Start a fun family tussle with Pecan Pie Brownies, a rich chocolaty brownie with a sweet pecan pie topping- it’ll be a mad dash for seconds!
Decadent and simple to make, Pecan Pie Brownies are a hit at Thanksgiving or any time of year! Using a brownie mix cuts down on time and ingredients, while stirring up the pecan pie topping only takes pecans, butter, corn syrup, sugar, and eggs for a truly memorable dessert.
Happy Little Squares
Some desserts were made to be together. Obviously, chocolate was made for everything delicious but pairing it with pecans has brought a new level of happiness to my life! Not only do we get to enjoy fudgy chocolate and a topping of crunchy, sweetened pecans, but this entire recipe is so simple to make. My kids love helping with all of the stirring and measuring but let’s be honest, they’re in it for the yummy reward! That’s ok, I am too.
Other Recipes to Serve with Pecan Pie Brownies
- Are you getting ready for Thanksgiving or just craving the best Sweet Potato Casserole, topped with crunchy pecans? This one is a must-make!
- Why not start the day in the best way possible – with more pecans! Caramel Apple and Pecan Pancakes are everything you dream about and more.
Ingredients
Brownies: Pick your favorite family-sized brownie mix so it will fill a 9×13 cake pan. Check the back of the box to see what additional ingredients you will need and get those as well.
Toppings: You will need pecans, corn syrup, granulated sugar, vanilla extract, eggs, and unsalted butter to make the pecan pie topping.
How to Make Pecan Pie Brownies
STEP ONE: Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F and grease a 9×13 baking dish. Prepare the brownies according to the directions on the box, and then pour the batter into the baking dish. Bake the brownies for 20 minutes or until the brownies are almost fully cooked but not completely.
STEP TWO: To make the topping, mix the eggs, corn syrup, sugar, butter, and vanilla extract in a medium bowl until everything is well-mixed. Stir in the pecans.
STEP THREE: After the brownies are mostly baked, pull the dish from the oven and pour the pecan pie topping over the top.
STEP FOUR: Bake the brownies for another 25 minutes and then remove them from the oven. Allow the brownies to cool completely before cutting and serving.
Tips for Success
- A family-sized brownie mix will fill a 9×13 cake pan. If you can’t find the family-size box, just pick up two boxes of regular-sized brownie mix. If you have a favorite homemade brownie recipe, you can also use that!
- When baking the brownies, you don’t want them fully cooked before placing the topping on, so pull them from the oven after they have been baking for 20 minutes or when they look almost done. Also, check the bake time on the back of the brownie mix box since cooking times can vary. You want to top the brownies 10 minutes before the directions say they should be done. This ensures a soft, perfectly cooked brownie but will also prevent the pecan pie topping from sinking.
- Chopped or whole pecans work for these brownies, so pick your favorite!
Do I have to use corn syrup in the topping?
Corn syrup is a great, cost-effective way to include a sweet syrup in recipes that require a lot of it but there are other syrups you can use. Agave syrup or maple syrup would be good choices in this recipe, as would honey. You need 1 1/2 cups of the syrup, so make sure you purchase enough bottles of agave, maple, or honey.
How long do these brownies last?
Fresh baked goods are always the best, but you can make these ahead of time and then keep them covered, either on the counter or in the refrigerator. These brownies will be good for up to four days on the counter, or you can freeze them after they have cooled completely for up to three months. If you freeze them, wrap them tightly in plastic wrap and then put them in a freezer bag or other container. Let the brownies thaw in the fridge, and then you can simply pop a piece in the microwave for a few seconds if you like them warm.
You won’t want to miss any of these amazing pecan recipes!
- Fudgy Chocolate Pecan Pie
- Pecan Pie Recipe
- Pecan Pie Cheesecake
- Salted Caramel & Pecan Thumbprint Cookies
- Mini Caramel Pecan Pumpkin Truffles
*This post was originally posted on 11/08/2017.
Equipment
Ingredients
- 1 box family-size brownie mix plus ingredients to prepare (see note)
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- 1 ½ cups corn syrup
- 4 eggs
- ¼ cup unsalted butter melted
- 1 ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
- 2 cups pecans chopped or whole
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 350 degrees F. Grease a 9-inch x 13-inch baking pan (glass or metal) and set aside.
- Prepare the brownie batter according to package directions. Pour the brownie batter into the prepared baking pan.
- Bake for 20 minutes (or 10 minutes less than the package directions indicate).
- While the brownies bake, mix together the sugar, corn syrup, eggs, butter, and vanilla in a medium mixing bowl. Stir in pecans.
- After brownies have partially baked, remove the pan from the oven and pour the pecan pie filling over the top. Spread the topping into an even layer.
- Place the brownies back in the oven and bake for 25 to 35 minutes or until the filling only jiggles slightly in the middle when you move the pan.
- Remove the brownies from the oven and let cool to room temperature before cutting into 20 squares.
Jaine S says
I think I just wasted 6 eggs! Should have trusted my gut and not poured the soup filling onto the brownies at the time mark as indicated in this recipe. I wish I had just finished cooking the brownies or your recipe indicated how the brownies or filling consistency should be before adding. My filling was soup, the brownies were still very soupy at the 20 minute mark so the filling just blended /poured in. There was no spreading the filling either. I see someone else mentioned cooking the filling. I only see instructions to stir the ingredients together, did the recipe get messed up or is part of it missing?
