This recipe for fudgy brown butter pecan brownies is truly a tasty treat! Packed with the rich nutty flavor of brown butter and toasted pecans, each bite of these brownies is pure bliss. For an extra touch of buttery pecan flavor and chocolaty goodness, brown butter brownies are topped with dark chocolate chips and whole toasted pecans!
Why You Will Love This Recipe for Brown Butter Brownies?
- Rich, nutty flavor of brown butter in brownies makes them irresistibly delicious
- Toasted pecans baked in and on top of brownies add a nice buttery flavor to brownies
- The texture of these brownies are perfectly fudgy with a nice crackly top
- Rich, robust chocolate flavor in brownies pairs beautifully with the brown butter
What is Brown Butter?
Brown butter is butter that has been melted and cooked until it becomes caramelized with a nutty aroma. It can be used in both savory and sweet recipes like these brownies. To brown butter, follow the steps detailed below:
- Place cut pieces of butter in a light-colored pan. This will allow you to see when the butter starts to change color and become caramelized.
- Melt the butter under medium heat while stirring constantly.
- Cook melted butter while stirring constantly until it starts to turn golden brown with a rich, nutty aroma, about 6-8 minutes.
How to Make Brown Butter Pecan Brownies
Key Ingredients
- Unbleached All-Purpose Flour
- Granulated Sugar
- Eggs
- Semi-Sweet or Bittersweet Chocolate
- Unsalted Butter
- Neutral Flavored Oil i.e. Vegetable Oil
- Salt
- Vanilla Extract
- Whole Toasted Pecans
- Dark Chocolate Chips, Optional
Tips for Making Perfect Brownies
- Use Good Quality Chocolate – for the best chocolate flavor in brownies, I always go for the best quality chocolate I can find with a cocoa percentage of 56 or higher. My go-to faves are Baker’s Chocolate, Ghiradhelli and Lindt. When it comes to the cocoa powder I use in my brownie recipes, I always go for Dark Dutch-processed cocoa powder. My favorite brand is Hershey’s special dark cocoa powder.
- Beat Eggs and Sugar Together Until it Doubles in Size – beating the eggs and sugar together until it becomes thick and doubles in size serves two main purposes. First, it helps to provide structure and prevent brownies from having a sunken appearance once baked. Second, it results in brownies that are perfectly fudgy without being overly dense.
- Mix Warm Melted Chocolate Mixture into Wet Batter – for the quintessential shiny, crackly brownie top, melted chocolate mixture (consisting of chocolate, butter and oil) should be mixed into wet batter while still slightly warm to touch.
- Do Not Overmix Batter – once the dry ingredients are added into the wet batter, it should be mixed together just until the brownie batter comes together without any visible streak of unmixed flour present. Overmixing brownie batter will result in dry, dense brownies as opposed to soft, fudgy brownies.
- Do Not Over Bake Brownie Batter – for perfect fudgy in the center brownies, batter should be baked just until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out with only a few moist crumbs. If the toothpick is coated in batter, then brownies need to bake longer. If the toothpick comes out dry and clean, then brownies have been overbaked.
How to Store Brownies
- Brownies placed in an airtight container will stay soft and fudgy stored at room temperature upto 3-4 days (depending on how humid your kitchen or storage area is) and upto 1 week in the fridge.
- Brownies placed in a freeze-safe airtight container and stored in the freezer will stay fresh for 1-3 months. When ready to serve, thaw frozen brownies in the fridge overnight to restore soft texture.
Can Brownies Be Made in Advance?
Yes, most certainly! Brown butter pecan brownies may be baked several days in advance. To store, allow the baked brownie to cool to room temperature. Tightly wrap cooled brownie in plastic/cling wrap before placing in a large dated Ziplock bag (or airtight container of choice) and storing in the freezer for up to 1-3 months.
When ready to serve the brownie, thaw in the fridge overnight to restore soft texture. Cut into equal-sized 9 (large) or 16 (small) squares.
