Dense and fudgy brownies topped with a sweet and sinful pecan pie topping!
When it comes to my top five favorite pies, pecan pie is definitely included on that list. As someone who’s basically immune to sugar comas, this pie has my name written ALL over it. With its lusciously gooey brown sugar filling and crunchy pecans, there’s really no pie quite as rich as pecan pie.
But what if one wanted to combine that undeniably rich pecan pie filling with something like…a brownie?
Now I don’t think I’m breaking any laws or cardinal sins with this recipe because I’m not the first person to combine pecan pie with brownies. Sure, this is a pretty sinful treat considering how much sugar is involved, but since when do we care about the amount of sugar when we’re talking about desserts, huh?
These Pecan Pie Brownies really do have the best of both worlds–supremely dense and fudgy brownies, and gooey caramel-like topping loaded with toasty pecans! It’s definitely a treat to savor slowly because of how decadent it is. However, that more than likely won’t stop you from grabbing a second piece.
As someone who’s not the best at making pastry crusts, I found these brownies to be ten times easier to make than traditional pecan pie. Instead of making up the pie dough, rolling it out, and par-baking it, all I had to do was make a batch of my easy peasy one-bowl brownies, pour it into a pan, and bake it up!
The pecan pie topping is just as simple. Just combine some melted butter, brown sugar, eggs, corn syrup, salt, and vanilla. Stir in some chopped pecans, and pour it on top of the baked brownies.
Although these brownies take two trips into the oven, you really don’t have to worry about them over-baking or becoming too dry. In fact, I probably could’ve left my brownies in the oven a little longer since the center was a little soft. However, my mom definitely wasn’t complaining as she licked her dish clean…
Whether you’re a pecan pie lover or not, odds are you’re gonna fall madly in love once you wrap your tastebuds around this chocolatey, ooey gooey bliss of a brownie!
Pecan Pie Brownies
Ingredients
Brownies:
- ½ cup unsalted butter
- ½ cup cocoa powder
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- ½ cup brown sugar
- 2 eggs
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
- ¾ cup all-purpose flour
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon baking soda
- ½ cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
Pecan Filling:
- 4 Tablespoons unsalted butter
- ½ cup brown sugar
- ½ light corn syrup
- 2 eggs
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- 2 cups pecans coarsely chopped
Instructions
Make the Brownies:
- Preheat the oven to 350ºF and line an 8-inch square baking dish with parchment paper.
- In a medium saucepan over medium heat, melt the butter. Remove from the heat and stir in the cocoa powder until smooth and glossy. Whisk in both sugars. Add the eggs and vanilla, stirring until fully incorporated. Switch to a wooden spoon and stir in the flour, salt, and baking soda. Stir in the chocolate chips.
- Pour batter into the prepared baking dish and bake for 25-30 minutes. Remove from the oven and allow to cool completely.
Make the Pecan Filling:
- Preheat oven to 325ºF. In a medium saucepan over medium heat, melt the butter. Remove from the heat and whisk in the brown sugar until smooth. Add the corn syrup, eggs, vanilla, and salt, and continue whisking until combined. Stir in the pecans.
- Pour mixture over the cooled brownies, and bake in the oven for 35-40 minutes or until golden and set. Cool completely before slicing into squares.