Pecan Pie Brownies
Pecan Pie Brownies are a rich, chocolate and pecan pie Thanksgiving dessert recipe that you’re going to want all year long!
I think we can all agree pecan pie is a must on Thanksgiving. I’ve tried switching it up and my Pecan Pie Cake Roll was a hit so this year I thought I’d see if I could do it again. These Pecan Pie Brownies take everyone’s favorite part of the pecan pie, the gooey, nutty filling, and bake it right on top of rich chocolate brownies. These brownies were out of this world good! The combination of chocolate and pecan pie filling is even better than your classic pecan pie.
If you love pecan pie as much as we do you have to try our Puff Pastry Pecan Pies , Pecan Pie Bread Pudding, and the original Southern Pecan Pie .
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It’s a simple recipe. I used a boxed brownie mix (one that makes a 13-inch x 9-inch pan of brownies) to keep things simple but if you have a favorite brownie recipe you can use that. These brownies will be very fudgy because the pecan pie filling soaks into the brownie as it bakes keeping it super moist. The pecan pie topping is the star of the show and I made it using my mom’s pecan pie filling recipe.
How to Make Pecan Pie Filling:
Normally pecan pie filling is heated up in a saucepan to melt the butter and then it is poured into a pie crust to bake. As it bakes it thickens into a pie filling. Since we don’t want to over-bake the brownies I cook my pecan pie filling in the saucepan until it begins to thicken so it doesn’t have to bake for as long.
- Whisk together the sugar, corn syrup, eggs, butter, and vanilla in a small saucepan. Place on the stove top over medium high heat and begin to cook, stirring continuously.
- After 15-20 minutes the sauce in the saucepan should have thickened enough to coat your spoon. Stir the pecans into the mixture and cook for another 2-3 minutes.
The mixture should be the consistency of runny oatmeal. Loose enough to pour but not liquid. NOTE: If the filling is ready before your brownies have finished their pre-baking you can just remove the filling from the heat until you are ready to pour it over the brownies. Cooking it slightly more will not hurt anything you just want it to remain pourable so you can easily add it to your brownies.
That’s it! After that you pour it over your partially cooked brownies and put them in the oven to bake for another 20-25 minutes. You’ll know the pie filling is fully cooked when you can jiggle the brownie pan and the pie filling only slightly wobbles in the center.
Tip for Making Pecan Pie Brownies:
The biggest issue I ran into with these brownies was the brownie not seeming to be baked enough. I have experimented with many different times and discovered that the type of container you baking in (metal or glass) and the brand of brownies can make a difference. Use baking time on the back of your box of brownie mix to determine how long to pre-bake your brownies. I baked mine for half of the time listed before adding my pecan pie filling on top. This gave me a fully cooked brownie with a very fudgy center.
I’ve got to tell you the kitchen smelled pretty amazing and when those Pecan Pie Brownies came out of the oven it took all of my willpower not to dive right in.It was worth the wait though and when the brownies had cooled I cut a few slices and all of my taste testers agreed that they were awesome enough to make it onto this year’s Thanksgiving dessert menu!
Want more pecan recipes?
PECAN PIE BROWNIES
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Pecan Pie Brownies
Ingredients
- 1 box Brownie mix , must have instructions for making in 13×9 pan + ingredients listed on the package
Pecan Pie Filling:
- 1 cup Sugar
- 1 1/2 cups Light Corn syrup
- 4 Eggs
- 1/4 cup Unsalted butter
- 1 1/2 teaspoon Vanilla extract
- 2 cups Pecans, roughly chopped
Instructions
- Preheat oven according to brownie package instructions.
- Whisk together the sugar, corn syrup, eggs, butter, and vanilla in a small saucepan. Place on the stove top over medium high heat and begin to cook, stirring continuously.
- Mix brownies according to package instructions.
- Pour brownie batter into a greased 13×9 inch pan and place in oven to bake for 20 minutes. * see note about cooking time below
- As the brownies bake the filling in the saucepan should have thicken enough to coat your spoon (about 15 minutes). Stir the pecans into the mixture and continue to cook for 2-3 minutes until the mixture reaches the consistency of runny oatmeal. You want it to be loose enough to pour over the brownies but not liquid.
- When the brownies have finished pre-baking remove them from the oven and pour the pecan pie filling over them spreading it out to cover the brownies completely.
- Place them back in the oven and bake for 25-30 minutes or until the filling only jiggles slightly in the middle when you move the pan.
- Let cool to room temperature before cutting.
