Preheat your oven to 350°F and line a 24-cup mini muffin tin with paper liners. Grab a small bowl and whisk together the flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, and salt.

In a larger bowl, melt the butter and stir in the sugar until combined. Beat in the eggs one at a time, then add the vanilla bean paste and mix until smooth and creamy.

Alternate adding the flour mixture and milk to your butter mixture, starting and ending with flour. Stir gently after each addition—don't overmix or your patriotic brownie bites family will come out tough and dense.

Fold in the chocolate chips carefully, then divide the batter evenly among the muffin cups, filling each about two-thirds full. I use a small cookie scoop to keep portions consistent and prevent overflow.

Bake for approximately 12-15 minutes until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out with just a few moist crumbs attached. Don't overbake—these little brownies dry out fast once they're fully cooked.

Let the brownie bites cool in the pan for 5 minutes, then transfer them to a wire rack to cool completely. This step matters because frosting warm brownies turns into a melty mess.

Beat softened cream cheese with powdered sugar until fluffy and spreadable, then pipe or spoon frosting onto each cooled brownie. Top with red and blue sprinkles or candies to make them patriotic brownie bites family worthy.