If you are looking for a super cute Christmas dessert that the kids will not only love eating, but making too, then give these Strawberry Santa Hat Brownies a try. Just a few ingredients are needed to make these healthy Christmas brownies and then top them with yogurt and strawberries to make Santa hats. Perfect for a Christmas party.
About these Santa Hat Brownies
As soon as Halloween is gone, we start thinking about delicious festive treats. These strawberry Santas couldn't be any more perfect with their little Santa hats on.
A simple raw blended mix of almonds, dates, cocoa, honey and festive spices rolled into balls and then topped with yogurt and a strawberry Santa hat. Kids will LOVE making and eating these.
There are just 115 calories per mini Santa hat and they are packed full of natural ingredients. There is no cooking involved in there, as everything is just blended up and mixed together.
Are you are looking for some other ways to get kids involved in the kitchen this Christmas? Try our cute Oreo Reindeers, easy Chocolate Bark, festive Rice Krispie Treats, simple Christmas Popcorn or our delicious Cinnamon Flapjacks.
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Ingredients and Substitutions
A full ingredients list, along with US Customary and Metric measurements, can be found in the recipe card at the end of this post.
- Almonds - These are what make these brownie bite Santa hats a protein packed and filling snack. You could swap them some another nut like cashews or peanuts. It needs to be something that blends well, so anything you would usually find as a nut butter. You could use a mixture too, or even use seeds.
- Cocoa powder - This is what gives the Santa brownies all the chocolatey flavour. We used unsweetened and try to use the best quality that you can, as you really will be able to taste the difference.
- Dates - To give it some natural sweetness, and also the stickiness, we used pitted dates. You could use raisins instead, but it doesn't have the same consistency, and tends to fall apart a bit more.
- Honey - To give it some extra sweetness, we added a good quality honey. You could swap it for maple syrup if you wanted to keep these vegan.
- Water - This loosens the mixture up a little to make it more mouldable. You only need a tiny bit though.
- Strawberries - This is what makes up more of the actual Santa hat. Try to use even sized strawberries so they all look the same.
- Yogurt - This makes the lining and the bobble of the hat. We used 0% Greek yogurt. You could use a plant based yogurt if you wanted to keep these vegan.
More ingredient substitutions and variations can be found in the recipe card.
How to Make Santa Hat Brownies - Step by Step
- Step 1: Blend the almonds until the are a fine flour texture. Add the cocoa powder and dates and blend until they are well chopped up.
- Step 2: Tip the mixture into a bowl with the honey and water.
- Step 3: Mix well.
- Step 4: Using your hands, make the mixture into 12 balls. Press the balls down a little to make a flatter top. Add a teaspoon of yogurt to each ball.
- Step 5: Add a strawberry and then a little more yogurt for the bobble of the hat.
Santa Brownie Flavours
The great thing about these strawberry Santa hats is how easy they are to adapt - you can add any of your favourite flavours to the brownie base.
Peppermint extract will give it a really festive flavour, or you could use orange extract as chocolate and orange go so well together.
We used a little bit of ginger to give these some festive flavour, but you could use a mix of cinnamon, ginger and nutmeg.
Serving Suggestions
Looking for a nice warming drink to serve with these strawberry Santas? Why not try our Chai Tea Latte, Oat Milk Hot Chocolate, Cinnamon Coffee, Slow Cooker Mulled Wine or Slow Cooker Hot Chocolate?
Extra Tips
- We used almonds to make the base of these strawberry Santa hat brownies, but you could use a mixture of other nuts like cashews and walnuts.
- Make flavoured brownies by adding peppermint or orange extract or ground ginger when you add the water.
- These brownies will keep in the fridge for 2 days.
- To make these vegan, use maple syrup instead of honey and use a vegan yogurt.
- If you want to make these a little more indulgent then you could use whipped cream instead of yogurt, or even white chocolate ganache.
- You could just cut out circles of regular brownies if you didn't want to rather than raw brownies.
- You could put little marshmallows on top of the strawberry Santa hats.