Notes
Nutrition
This post originally appeared on Real Housemoms where we were contributors.
This is an insanely DELICIOUS recipe. Has a wonderful chewy texture. I halved the recipe since there are only two of us, and and 8 x 8 lasted six days on the counter since its sweetness dictated only mini bites.
Did u use a metal r glass pan for the pecan pie brownies?
We used a metal pan.
How do you store them? Room temperature or refrigerator?
Either will work.
These are amazing!! Everybody loves them.
In the video it looks like you don’t start cooking the pecan pie filling until you put the brownies into the oven. However, the directions read that you start cooking the filling first! Please clarify!
Thank you!
Hi Beth, I find the pecan pie mixture takes about 35 minutes to get to right thickness so I usually get it started and then make my brownies and put them in the oven and continue cooking the pecan pie filling while the brownies bake so that the pie filling is ready just about the time that the brownies are.
Will an 8 x 8 pan work with maybe just a light topping of the pecan pie part?
Yes, just follow the bake times on the back of your box of brownie mix. Since they will be thicker you may need to cook them slightly longer than half the time before adding the topping. Just make sure the center of your brownies seem to be mostly baked before adding the pecan pie filling on top. I would think you could halve the pecan pie filling amount and be good.
This recipe reads to be so simple.
Thank you for simplicity!
Can’t wait to try these.
Thank you!
Do you think they would be ok to make the night before.. should I store them in the fridge?
You can definitely make the the night before. I don’t even store mine in the refrigerator, since I don’t store pecan pie or brownies in the refrigerator, I just cover them tightly and leave them on the counter. If you feel more comfortable putting them in the refrigerator that works too!
Hello. I am going to make the Pecan Pie Brownie for Thanksgiving. I’m so excited 😆!
You mentioned that the ingredients for the filling was a pecan pie recipe. Would I cook the filling for that long for a pecan pie?
I will definitely let you know how the brownies and the pecan pie 🤔 turned out.
Hi Mille, yes this filling is the same one my mom (and her mom before her!) uses for her pecan pies. If the filling was in a pie it cooks for 45-55 minutes which is why I have you cook it on the stovetop for a bit before putting it on the brownies and baking it in the oven. It needs time to caramelize and firm up.
you said ingredients make a difference….which brand of brownie do you use?
I usually use Pillsbury chocolate fudge 13×9 family size but any brand will work. Just make sure you follow the instructions on the back of the box for 13×9 pan and use my tips to make sure you get the baking time right. You want to bake them for about half of the time listed on the box but you can bake slightly longer (sometimes I add 5 mins) so that the brownies have partially baked. Then add your pecan topping and keep baking. I hope you enjoy them!!
ty for the quick reply! my husband is going to the store tomorrow to get my brownie mix and my eggs. they look so good i am drooling!
Hi there. This recipe looks amazing! Has anyone ever used gluten free brownie mix with this recipe? I bake all the pies , but can’t eat them. Thanks in advance…
Hi Pam, I don’t have any experience with gluten free brownie mix but I believe it should work the same. It’s really just about letting the brownies bake enough before adding the pecan pie filling and then baking until that filling is cooked enough to firm up and hold it’s shape.
Thank you for your quick reply 🙂 I’m going to give it a whirl!
Hi Pam. I just made them with the krusteaz gluten free brownie mix. Delicious.
Hi! These look amazing I’m making them for our thanksgiving this year. Question, you mention to follow the directions on the box but mine say a full bake time for 13 x 9 is 21-23 minutes. Would that mean I’d only bake my brownies for 10 minutes?? I’ve never made brownies in a 13 x 9 pan before so I’m used to 40 min bake times. And your recipe seems to follow a 40 or more minute bake time as well. Just a little confused, please help!
Hi Bianca, you may be using a smaller box of brownies than we did so it takes less time to cook. That is why it is easiest to say cook for half of the time listed on the box if you want to be extra sure with a full bake time of 21-23 minutes I would bake for 12 minutes before adding the pecan pie filling.
Thank you for the fast reply! I’m assuming I should cook the filling for 30 minutes with this shortened baking time. Is that correct?
You should really go by look for the filling. It does drastically slow down the brownie baking beneath it. You want the filling to not be super jiggly in the center so that when it cools it will set. Just like a pie
Can I make homemade brownies instead of a box mix?
You can definitely make your favorite homemade recipe! You’ll want to cook the brownies for about half of their baking time before adding the pecan pie filling on top and then continue cooking until the pie filing is fully cooked and doesn’t jiggly in the middle. Happy Thanksgiving!
