt, add the unsweetened cocoa powder 4. Continue stirring, allowing everything to melt into a thick, smooth cream 5. Once the ingredients are completely combined, turn off the heat and let it cool slightly. Separately, beat the eggs with the sugar using a stand mixer or an electric whisk 6,

then slowly add the now lukewarm chocolate mixture 7. In a bowl, sift the flour 8, add the baking powder 9, a pinch of salt, and mix well to combine all the ingredients.

Add the flour with the baking powder to the chocolate mixture 10, one spoonful at a time, mixing well and being careful not to form lumps. On a cutting board, roughly chop the hazelnuts 11 using a knife, then add them to the batter 12.

Now pour the mixture into a 8x11 inch rectangular mold, lined with parchment paper 13, and bake everything in a preheated static oven at 350°F for 20 minutes. When the cake is ready, let it rest for about ten minutes before removing it from the pan. After this time, cut the brownie, now cold, horizontally in half and cut from the two rectangles obtained 10 tree shapes using a cookie cutter 14. If you don't have the cutter, you can cut the cake into equal triangles 15 (with the base 3 inches long and the sides 3.5 inches).

Here's how your little trees look 16. Now prepare the royal icing by beating with whisks an egg white, the powdered sugar, and a few drops of lemon juice 17 (for more details on how to prepare royal icing click here). Divide the icing into two equal parts and color one part light green 18 (or the color you prefer), using food coloring, then transfer both into a piping bag.

Now decorate the little trees by drawing zigzag lines on the surface of each one or outlining the edges 19. Finally, place the colored candies on the still fresh icing 20 to make them stick. Finally, take wooden sticks and insert them at the base of each tree 21; if desired, finish with a sprinkle of powdered sugar.