How to Decorate Brownies Using a Pastry Bag

Apply frosting in a narrow crosshatch pattern with a pastry bag.

Brownies are decadent without any decoration, but adding frosting puts the rich treats over the top. Working with a pastry bag allows you to control frosting application with more precision than with a knife or offset spatula. Piping the frosting allows you to add a specific amount of frosting in a specific location and shaped pattern. The brownies appear detailed and delicious when you embellish them with such precision. There are two primary ways in which a baker pipes frosting onto brownies.

Things You'll Need

• Frosting
• Pastry bag liner
• Scissors
• Parchment paper
• Star-shaped decorative piping tip
• Pastry bag

Instructions

Fine-Lined Frosting

1. Scoop frosting into a pastry bag liner. Leave at least 4 inches of the bag unfilled.

2. Twist the bag immediately above the frosting to seal it in the bag. Trim the bottom tip of the liner with scissors to make a small hole. Cut as little of the tip as possible because you only need a tiny hole.

3. Squeeze the bag over the sink or a piece of parchment paper to test the size of the trimmed hole. The frosting should come out consistently, in a fine line no thicker than a piece of spaghetti. Trim the bag again if the hole is not large enough.

4. Place one hand on the top full part of the bag. Place the other hand above the tip of the bag. Hold the pastry bag liner over the brownies. Position the tip of the bag at a 45-degree (diagonal) angle to the top surface of the baked treats.

5. Squeeze the full end of the bag gently to release frosting. Guide the bag in a back-and-forth motion. Pipe the frosting in a drizzled, crosshatch pattern of fine lines. The lines do not have to be evenly spaced. The pattern should resemble scribbling.

6. Apply the fine-lined crosshatch to the entire top surface of each brownie or to the entire pan of brownies. Leave about one-half to two-thirds of the brownie surface bare, depending on your preference.

Thick, Shaped Frosting

1. Insert a star-shaped decorative piping tip into a pastry bag. Push it down through the bag's opening until it cannot go any further. Scoop frosting into a pastry bag liner. Leave at least 4 inches of the bag unfilled.

2. Twist the bag immediately above the frosting to seal it in the bag. Trim 1/2 inch of the bottom tip of the liner with scissors to make a blueberry-sized opening.

3. Insert the liner into the pastry bag. Look in the bag to make sure the hole in the liner rests in the decorative tip. Twist the pastry bag around the twisted liner.

4. Place one hand on the top full part of the bag. Place the other hand above the tip of the bag. Hold the pastry bag liner over the brownies. Position the tip of the bag at a 45-degree (diagonal) angle to the top surface of the baked treats.

5. Pipe the frosting in even rows with no space between them to achieve total coverage. Apply the frosting in a zigzag pattern or around the edges of the brownies, working inward, in a spiral pattern.

6. Pipe individual frosting stars across the brownies if you do not want the frosting in a lined pattern. Squeeze the bag and release it almost immediately to pipe a coin-sized star of frosting. Lift the bag as you squeeze and release, to taper the top of the star. Space the stars apart to achieve partial coverage. Place them immediately side-by-side to achieve total coverage.

Tips & Warnings

• Decorate brownies after they cool to room temperature. Warm brownies cause frosting to melt and lose its piped shape.