These Chocolate Brownies With Pecans are rich, fudgy, and layered with deep chocolate flavor and a subtle crunch from toasted nuts. Made with simple ingredients and ready in under an hour, they strike the perfect balance between soft centers and slightly crisp edges. If you love bakery-style brownies like these Biscoff Brownies, this is one you'll want to make again and again.
Chocolate Brownies With Pecans At A Glance
- 🕒 Total Time: 40 minutes (15 minutes prep, 25 minutes bake)
- 🍽️ Servings: 9 brownies 🇺🇸 Cuisine Type: American dessert
- 🍫 Flavor Profile: Rich chocolate with warm brown sugar notes and toasted pecans for a subtle crunch
- 🥄 Texture: Soft, fudgy center with slightly crisp edges and a chewy bite 🌾 Dietary Info: Not gluten-free (made with all-purpose flour)
- 🧊 Storage Notes: Store in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 2 days or refrigerate for up to 5 days; freezes well for up to 2 months
- ⭐ What Makes This Special: Brown butter adds a deep, nutty flavor while toasted pecans give these brownies just the right amount of texture
Save And Summarize This Recipe
The base of these brownies is rich and chocolatey with a soft, fudgy center and just enough structure to hold together when sliced. The brown butter adds a subtle nuttiness that pairs perfectly with the toasted pecans, giving each bite a little more depth. If you enjoy easy, crowd-pleasing desserts, this recipe fits right alongside treats like Spanish Krispie Treats, Peanut Butter Rice Krispie Treats, or classic bar desserts like Neiman Marcus Bars, all of which are simple to make and always disappear quickly.
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These brownies are just as fitting for a casual weeknight treat as they are for a more polished dessert spread. The combination of chocolate and toasted pecans adds just enough texture to make them feel a little elevated without adding any extra work. If you're putting together a dessert table, they pair beautifully with something layered like a Trifle With Chocolate And Banana, a rich, sliceable option like Chocolate Mousse Cheesecake, or even a fruit-forward dessert like a Mixed Berry Galette for a bit of contrast.
Key Ingredients
With a few pantry staples as well as delicious pecans, cinnamon, and chocolate you can create wonderful brownies that your family and friends are going to love.
Chocolate - This is a chocolate-forward brownie, so use something you enjoy eating on its own. During testing, chopped chocolate melted into the batter more smoothly than chips, giving you that rich, fudgy texture throughout.
Brown Butter - Browning the butter adds a subtle, nutty flavor that takes these brownies up a notch. It only takes a few extra minutes, but it deepens the overall flavor and pairs beautifully with the chocolate and pecans.
Pecans - Toasted pecans add just the right amount of crunch and balance out the richness of the brownies. If you enjoy desserts with chocolate and nuts, you'll also love combinations like these Chocolate Nut Clusters, where that mix of texture and flavor really shines.
See the recipe card for quantities.
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Variations
- Nuts - These are called pecan brownies, but if you don't like pecans, then try walnuts or hazelnuts as an alternative. You can also use a combination of nuts if you wish.
- Gluten-free - You can easily make these brownies gluten-free. Just substitute your preferred all-purpose gluten-free flour.
- Vanilla extract - If you want some extra nutty flavor then you could use almond or hazelnut extract as an alternative to vanilla.
How to make Chocolate Brownies With Pecans: Step-By-Step:
Step 1: Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.
Prepare a 9x9 baking dish lined with parchment paper and set aside.
In a saucepan, brown the butter. To do this you need to melt the butter on medium heat, stirring every couple of minutes until the melted butter begins to create brown bits at the bottom of the pan. You will also notice there is a nutty scent.
Step 2: Pour the melted brown butter into a large mixing bowl and let cool for a couple of minutes.
Add the brown sugar to the bowl and whisk together. Then add the vanilla and eggs whisking again until thoroughly combined.
Step 3: Pour in the flour, cinnamon, and salt and combine.
Step 4: Use a wooden spoon or rubber spatula to fold in the dry ingredients until a thick cookie batter forms. It will be similar to a brownie batter consistency.
Step 5: Add in all but a few tablespoons of the chopped pecans and chocolate. Keep some to top the batter before going in the oven. Fold in the pecans and chocolate until combined.
Step 6: Pour the batter into the prepared baking dish. Sprinkle with the extra pecans and the chocolate on top.
Bake in the oven for 20-25 minutes or until a toothpick inserted comes out clean.
Sprinkle coarse sea salt on the cookie bars straight out of the oven. Let them cool on a wire rack for about 30 minutes before cutting as it will help to create clean cuts.
Gwen's Pro Tip
Make sure you reserve a portion of the chopped chocolate and pecans to sprinkle on top of your brownie mixture before baking. The chocolate especially will help to get that crackly and crumbly top we know and love.
Hint: Make sure the butter is browned. You want it to be melted and to have changed color. The nutty scent is a giveaway that the butter is ready for you to move on to the next step.
Chocolate Brownies With Pecans FAQ's
The trick is how you store them. An airtight container is essential when storing fresh brownies. You can also add parchment paper in between your brownies. A storage hack is to also add a slice of bread to the container. The moisture from the bread will help to keep those brownies fresh and soft for an extra few days.
The issue you might have had, if you find your brownies are rubbery and tough, is overmixing the brownie batter. It will add too much air to the brownie mixture.
Yes, definitely! They need to be at room temperature before you cut them into cookie bars. As they cool they will start to solidify. Slicing them too soon means you risk them falling apart.
Other Chocolate Desserts
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Thank you!
Gwen
Chocolate Brownies With Pecans
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Equipment
Ingredients
Bar Cookies
- ⅓ cup unsalted butter softened
- 1 cup dark brown sugar
- 1 ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
- 2 eggs
- 1 cup all purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- ½ cup pecans chopped and toasted
- 6 ounces semi sweet chocolate bar chopped
Topping
- coarse sea salt
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 350 degrees fahrenheit.
- Prepare a 9x9 baking pan with parchment paper and set aside.
- In a saucepan, brown the butter by melting it on medium heat. Stir every couple of minutes until the melted butter begins to create brown bits at the bottom of the pan and gives off a nutty scent.
- Pour into a large mixing bowl and let cool for a couple of minutes.
- Add the brown sugar and whisk together.
- Add the vanilla and the eggs. Whisk again.
- Add the flour, cinnamon, and salt. Use a spoon or rubber spatula to fold in the dry ingredients creating a thick cookie batter similar to a brownie batter.
- Use a spoon or rubber spatula to fold in the dry ingredients creating a thick cookie batter similar to a brownie batter.
- Set aside a few tablespoons of the chopped pecans and chocolate for the topping.
- Add the remaining chocolate and pecans to the batter and fold until combined.
- Pour the batter into the prepared baking dish.
- Sprinkle with the extra pecans and chocolate.
- Bake in the oven for 20-25 minutes or until a toothpick inserted comes out clean.
- Sprinkle the coarse sea salt on the top when you take the bars out of the oven.
- Let cool for about 30 minutes before cutting.
Gwen says
yum