Chocolate chunk pecan brownies are a quick and easy treat to mix-up for any occasion. These gooey brownies are loaded with flavor and are the perfect treat for a bake sale, or a cookie swap when you want something a little different. These quick and easy brownies are sure to become your go-to recipe when you have a chocolate craving.
Chocolate Chunk Brownies with Pecans
Don’t you just love a good brownie? But just like how there are so many variations for chocolate chip cookies, there are so many different types of brownies. I love fudgy brownies that are loaded with chocolate, so these chocolate chunk pecan brownies are perfect.
On top of the fudgy and chewy flavor in brownies, I also love brownies because they are so easy to make. There is no special equipment required. No food processor, stand mixer, or electric hand mixer. All you need is a large bowl, whisk and spoon.
Tips for Making Chocolate Pecan Brownies
This recipe uses browned butter, which adds tons of flavor to the brownies. It takes a few minutes to brown the butter in a medium saucepan over low heat, but it is so worth it. And because you’re melting the butter anyway, you don’t have to worry about it being room temperature.
If you’re starting with cold butter, it will just take a few more minutes to get the butter to brown. And be sure not to overcook the butter. Use low heat and don’t rush it by turning up the heat too high. You are looking for a golden-brown color and you’ll be able to smell the caramel and nutty aroma it gives off.
A lot of people ask about what kind of unsweetened cocoa powder to use, but I keep it simply and just go with Hershey’s 100% Cacao Powder. There are other’s that have a deeper chocolate flavor, but to me the Hershey’s version is classic. And because there’s extra chocolate chunk pieces in the batter, a milder cocoa powder complements the chocolate and pecan flavors.
The recipe calls for a 9″ x 9″ square baking pan, but if you have an 8″x8″ square pan that’s fine too. You’ll just have to adjust the baking time as the brownies will be a little thicker so will take a couple minutes more to bake. Likewise, if you use a bigger pan the brownies will be thinner so reduce the baking time.
Toast the pecans to maximize their flavor. A lot of people skip this step, but it really makes a difference. With chocolate pecan brownies you really want to use quality chocolate and crunchy pecans.
By saving some of each to put on the top of the brownies, you get a great contrast of textures and flavors in every bite. It’s another reason why adding sea salt to the brownies when they come out of the oven is so important. Just a tiny bit of salt brings out the flavors in the brownies, especially the chocolate.
Chocolate Chunk Pecan Brownies Recipe
Equipment
- 9×9 Baking Dish
- Parchment Paper
- Mixing Bowl
Ingredients
- ⅓ Cup Unsalted Butter
- 1 Cup Dark Brown Sugar
- 1 ½ teaspoons Vanilla Extract
- 2 Eggs
- 1 Cup All-Purpose Flour
- 1 teaspoon Cinnamon
- ¼ teaspoon Salt
- ½ Cup Pecans chopped
- 6 Ounce Semi-sweet chocolate bar chopped
Topping
- Coarse sea salt
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Prepare a 9×9 baking dish with parchment paper and set aside.
- In a saucepan, brown the butter. Melt on low to medium heat, stirring every couple minutes until the melted butter begins to create brown bits at the bottom of the pot and it gives off a nutty scent.
- Pour into a mixing bowl and let cool for a couple minutes.
- Add the brown sugar and whisk together. Now add the vanilla and eggs whisking again until thoroughly combined.
- Pour in the flour, cinnamon and salt. Use a wooden spoon or rubber spatula to fold in the dry ingredients until a thick brownie batter forms.
- Add in all but a few tablespoons full 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.
- Pour the batter into the prepared baking dish. Sprinkle with the extra pecans and chocolate on top.
- Bake in the oven for 25 minutes or until a toothpick inserted comes out clean.
- Sprinkle coarse sea salt on the cookie bars straight out of the oven. Let cool for about 30 minutes before cutting.
- Cut into squares.
Notes
Chocolate Chunk Pecan Brownies Video
Here’s a quick video that walks you through how to make these chocolate chunk pecan brownies. It doesn’t show you how to prepare the pan, but that’s super easy. You can either butter the pan, use a non-stick spray. Or you can use parchment paper so that it’s easy to lift the brownies out of the pan. It’s a lot easier to cut evenly sized brownies when you have them out of the pan.
Next time you’re in the mood for a gooey brownie, these chocolate chunk pecan brownies will hit the spot. For any chocolate lovers out there, you’ll love the extra chocolate flavor that comes from the chunks of chocolate. That’s why it’s important not to chop up the chocolate too small. You want to bite into the chunks of chocolate and not have them melt on you.
These brownies are perfect as is but add a little ice cream or hot fudge to them and you have yourself quite a dessert. Have fun and play around with the types of chocolate you use too. That way you get a different version of the brownie depending upon if you go with dark chocolate, semi-sweet, or milk chocolate chunks. You really can’t go wrong with this chocolate chunk pecan brownies recipe. No matter what kind of chocolate you use, you’re sure to make the perfect treat!
You may also like my recipe for Chocolate Peanut Butter Brownies.
I hope you’ll follow me on Pinterest for more recipes and baking tips.
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