Easy Christmas Brownie Recipe: Homemade Gingerbread Man Brownie

This post may contain affiliate links, please read our disclosure policy for details.

Looking for an Easy Christmas Brownie Recipe? In Korea, a Christmas celebration isn’t complete without a decadent dessert, usually a festive cake. This year, try baking this special Gingerbread Man Brownie that you can easily make at home. This fudgy, moist brownie is perfect for holiday celebrations, and baking it in a gingerbread shaped mold makes them an adorable Christmas treat for family and friends. Save this recipe!

Easy Christmas Brownie Recipe, fudgy Gingerbread Man Brownie, christmas dessert — easy christmas brownie recipe

Why this brownie is the best Christmas dessert

Fudgy and Moist Brownies: If you’ve been making dry, cakey brownies, this fudgy recipe is perfect for you. I’ll share the secret to perfectly balanced ingredients and baking techniques to make your brownies soft, moist, and utterly delicious. With this recipe, you’ll be able to enjoy the most amazing brownies right from your own hands.
Cute Gingerbread Man Brownies: Baking them in a gingerbread man shape makes them ideal for Christmas and easy to share with family and friends.
Creating Happy Memories: Decorating your brownies with icing is a fun activity for kids or friends, creating joyful holiday memories together.

Why This Easy Christmas Brownie Recipe is Better Than Cake

Quick and Easy: They are extremely easy and fast to make, saving you time during the busy holiday season.
Simple Decorating: No complicated cream icing work is required! You can use simple white icing for adorable decorations. This makes it a happy family activity that even kids can enjoy.
Decadent Flavor: The rich chocolate taste makes them the perfect, satisfying dessert for the holidays.

Ingredients for Fudgy Gingerbread Man Brownie

This recipe is designed to deliver a rich, fudgy texture, perfect for your holiday celebration.

For the Brownie

Unsalted butter: 62g
Dark chocolate (for batter): 50g
Dark chocolate (for topping): 50g

dark chocolate for gingerbread man brownie

Dark Brown sugar: 42g
- (Tip for Fudginess: Brown sugar adds a deep flavor and pulls in moisture, resulting in a more fudgy and moist brownie.)
White sugar: 40g
Egg: 1
All-purpose flour: 37g
Cocoa powder: 12g

Cacao powder — cocoa powder for best christmas dessert

Vanilla extract: 2 drops
Salt: 3 pinches
Instant coffee: 1/2 tsp
- (The Secret: Adding coffee intensifies the chocolate flavor, giving your brownies a sophisticated, deep, espresso-like taste.)
Hot water: 2ml

For Decoration

White icing: 80g (enough for piping): You can use white chocolate ganache as well.

Glazuur — white icing sugar instead of brownies for the ganache topping for the easy christmas brownie recipe

Baking Tools for Perfect Gingerbread Man Brownie

Oven
- I use a Samsung oven. It’s an Air Fryer and Microwave too! It simplifies holiday baking for this adaptable easy Christmas brownie recipe.

Gingerbread Man shaped baking mold
- If you don’t have a gingerbread man mold, you can also use a square or round baking pan. Once the brownies are baked and cooled, simply cut them into gingerbread man shapes using a cookie cutter.

Mixing bowls
Hand mixer
Silicone spatula
Piping bag

Shop The Tools

The Science Behind Fail-Proof Homemade Brownies

The Power of Brown Sugar: Brown sugar contains Molasses. Molasses not only provides sweetness but also has moisture-retaining properties, which is key to making your brownies extra moist and fudgy. We combine it with white sugar here to perfectly balance the moisture and structure.
The Magic of Coffee: Adding a touch of instant coffee dramatically deepens and enriches the chocolate’s natural flavor, giving your brownies a sophisticated, luxurious taste.

Nescafe gold — coffee in the best brownie recipe

Do Not Overbake: Overbaking is the number one enemy of a moist brownie! If you bake them for too long, they will become dry and crumbly. They should be slightly undercooked when they come out of the oven; this allows them to set into that dense, chewy, fudgy texture as they cool.
Gentle Mixing is Key: Do not overmix the batter after adding flour to keep it fudgy. Overmixing develops gluten, which leads to a tougher, more cakey brownie.

How to Make The Perfect Gingerbread Man Brownie

Preheat your oven to 180°C (356°F).
Grease your baking mold with butter and chill it in the fridge until ready to use.
Chop the dark chocolate for the batter into large pieces and the topping chocolate into small pieces.

