Preheat your oven according to the instructions on your brownie mix box. Grease a mini-muffin tin or a square baking pan. Prepare the brownie batter by mixing the oil, eggs, and water with the dry mix until just combined. Bake until a toothpick comes out with only a few moist crumbs. It is crucial to let the brownies cool completely before moving to the assembly phase, otherwise, the frosting will melt and the Santa hats will slide off.
In a medium mixing bowl, beat the softened cream cheese and powdered sugar together until the mixture is smooth and creamy. Stir in the alcohol-free vanilla. In a separate bowl, whip the heavy cream until stiff peaks form. Gently fold the whipped cream into the cream cheese mixture until you have a thick, pipeable frosting that holds its shape well. Transfer the frosting into a piping bag fitted with a small round or star tip.
Wash your strawberries and pat them dry thoroughly with a paper towel. Moisture is the enemy of assembly here, as the frosting won’t stick to wet fruit. Use a knife to slice off the green leafy end of each strawberry so that they have a flat base to stand on. Try to select strawberries that are roughly the same size so your Santa hats look uniform on the serving tray.
If you baked brownies in a pan, cut them into small circles using a round cookie cutter or into small squares. Pipe a generous circle of the cream cheese frosting onto the top of each brownie bite. This acts as the white fur trim of Santa’s hat. Place one strawberry, flat side down, onto the center of the frosting ring and press down gently to secure it.
To finish the look, pipe a small dot of the frosting onto the very tip of each strawberry. This represents the pom-pom on the top of Santa’s hat. Once all the bites are assembled, place them in the refrigerator for at least 15 minutes to allow the frosting to set and firm up before serving to your guests.
