St Patricks Shamrock Brownies (Printable Page)

Rich fudgy chocolate squares shaped and decorated with creamy green icing for a festive feel.

# What You'll Need:

→ Brownies

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

→ Green Icing

09 - 1 1/2 cups powdered sugar
10 - 2 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened
11 - 2 tablespoons milk
12 - 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
13 - Green food coloring as needed

→ Decoration

14 - Green sprinkles or sanding sugar, optional

# Step-by-Step Guide:

01 - Preheat oven to 350°F. Line an 8x8-inch baking pan with parchment paper, allowing overhang for easy removal.
02 - In a medium saucepan, melt butter over low heat. Remove from heat and stir in sugar, eggs, and vanilla extract until smooth.
03 - Add cocoa powder, flour, salt, and baking powder to wet mixture. Mix until just combined without overmixing.
04 - Transfer batter into prepared pan and smooth the top surface evenly.
05 - Bake for 25-30 minutes until a toothpick inserted in center emerges with few moist crumbs. Avoid overbaking.
06 - Allow brownies to cool entirely in pan on wire rack before proceeding.
07 - Beat together powdered sugar, softened butter, milk, and vanilla extract until smooth. Add green food coloring gradually until desired shade is achieved.
08 - Lift cooled brownies from pan and use shamrock-shaped cookie cutter to cut individual servings. Wipe cutter clean between cuts.
09 - Spread green icing evenly over each shamrock brownie. Top with green sprinkles or sanding sugar if desired.
10 - Allow icing to set before serving. Store in airtight container at room temperature up to 3 days.

# Expert Tips:

01 -
  • The brownies stay fudgy and rich while the shamrock shape makes them look like you spent hours decorating, when really you just used a cookie cutter and some icing.
  • Green icing turns plain brownies into instant celebration mode, and nobody can resist a dessert shaped like good luck.
02 -
  • Overbaked brownies turn into dry cake, so remove them when there are still moist crumbs—they'll continue cooking slightly as they cool.
  • The shamrock scraps are gold; crumble them over vanilla ice cream or eat them as little chocolate bites instead of throwing them away.
03 -
  • Let your powdered sugar sit in a fine-mesh sifter for a minute before whisking it into the icing—this breaks up any lumps and saves you from grainy icing.
  • The secret to perfect brownie texture is using low heat when melting the butter and resisting the urge to overmix once the flour goes in.
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