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These Pecan Pie Brownies are thick, fudgy, and topped with candied pecans. If you love pralines, you’ll love these! Perfect for the holiday season.

Candied pecan brownies stacked on on a plate

One of the truths in baking is that when you discover a good classic recipe, you use it in as many ways as possible. This has proved particularly true with my best brownie recipe. I’ve used it as a base for everything from snicker’s brownies to chocolate cherry brownies and now these pecan pie brownies!

This fudgy brownie recipe is inspired by one of my favorite holiday treats – pralines! These brownies are fudgy as you may expect but also nutty and crunchy. The pecans provide a welcome crunchy contrast to the gooey, decadent brownie batter.

During the holiday season, these pecan pie brownies make a great alternative to actual pecan pie. The flavors are similar but the brownies are much easier to make than any pie – and less mess too!

Not a fan of pecans? No worries! You can use any crushed nuts that you’d like to make this brownie recipe your own!

Ingredients

As you might imagine, chocolate is one of the main ingredients – appearing in a few different forms – along with a handful of baking staples.

For the ingredient measurements and the entire recipe, be sure to scroll down to the bottom of the blog post where the recipe card is located.

Butter: I use unsalted butter in my baked goods.
Semisweet chocolate: Your chocolate should be coarsely chopped for easy mixing.
Cocoa powder: I use unsweetened cocoa powder, to offset the sweetness of the other ingredients.
Granulated sugar: Makes these brownies just the right level of sweetness.
Vanilla extract: Just a splash.
Salt: Just a pinch.
All-purpose flour: I recommend sifting the flour before adding it to the mixture.
Light brown sugar: Brown sugar adds a warm sweetness to the topping.
Milk: Whole or 2% dairy milk will work.
Chopped pecans: You can substitute other nuts like walnuts if you choose.

Step by Step Directions

These decadent, fudgy brownies are just a few steps away. All you need is a mixing bowl, baking dish, and spatula!

For the full recipe instructions, scroll down to the bottom of the blog post to the recipe card.

Preheat the oven. Preheat the oven to 350°F. Line the pan with parchment paper, leaving an overhang. Spray with non-stick spray.
Melt the chocolate. Melt the chocolate and butter, either using a double-boiler method on the stove or in 30-second intervals in the microwave. Remove from heat and whisk in the cocoa powder.
Prepare the brownie batter. Whisk the egg, sugar, vanilla, and salt until frothy. Stir in the melted chocolate mixture, followed by the flour. Fold until there are no visible streaks of flour.
Bake. Bake for 15-20 minutes.

Melted chocolate in a glass bowl with a hand mixer

Prepare the topping. Whisk ingredients until well-combined. Stir in the pecans. Spread over the brownies.
Bake. Return the brownies to the oven for 15 more minutes.
Cool and serve. Allow the brownies to cool in the pan for 2 hours, then remove from the pan, cut, and serve.

Jump to Recipe

A spoon spreading pecan pie brownies topping

Tips For Success

If this is your first time making brownies from scratch or you just need a refresher, be sure to keep these things in mind.

Pro Tip: It’s important to whip the eggs until they are pale in color and very frothy. This will give the brownies rise.
Use baking chocolate – not chocolate chips. You can use either bittersweet or semisweet baking chocolate in this recipe, depending on how sweet you want the brownies to be. The only thing to be cautious of is to ensure that you’re using a bar of baking chocolate and not chocolate chips. Chocolate chips do not melt smoothly, which is essential for this recipe.
Measure the flour carefully. Be as precise as possible in your flour measurements. The #1 mistake in making brownies is eyeballing the flour or getting “close enough”. Accidentally using too much flour will result in hard and dense brownies.
Bake on the lower rack. Be sure to position your baking rack in the lower 3rd of the oven. This allows the brownies to cook slowly and ensures the top doesn’t burn before the center is cooked.
Avoid overbaking. Unlike other baked goods, you don’t want to cook these brownies until a toothpick comes out clean. In fact, if you’ve waited that long your brownies are likely overbaked and dry. It’s better to remove them from the oven a few minutes early than to overbake them!