Frequently Asked Questions
The brownies themselves would stay fresh in the fridge for about 5 days if you made extra of those (roll them into balls for little raw snack bars), but it is the yogurt that wouldn't say fresh as long.
If you have made up the full Santa hat brownies, then they will be good in the fridge for about 48 hours. We wouldn't recommend freezing these.
Yes, these are gluten free. Just be careful that there isn't any cross contamination.
More Christmas Desserts
If you’ve tried these Santa Claus Brownie Hats, let us know how you got on in the comments below.
Tag us in your creations on Instagram @hungryhealthyhappy - Use the hashtag #hungryhealthyhappy too.
Recipe
Strawberry Santa Hat Brownies
Ingredients
- 100 g (0.75 cups) Almonds
- 100 g (1.25 cups) Cocoa powder - unsweetened
- 150 g (1 cups) Pitted dates - finely chopped
- 1 tablespoon Honey
- 6 tablespoon Water - (maybe more if it is too dry)
- 12 Strawberries - (top sliced off)
- 12 teaspoon Greek yogurt
- 1 tablespoon Greek yogurt
Instructions
- Blend 100 g Almonds until the are a fine flour texture. Add 100 g Cocoa powder and 150 g Pitted dates and blend until they are well chopped up.
- Tip the mixture into a bowl with 1 tablespoon Honey and 6 tablespoon Water.
- Mix well.
- Using your hands, make the mixture in to 12 balls. Press the balls down a little to make a flatter top. Divide 12 teaspoon Greek yogurt to the top of each ball.
- Add the 12 Strawberries and then divide 1 tablespoon Greek yogurt for the bobble of the hat.
Recipe Tips
- We used almonds to make the base of these strawberry Santa hat brownies, but you could use a mixture of other nuts like cashews and walnuts.
- Make flavoured brownies by adding peppermint or orange extract or ground ginger when you add the water.
- These brownies will keep in the fridge for 2 days.
- To make these vegan, use maple syrup instead of honey and use a vegan yogurt.
- If you want to make these a little more indulgent then you could use whipped cream instead of yogurt, or even white chocolate ganache.
- You could just cut out circles of regular brownies if you didn't want to rather than raw brownies.
- You could put little marshmallows on top of the strawberry Santa hats.
Nutritional Information
The nutritional information provided is approximate and is calculated using online tools. Information can vary depending on various factors, but we have endeavoured to be as accurate as possible.
As all appliances vary, cooking times are a guide. Please note that by changing the serving size, the cooking time may also need to be altered.
Kelli-Anne Parrent says
Hi - cannot wait to try these. Thanks for sharing! If I was adding orange extract, how much would I put in?
Dannii Martin says
I would say start with 0.5 tsp and taste it and add more depending on how orangy you want them.
Jayne says
Absolutely gorgeous. And relatively simple (famous last words - mine will probably look nothing like Santa hats). I'm not the most artistic of people - I might start a 'guess what these are' competition if they don't look like yours.
Kristine Doherty says
If you make these a day ahead of time B4 your party, what is the best way to store so they will not dry out?
Dannii says
You can keep them in the fridge.
Abby says
Uh oh, mine are too moist, shall I add more almonds/almond meal?
Dannii says
Yes, add some more almond meal or cocoa powder.
Abby says
Thank you!
Magenta says
These have a great balance of carbs, protein & fats, plus look great on a party platter!
Nicole @ Foodie Loves Fitness says
These are SO CUTE! I was just thinking about what holiday treat I can make for family members trying to lose weight, and I think these might be it!
Michelle @ Vitamin Sunshine says
These are adorable! I am totally pinning to remember to do this at Christmas. Love the ingredients in those brownie bites. I am with you-- why can't we celebrate holidays with mouth watering clean recipes, rather than use a celebration as an excuse to eat total junk??! I'd rather feel good... and I honestly prefer these types of sweets.
Valya @ Valya's Taste of Home says says
These brownies are so pretty Dannii :)