Pecan Brownies

This fudgy Pecan Brownies recipe is a time saver for Thanksgiving, but it might just become your favorite brownie recipe all year round, too! It's the perfect combination of a thick, fudge, and gooey inside and a crinkly, crispy top with an intense chocolate taste, crunchy pecans, and a pinch of cinnamon.

Best pecan brownies recipe

These are hands down the best pecan brownies. Imagine an intense chocolate taste enhanced with some cinnamon and salt, with roasted and crunchy pecans on top. You will love it!

The combination of good-quality dark chocolate and high-quality unsweetened dark cocoa powder achieves a deep chocolate flavor. Brown sugar also brings beautiful butterscotch flavor to pecan brownies.

What's more, it's super quick and easy. No fancy ingredients are needed; this is an easy pecan brownies recipe that is totally doable from scratch; there is no need for a box mix. Both the mixing process of the brownie batter and the baking process are very simple, even if you are a beginner in the kitchen.

It is rich yet very well-balanced in sweetness! Absolutely out of this world, it is the perfect chocolatey Thanksgiving dessert but might just become your favorite all year around!

Katalin's key take on how to make brownies fudge

It is essential to get the correct quantities of ingredients. If you use too much flour, or measure the fat incorrectly and have too little butter, your brownies can end up cakey rather than fudgey. The best fudgy brownie recipes have a high-fat content and lower amounts of flour by comparison.

Aside from the fat content, sugar in brownies is also what gives them the signature crunchy, crackly top and gooey center, so it is important to follow the amounts in this recipe and not try to reduce it.

Overmixing the brownie batter can also result in an overproduction of gluten, which contributes to a dry and cakey texture. Only mix the ingredients until they are combined, and then stop.

Similarly, overbaking brownies can also lead to a cakey, dry texture. You will know the brownies are done when the edges look baked, but the middle has a slightly gooey (but not raw) appearance.

Make the brownie batter

Preheat the oven to 175 C / 350 F (no fan) and prepare a 9-inch / 23 cm brownie tin by brushing the insides with melted butter or oil and then lining with baking parchment paper.

Melt the unsalted butter and chocolate in a bowl over simmering water (a double boiler). Alternatively, use a microwave for this step, heating it on low power for a few seconds at a time to ensure you don't burn the chocolate or boil the butter. See my guide on melting chocolate chips for more tips.

Whip the room-temperature eggs with both types of sugar together in another mixing bowl using an electric hand mixer for 5-7 minutes until pale and fluffy.

Pour the melted butter and chocolate mixture into the egg-sugar mixture and mix well with a rubber spatula. Do not use a mixer at this point

Sift the flour, cinnamon, salt, and cocoa powder, together (the dry ingredients) into the bowl. Sifting is necessary to avoid lumps later in the brownie mixture.

Fold the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients using a rubber spatula until the mixture comes together, which will take 30 seconds. Do not use a mixer, and do not over-mix the brownie batter.

Assemble with the pecans and bake

Pour the brownie batter into the prepared baking pan and smooth over the top with an offset spatula. Then, place chopped pecans all over the surface of the brownie batter.

Bake the brownie at 175 C / 350 F for about 35 minutes. The brownie is ready when the edge looks baked, and the middle looks slightly gooey but not raw. Do not over-bake!

Usually, recipes recommend using the toothpick test, where a dessert is baked when an inserted toothpick comes out clean. However, this is not the case with this brownie recipe. The toothpick should be gooey, and if it is clean, it means you sadly overbaked your dessert.

Let the brownie completely cool in the pan before slicing and serving.

How to turn this pecan brownie into a pecan pie brownie

Want to dial things up a notch? Sometimes, it's fun to add a pecan pie topping for brownies and get an extra hit of flavor and texture. You can make a pecan topping by melting unsalted butter, light brown sugar, maple syrup, and vanilla extract with heavy cream or an egg in a saucepan and then stirring in more chopped pecans.

Pour the pecan pie filling over the surface of the baked brownies and pop them back in the oven to finish them off. Do you want me to publish my recipe for this? Let me know in the comment below.

Storage and freezing

Once the pecan brownie is baked, make sure you let it cool before cutting and storing. Any leftover brownies can be stored in an air-tight container either at room temperature or in the fridge for 3-4 days.

Technically, you can freeze pecan brownies in an airtight container; however, the gooey texture might change slightly. I personally never freeze brownies since they stay fresh for a few days and are usually gone quickly!

For more information on storing brownies without compromising freshness, see my guide on how to store brownies.

Flavor variations

This pecan brownie recipe is super versatile, and you can adapt it in so many ways to suit you. Try adding different spices like cardamom to add more of an aromatic edge, or maybe substitute it with other nuts. Walnuts work really well instead of pecans in brownies; check my pecans vs walnuts article for more information.

Why not dial it up a notch by drizzling the brownies with a spoonful of delicious homemade pecan butter after baking? Or topping them with chantilly cream for a delicious dessert.

If you love these pecan brownies, try some of my other pecan desserts!

Ingredient substitutions

Baking is a science, so when one ingredient changes, some other ingredients need to be changed, too, to keep the balance in the texture and flavor. Sadly, I am not able to provide exact substitutes for all sorts of allergies and diets, but there are some swaps you can try to make this recipe suit you.

You can try this recipe with my dairy-free brownies or perhaps use one of these butter substitutes to make butter-free brownies. Try one of the gluten-free flours mentioned in my flour guide to swap out the all-purpose flour.

You can also try one of the egg substitutes in this helpful guide. See my list of other baking guides to learn more about the possible ingredient substitutions and how they may affect the recipe.

Please note that reducing sugar will definitely affect the iconic crinkly top.

Expert tips to make pecan brownies

1. Your pecan brownie will be as delicious as the chocolate you are using. Avoid cheap supermarket chocolate in baking. I use Callebaut Dark Chocolate (callets).
2. Similarly, always use unsweetened, 100% cocoa powder in baking. I use Dutch-process cocoa powder; it has a lovely dark color and is lower in acidity. Pecan brownies with cocoa powder have a lovely, super deep chocolate taste.
3. Make sure the eggs are at room temperature for proper emulsification.
4. This gooey pecan brownie recipe has no baking powder for a reason, so don't add any!
5. Preheat the oven to +20C / 68F, higher than the specified temperature, and turn it down once you put the brownies. This will compensate for the drop in temperature when you open the door.
6. For the best fudge brownie experience, do not over-bake your brownies. It is better to slightly undertake than to overbake brownies.
7. Make sure that you let the brownies cool completely, and don't try to cut the brownies too soon. The brownie bars are meant to be way too gooey while they are hot. However, they will set and solidify into delicious brownie fudge as they cool.

What equipment to use

Always weigh ingredients by the gram using a digital scale for precision. This will allow you to get the right ingredient ratios and make the best pecan fudge brownies.

An inexpensive rubber spatula is super useful whenever "fold" is mentioned in the recipe. With the help of your spatula, you will be able to fold the ingredients properly.

I use a 9-inch / 23 cm brownie pan and always bake with a digital oven thermometer to avoid over-baked crumbly, under-baked desserts.

Try some of my other brownie recipes

• Tiramisu brownies
• Biscoff brownies
• Espresso brownies
• Triple chocolate brownies
• Matcha brownies
• Raspberry brownies

Have you tried this recipe?

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