Melt the unsalted butter and batter chocolate together using a double boiler.
Mix instant coffee with hot water and add it to the melted chocolate, stirring well.
In another bowl, combine the sugars, salt, vanilla extract, and egg. Beat with a hand mixer on high speed for 5–8 minutes until the mixture becomes pale and thick.

Easy Christmas Brownie Recipe: Homemade Gingerbread Man Brownie — chop the dark chocolate: gingerbread man brownie recipe

Pour the chocolate mixture into the egg mixture and mix gently on low speed.
Sift in the flour and cocoa powder, then fold gently with a spatula in a “J” motion until fully combined (no dry flour remains).
Fold in the chopped topping chocolate.

Pour the batter into the prepared mold and bake at 170°C (338°F) for 25 minutes.
Let it cool completely in the mold at room temperature, then remove from the mold.
Fill a piping bag with white icing and decorate your Gingerbread Man Brownies with eyes, mouth, and other festive designs.

Essential Cooking Tips for Brownie Perfection

Double Boiler: This method melts chocolate gently without burning it, ensuring a smooth, glossy mixture.

Egg & Sugar Mixing: Mixing for 5–8 minutes until the mixture becomes pale and thick helps incorporate air, giving your brownies a moist and soft texture. If your brownies have been dry in the past, this step is the game changer you’ve been missing.

“J” Folding Technique: When adding flour, fold gently in a J-shaped motion to prevent gluten from over-developing. This stops the brownies from becoming dense or tough. Do not overmix.

Gingerbread Man Decoration

Decorate your adorable Gingerbread Men with friends or family!

White Icing: I used store-bought white icing, but it was slightly runny. Mixing in a bit of powdered sugar helps thicken it. If you prefer making your own, combine egg whites, powdered sugar, lemon juice, and milk.

Colored Chocolate Pens: Use a red chocolate pen to draw the mouth and a blue one for the eyebrows to make your Gingerbread Man even cuter.
M&M Chocolate: Adding M&M chocolates as buttons makes the Gingerbread Man look extra festive and charming.

How to Store Brownies

Room Temperature: Once your brownies are completely cooled, store them in an airtight container at room temperature for 2–3 days. This keeps them soft, moist, and fudgy.
Refrigerator: Wrap each brownie in plastic wrap and refrigerate for 5–7 days. They will firm up slightly, so warm them in the microwave for 5–10 seconds before eating. They taste even better warm.
Freezer: Wrap the brownies tightly in plastic wrap, place them in a ziplock bag, and freeze for 1–2 months. Thaw at room temperature or warm in the microwave for 15–20 seconds. Room-temperature thawing is recommended for the best texture.

Korean Winter Desserts

Hotteok

One of the most iconic Korean winter treats! Filled with brown sugar syrup and cinnamon, it smells like the holidays and tastes wonderfully sweet. Here is an easy Hotteok recipe you can make at home. I also included a Nutella-filled version.

Hotteok Recipe (Korean Sweet Pancakes)

Looking for an authentic Hotteok recipe? My secret blend creates the chewiest Korean Sweet Pancakes. With classic brown sugar or Nutella filling!

CHECK OUT THIS RECIPE

Gyeran Ppang

A famous Korean street food known as egg bread, recently featured in CNN’s “Top 50 Best Breads.” Enjoy this warm and sweet Korean treat at home with a simple recipe.

Gyeran Ppang (Korean Egg Bread): CNN 50 Best Breads

CNN highlights Gyeran Ppang, one of the world’s top 50 breads. Try this easy recipe to enjoy Korea’s beloved egg bread street snack at home!

CHECK OUT THIS RECIPE

FAQ about Gingerbead Man Brownie

Brownies turn fudgy when the ratio of fat (butter and chocolate) is high compared to the amount of flour. Also, skipping or minimizing leavening agents like baking powder helps create a dense, rich texture instead of a fluffy one.

Yes, you can. However, chicken breast becomes very dry when boiled, so it’s not recommended for this recipe. For this chicken soup, juicy drumsticks work much better.

It all comes down to the fat-to-flour ratio.
– Fudgy brownies have more fat and less flour (and little to no leavening), giving them a chewy, dense texture.
– Cakey brownies use more flour and often include a leavening agent, making them lighter and more cake-like.

Oil stays liquid at room temperature, so it helps brownies stay moist for longer. Butter, however, gives a much richer flavor. Many recipes combine both to achieve maximum fudginess plus great taste.

Underbake slightly. Pull them out when the center still looks a bit soft.
Cool completely before cutting to let the texture set.
Store in an airtight container to keep moisture in.
For the best results, cut the brownies right before serving to minimize air exposure.