Joyce says
This was the worst recipe I ever made it was a gummy mess which would not even come out of the pan. These instructions need to be reworked
Dayna says
I didn’t read the reviews until I had it in the oven and got worried, but they turned out great! I followed the recipe exactly, did the full 35 minutes after adding the topping, and let cool completely (I made them a day before my event) before serving. They’re still a little “messy” and you aren’t going to get perfect squares out of them, but they were a hit! Between the work potluck I made them for and taking the leftovers to a rehearsal that evening, they were all gone by the end of the day.
Tiffany says
As others have already commented, THESE DO NOT WORK. They are great in theory, but they come out a glommy mess! Maybe if you cook the brownies fully before putting on the topping as I see one person commented they did, but as the recipe is written, absolutely not. I wish I would have read the reviews before I wasted all these ingredients. Seriously, save your money & time and do NOT MAKE THESE!
Diane says
Maybe I did something wrong, but I can’t imagine what. These were just about impossible to get out of the pan. There was a thick caramel used later under the brownies that was very difficult to cut through. The brownies separated from this layer and came out a mess. The stuff was so stuck on I thought I’d have to throw away the pan. I managed to salvage 9 out of 20 brownies. I scraped off the top off what was left to serve over ice cream.
Courtney says
I made this today! SO yummy. I did a few things different due to all the comments of it being a mess. Here is my slight adjustments that made it perfect!
1. I cooked my brownies till they were fully done
2. I let my brownies cook in the pain until they were completely cooked down (the the brownies are set up before you pour the topping on)
3. Once baked another 20 mins for the topping – I took out of the oven and let cool almost completely to allow everything to set up nicely.
That’s it!
My family ate these up!!!
Ashley says
The baking time on this needs to be reevaluated. Middle of my brownies are a gooey mess no shape is held and my edges are hard as a rock. I had to leave in the oven more than 30 minutes extra to not have the middle liquid.
Emily says
I followed these directions exactly and my brownies came out a liquid mess. 🙁 It was a birthday disaster. Nothing cooked and it never set. Check out a different recipe!
Nikki says
These looked delicious and I was looking for something new to bake for Thanksgiving today…these were a disaster! I followed the recipe to a T and they turned into a mushy mess. The next time I make these I will most definitely be baking the brownies through before adding the pecan pie topping.
LeAnn Davis says
Followed the directions and they turned out amazing! No adjustments needed for me! New family fave for sure!
Karen Jones says
What a waste of ingredients, I had the same problem everyone else had with a sinking mess, My own fault, I always read reviews, and didn’t this time.
Carla says
I am no baker by any means. I don’t like desserts much, but brownies and pecan pie have always been my go to sweets if I craved something.
I grabbed stuff in the store real fast and thought I had other ingredients at home.
I used dark corn syrup instead of regular. I didn’t have enough either but it worked anyway.
I bought a generic box of brownies that just so happened to say “Family Size” on it. I will be honest, I’ve never noticed or even realized there was family size. 🤷🏻♀️
I threw everything together messy like. I didn’t use a hand mixer or a stand up mixer. Nothing, just my hand and a spoon. Good ol ways work just as good.
I used salted butter instead of salted, still didn’t notice anything bad.
I cooked my generic box of brownies for 25 minutes in a greased 9×13 glass dish.
While that was cooking, I threw all the ingredients together for the pecan pie filling.
Let me tell you something about myself, I love to cook but not baking. So when I read a recipe, if it takes too much to do it, I won’t deal with it. No time unless I’m really dedicated to that recipe. Which I wasn’t really with this one. I just wanted to see if I’d screw them up like some other desserts I’ve tried in the past.
But to get back to the pecan pie filling. I threw it all together and forgot that I wasn’t supposed to add the pecans into the mix while it was boiling. Yes I said boiling. I didn’t cook it on medium, that stuff was getting HOT!! So my brownies were done cooking for the 25 minutes I timed them.
I felt the inside of the brownies and they felt pretty good. So I poured the pecan pie filling over the brownies. Threw it back in for 45-50 minutes.
They sat out to cool for a couple of hours and after that, my husband and I were enjoying the best dessert I’ve ever attempted like this.
If I can do this recipe, so can you. I got lucky on the first attempt maybe. Don’t give up though because they are sinfully delicious!!!
Danni says
Is there anyway you could update the times and instructions? I also had an underbaked disaster. Otherwise I encourage people to checkout some other versions of the recipe like delish. It’s hard wasting expensive pecans.
Diana says
You are wrong !!!! I cooked for 25 minutes and then poured on top COMPLETELY SANK TO BOTTOM……totally ruined!!!!
Jennifer Kimmel says
Hey Diana! What size brownie box did you use? Did you follow their directions for cooking times on the brownies? I’m so sorry this flopped for you.
Dianne Smith says
I want to make these for (Canadian) Thanksgiving, so I went through the recipe very carefully, having to adapt along the way for different products available here. I also went through all the comments very carefully.
All of the “cooked” or “not cooked” problems would be solved if recipes just told us what the internal temperature should be. Brownies are generally baked to an internal temperature of 180 degrees F., although it might be slightly different depending on how chewy/moist you like brownies. I haven’t yet tried this recipe but that’s the temperature I’ll be cooking them to before I take them out of the oven the second time.