Pecan Pie Brownies are a rich and decadent dessert with a fudgy chocolate brownie bottom topped with a gooey pecan pie filling. A delicious way to enjoy brownies and pecan pie together.
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Why We Love These Pecan Pie Brownies
- An easy dessert recipe made with simple ingredients.
- A crowd pleaser and great for entertaining. Perfect for holidays, special occasions, parties or pot lucks.
- The perfect treat for chocolate lovers.
- These brownies have the most wonderful texture with a pecan pie layer on top of fudgy chocolate brownies.
- You get the best of both worlds! A combination of 2 classic desserts: fudgy brownies and pecan pie!
Pecan Pie Brownies Recipe Ingredients
- Salted Butter
- Unsweetened Cocoa Powder
- White Sugar
- Large Eggs
- Pure Vanilla Extract
- Unbleached All Purpose Flour
- Dark Brown Sugar
- Honey
- Chopped Pecans
Substitution Suggestions
- Salted Butter: Feel free to use unsalted butter if you prefer. I suggest adding a ½ teaspoon of salt to the brownie batter if you do.
- Pure Vanilla Extract: Always use pure extracts. The imitation extracts are fake and chemically made and can leave an unwanted aftertaste in your baked goods.
- All Purpose Flour: Whole wheat flour and white whole wheat flour can be substituted for the all purpose flour. You can also use half whole wheat flour and half all purpose flour, it adds a nice flavor to the brownies.
- Dark Brown Sugar: If you prefer you can use light brown sugar. The dark brown sugar adds more flavor to the pecan pie topping.
- Honey: Light corn syrup, agave syrup or maple syrup are good substitutes. I prefer the flavor of honey best.
- Pecans: I like to use raw pecans or unsalted dry roasted pecans.
This pecan pie brownie recipe uses my favorite homemade brownie recipe and then topped with a gooey pecan topping. The combination of chocolate and crunchy pecans in next level. These are going to be the next favorite of all the Thanksgiving desserts.
How to Make Easy Pecan Pie Brownies
- First, preheat oven to 350°F and line a 9x13 baking dish with parchment paper leaving at least an inch overhang on the long sides. Or lightly grease the pan.
- Melt the butter in a microwave safe large bowl or on the stove over low heat.
- To the melted butter, add the unsweetened cocoa powder. Whisk well until completely smooth.
- Next, whisk in the granulated sugar.
- Now add the eggs and vanilla extract. Whisk together until fully incorporated.
- Switch to a rubber spatula or wooden spoon and add the all purpose flour. Stir together until there are no more white streaks of flour.
- Spread the brownie batter in an even layer in prepared pan. An offset spatula works great!
- Bake the brownies on center rack for 15-17 minutes or until they are about half baked.
- While the brownies are baking, make the pecan filling. Start by melting the butter in a medium saucepan over medium-low heat.
- Once melted and starting to bubble, whisk in the dark brown sugar, honey and salt. Heat until the edges start to bubble.
- Remove from heat and let cool for 10 minutes.
- Once cooled, whisk in large eggs and vanilla extract until smooth.
- Now stir in the chopped pecans.
- Spoon the pecan mixture over brownie layer and gently spread out.
- Bake the brownies for 20-25 minutes until the pecan pie filling is set.
- Cool completely, slice and serve.
If you enjoy pecans these other delicious pecan desserts are a must try. This classic Pecan Pie is a beautiful addition to any holiday dessert table as well as these easy Pecan Pie Bars. So much easier than making a pie and just as delicious (if not better!). Or for a sweet side dish with a pecan streusel try this fabulous Sweet Potato Casserole.
Storing Pecan Pie Brownies
Storing: Store the cooled brownies in an air tight container. Keep them in a cool dry place and they'll last at least a week, if not longer. If you notice the leftover bars starting to get a little dry, add a piece of bread or a flour tortilla to the container. It will add moisture back into the brownies.
Freezing: These pecan pie brownies freeze perfectly! Place the baked and cooled bars in a freezer safe airtight container in single layers, between pieces of wax paper. Or you can individual wrap them in plastic wrap and then place in a freezer safe container or zip top bag. Label, date and freeze. The brownies will last 3-4 months in the freezer.
Thawing: When you are ready to enjoy a brownie, simply let one or more thaw at room temperature for at least 30 minutes.
Heather's Favorite Tools for this Recipe
- These nestled mixing bowls are my favorite for prepping ingredients.
