Decorating Brownies with Stencils (Video)

We spend all of our time concentrating on different ways to decorate our cakes, cupcakes, and cookies - why don't brownies get the same kind of decorating love?

Brownies are an easy dessert for busy moms (or dads) to make up for the kids or for a special party. After you finish baking a batch, try this easy decorating tip to jazz up that plain pan of chocolaty goodness - add decorative designs by using stencils and powdered sugar. It's so easy to do and a great activity to share with your children!

Now I know what you are thinking - she is breaking #4 of her New Year resolutions to eat more healthy foods. Yes, that may be true, but I am following through on #8 and that is spending more one on one time with my kids. Now go grab your materials and have some fun with your kids making really cool designs on your brownies!

What you will need to start:

1. Brownie Mix
2. Stencils
3. Powdered Sugar
4. Any Other Decorative Items (colored sugar, icing, etc.)

• Tip #1 - Line your brownie pan with aluminum foil and spray with cooking spray. Use foil to easily lift brownies out of pan once cooled.
• Tip #2 - Place knife in cup of warm water. Take out but leave slightly wet to help cut perfectly square brownies.

After baking the brownies according to the directions on the package, let them cool completely before attempting to cut into squares. Once cut, take the stencil and place it over the brownie. Press down a little to get the stencil to stay in place.

Using a sifter or strainer partially full of powdered sugar, lightly sprinkle the powdered sugar to fill the stencil design. Once the design is full, gently lift the stencil to reveal your design. Be careful not to spill the excess powdered sugar on your brownie.

If you would like to jazz up your brownie further, try sprinkling colored sugar on top for a more colorful design. You can also add icing or candy toppings to help bring your design to life. The more creative you are, the better they will turn out!

If you don't have stencils available at the house, check out the ebay suggestions, visit your nearest store, or even better yet just make your own from home. It's super easy to do and there are lots of Internet sites offering free printables for stencils.

Directions for Making Stencils Off Computer:

• Search Internet for free downloadable stencils.
• Resize stencils if necessary to fit your brownies.
• Print out stencil on a sturdy paper such as cardstock.
• Cut out stencil with box cutter or other such tool.

If you ran out of colored sugar to decorate the brownies, don't panic and run out to the store. Try this simple recipe to make your own at home using two simple ingredients.

Colored Sugar Recipe:

• 1/2 Cup of Sugar
• Food Coloring

Add the two above ingredients in a bowl. Start off with 2 drops of food coloring. Mix well together. Add more drops if needed to get desired color of your sugar.

Birthday Parties - For brownie inspiration, think about how you would decorate their cake. Use alphabet stencils to spell out Happy Birthday and their name. Find balloon and other birthday themed stencils. I found some great stencils online for cartoon characters any kid would love to see on top of their brownies.

Christmas Parties - Make your brownies festive with a Christmas tree stencil. Use green colored sugar for the tree and dust powdered sugar for a snowing effect. Another easy idea is to use only powdered sugar with a snowflake stencil for a simple yet elegant brownie design.

Valentine's Day Parties - Treat your valentines with brownies full of hearts and I <3 U messages using heart shaped and alphabet stencils. As you can see from the pictures, my boys and I had fun creating our Valentine's Day brownies!

Halloween Parties - Last Halloween, I bought plastic spider and bat rings and inserted these into the brownies. Sprinkle a little powered sugar on top for a spooky effect. For an adult Halloween party, use powdered sugar and a skull stencil for a creepy batch of brownies.

I hope you have found some inspiration from this hub to go give your brownies some decorating love. Making brownies a little more festive for that special ocassion is a great and easy way to show off your baking skills in the kitchen. Now don't tell anyone how easy it is to decorate your brownies with stencils - just keep on letting them think you are in the running for mom (or dad) of the year!

Have you ever decorated brownies? I would love to hear your feedback in the comment section below! Thanks so much for reading and best of luck with decorating your next batch of brownies!