This might be a silly question. But do I cook them for an additional 25-30 on top of the half baking time? My boxes brownies say to bake them for 22-25 min. So should I do like 12 min, pour the pecan pie filling on and then bake for an additional 25-30? Or just an additional 12-13 min?
Not a silly question. Yes it can take up to 30 minutes more to get the pecan filling to cook enough to hold it’s shape. Even if your brownies have a shorter bake time it should be ok. Just keep an eye on the filling and when it just has a little jiggle in the center it is done. If you are worried about the brownies over cooking you can cook the pecan pie filling for longer on the stove top and then it should take less time in the oven.
In the oven right now. I baked the brownies for half the time on the box and poured the pecan pie mixture on top, but the brownies were still so gooey that it just all mixed together. Did I ruin them? They were supposed to be for thanksgiving tomorrow. 😦
You don’t ruin them they might just be more mixed together, kind of like cheesecake swirled brownies :). Just bake until the center seems set. They will be pretty fudgy but still delicious!
Okay, can’t wait!! They smell sooo good. Thank you! Happy Thanksgiving ❤️
Happy Thanksgiving!
Hi, can I freeze these?
I would not recommend freezing these. Freezing brownies will affect their texture. If you have no choice than you can freeze the whole pan briefly—just long enough to harden the brownies. Then remove the brownie “block,” wrap it tightly in plastic wrap, then in foil. Place the block into a large airtight freezer bag and freeze.
used homemade brownies and not a mix and was too focused on NOT over cooking my brownies, so I wound up not cooking them enough before I put the pecan mixture on top–had to put them back into the oven for more time. I cook my brownies for 43 minutes and should have cooked them for 30 minutes BEFORE I put the pecan mixture on top. Very gooey and swwet
I only have 1c pecans. Can I half the amount of pecan filling to top my brownies? Or should I add 1c walnuts to make 2 c of nuts?
I have not tried halving the recipe topping so I would recommend adding additional nuts.
This dish was Amazing, I would recommend this to any nut lover out there.
I made these awesome pecan pie brownies today, loved it…great wita cup of coffee.
Did this brownie recipe! Would do 3 eggs instead of 2 to make it more cake like. Bake 25-30 min. Then put the pecan layer on to & bake another 25 minutes. I added both pecans & walnuts. Yummy!
When I make brownies, the edges always burn. Do you do anything that prevents that’s? Also, if I’m understanding correctly you are basically baking the brownie half it’s total time, adding the filling and then baking the remainder?
I don’t do anything special for the edges of my brownie. Yes you bake the brownie half of it’s usual bake time and then add the pecan topping and bake for 25-30 minutes or until the center is set and only jiggles slightly
If you’re using a glass pan that might be the issue. Try using metal if you’re not already.
What brand of brownie mix did you use?
I usually use Duncan Hines but I have also used Betty Crocker
On Nov. 23, 2020, you said you usually use Pillsbury. Today you mentioned you used Duncan Hines or Betty Crocker. Which is best?
Honestly I dont have a brownie brand preference I usually buy whatever is on sale. It does need to be a box that makes brownies for a 9×13 inch pan
Best brownie recipe ever!
These are SO GOOD! My hubby loves pecan pie and chocolate so these were perfect for his bday. Instead of using a boxed brownie mix I made my favorite scratch brownie recipe and baked half way as in the instructions. They didn’t take as long as the recipe said to fully bake but I also halved it and used a 8×8 Pyrex pan.
I made these according to the comments by others for the 8×8 pan. After poured the pecan pie topping over the brownies, it just sunk into the batter. They were still very good but how do I make them so the topping stays on top?
You can bake the brownies a bit longer before adding the pecan pie filling so the brownie batter is cooked is more cooked in the center.
I want them for thanksgiving the sad part is I will have to do them on Tuesday will that be a problem doing it to far in advance
Not at all!
Is it okay if I use maple syrup instead of corn syrup?
No, you will not get the same results using maple syrup.
I definitely recommend changing the directions to how the brownies should look when putting the pecan pie filling on top instead of halfway through. I placed them on more than halfway through and ended up baking them more than twice as long as they normally should and they still ended up being very battery and not done. These have the potential to be great if you can get the pecan pie filling on at the right time.
I made these today for the first time. They were good, but we thought the brownie was too thin for the topping. I’ll be trying the 8×8 pan and halving the topping that was suggested in the comments next time.