- Long ago, I used to be a Pampered Chef consultant and I still prefer their baking tools and pans to any others. They're baking pans are the ones I primarily use. Find yourself a consultant, host a party and treat yourself to a set.
- I really like these Pyrex baking dishes too!
- An offset spatula is my favorite tool to use for evenly spreading the batter into the baking dish.
- This ice cream scoop is the best. It makes dishing out hard ice cream easily.
- Pre-cut parchment paper is a life saver and so easy. No cutting my fingers!
Tips for Pecan Pie Brownies Recipe
- Line the baking dish with parchment paper leaving an inch overhang on the long edge so you can easily lift the bars out of the dish once cooled.
- If you are in a real hurry you can use a boxed brownie mix for a 9x13 pan. However, the from scratch recipe tastes so much better!
- Use room temperature ingredients. It helps the batter and filling come together better.
- Always fluff your flour and then spoon and level it to measure. Doing this will prevent too much flour from being added and ultimately making the brownies too dense and dry.
- After adding the eggs to the brownie batter, whisk like your life depends on it. The more airy the batter gets, the better.
- Let brownies cool completely before slicing. They need time to set so they aren't a gooey mess.
- To get clean cuts, line the baking pan with parchment paper then once the bars are cooled lift them out of the pan. Using a sharp knife, slice in one smooth cut. Do not use a sawing motion to cut bars. Clean knife between cuts.
- For more chocolate flavor you can add ½ cup of semi-sweet chocolate chips to the brownie batter.
- Warm the bars and serve them with a scoop of vanilla ice cream for a delightful dessert!
FAQs
Brownies become fudgy by using less flour, more butter and no leavening agent (baking soda or baking powder). The temperature and time you bake your brownies will also play into how fudgy they end up.
A toothpick or cake tester are your friends when testing for doneness. Stick the toothpick in the center of the brownies and if it comes out with some damp crumbs or gooey brownie the brownies are done. If there is still wet looking batter on the toothpick keep baking and test brownies again.
Most people will say that aluminum pans are the best for brownies and baked goods because they conduct heat the most evenly. They are right too, aluminum is the way to go when baking cakes and cookies. I like baking brownies in glass pans and all the professional bakers will probably argue with me about it. I like glass pans because the center of the brownies are guaranteed to be fudgy. This happens because the glass takes longer to conduct heat. I do agree with the professionals that dark non-stick pans are not good for baking. They conduct heat too fast and aggressively that can burn the bottom and edges of your baked goods. If you use an aluminum metal pan or glass dish you will end up with tasty brownies.
More Brownie Recipes:
- Brookie Bars
- S'mores Brownies
- Peanut Butter Swirl Brownies
- Dark Chocolate Walnut Brownies
- Classic Homemade Brownies
- Strawberry Cheesecake Brownies
- Rocky Road Brownies
- Peanut Butter Banana Brownies
- Old Fashioned Frosted Brownies
- Peanut Butter Brownie Bars
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Pecan Pie Brownies
Ingredients
Brownies
- 1 cup salted butter, melted
- ½ cup unsweetened cocoa powder
- 2 cups white sugar
- 4 large eggs
- 4 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
- 2 cups all purpose flour
Pecan Pie Topping
- ¼ cup salted butter
- ½ cup dark brown sugar
- ¼ cup honey
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- 2 large eggs
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- 2 cups chopped pecans
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350°F and line a 9x13 baking dish with parchment paper leaving at least an inch overhang on the long sides. Or grease the pan with nonstick cooking spray.
- Melt the butter in a large microwave safe bowl or on the stove over low heat.
- To the melted butter, add the unsweetened cocoa powder. Whisk well until completely smooth.
- Whisk in the granulated sugar.
- Add the eggs and vanilla extract. Whisk together until fully incorporated and airy.
- Switch to a rubber spatula or wooden spoon and stir in the all purpose flour until there are no more white streaks.
- Spread the brownie batter in an even layer in prepared baking pan. An offset spatula works great!
- Bake the brownies on center rack for 15-17 minutes or until they are about half baked.
- While the brownies are baking, make the pecan pie filling. Start by melting the butter in a medium saucepan over medium-low heat.
- Once melted and starting to bubble, whisk in the dark brown sugar, honey and salt. Heat until the edges start to bubble.
- Remove from heat and let cool for 10 minutes.
- Once cooled, whisk in large eggs and vanilla extract until smooth.
- Now stir in the chopped pecans.
- Spoon the pecan filling over the half baked brownies and gently spread out.
- Bake the brownies for 20-25 minutes until the pecan pie filling is set.
- Cool completely, slice and serve.
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