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If you make this recipe, please make sure to let me know by tagging me @nourishedendeavors on Instagram or by leaving a comment in the comment section down below so I can find out how this recipe turned out for you! If you have any questions, ask away! I would love to answer your questions! Happy baking!
PrintBrown Butter Pecan Brownies
This recipe for fudgy brown butter pecan brownies is truly a tasty treat! Packed with the rich nutty flavor of brown butter and toasted pecans, each bite of these brownies is pure bliss. For an extra touch of buttery pecan flavor and chocolaty goodness, brown butter brownies are topped with dark chocolate chips and whole toasted pecans!
- Prep Time: 60 Minutes
- Cook Time: 30 Minutes
- Total Time: 1 hour 30 minutes
- Yield: 9–16 Servings 1x
Ingredients
- 3/4 Cup (94 g) Unbleached All-Purpose Flour, Spooned and Leveled
- 2 Tablespoons (10 g) Unsweetened Dutch-Processed (Dark) Cocoa Powder
- 1/2 Teaspoons Salt
- 1 Cup (200 g) Granulated Sugar
- 2 Large Eggs, Room Temperature
- 5 Ounces (141 g) Semi-Sweet Chocolate, Finely Chopped
- 1/2 Cup (113 g) Unsalted Butter, Cut into 8 Equal Pieces
- 3 Tablespoons (45 ml) Neutral Flavored Oil i.e. Vegetable Oil
- 1 Teaspoon Pure Vanilla Extract
- 1 1/4 Cups (150 g) Whole Pecans, Toasted, Divided
- 2–3 Tablespoons Dark Chocolate Chips, Optional
- Flaky Sea Salt, Optional
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350F (180C). Line an 8” x 8” pan with parchment paper in a crisscross fashion so that all 4 sides of the pan are covered with parchment paper. Allow for some overhang to assist with the removal of brownies from the pan.
- Roughly chop 3/4 cup of the whole pecans. This will be folded into brownie batter. Reserve the remaining 1/2 cup of whole pecans for placing on top of the brownie batter before baking.
- In a small mixing bowl, add the chocolate and oil. Set aside as brown butter is prepared.
- Place cut pieces of butter in a light-colored pan. This will allow you to see when the butter starts to change color and become caramelized.
- Melt and cook the butter under medium heat while stirring constantly until the butter starts to turn a rich golden brown color with a nutty aroma, about 6-8 minutes. The milk solids at the base of the base will also look golden brown in appearance.
- Immediately pour the browned butter into the bowl with chocolate and oil. Gently stir mixture together until all of the chocolate is melted. Allow melted chocolate mixture to cool slightly before using, about 5-6 minutes.
- In a stand mixer fitted with paddle attachment or with a hand-held electric mixer and a large mixing bowl, beat the eggs and sugar together at medium speed until mixture doubles in size and takes on a pale-yellow thick consistency, about 4-5 minutes. (If using a stand mixer, this process can take 3-4 minutes)
- Mix vanilla extract into wet batter followed by the cooled chocolate mixture until thoroughly combined, about 1-2 minutes.
- Using a fine mesh strainer or sifter, sift the flour, cocoa powder and salt into wet batter and mix at medium low speed just until brownie batter comes together without any streaks of unmixed flour. Take care not to over mix brownie batter.
- Gently fold the chopped pecans into brownie batter.
- Transfer brownie batter to the prepared baking pan and spread into an even layer.
- Sprinkle the top of brownie batter with remaining 1/2 cup whole pecans and chocolate chips(optional).
- Bake brownie batter for 25-30 minutes. Brownies are ready when a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean with a few moist crumbs. I find that the 27-28 minutes mark yields the perfect fudgy brownie consistency.
- Cool brown butter pecan brownies for at least 30-40 minutes before removing from the pan and cutting into 9 (large) or 16 (small) squares. For a savory touch, sprinkle the top of brownies with flaky sea salt.
Notes
- Brownies placed in an airtight container will stay soft and fudgy stored at room temperature upto 3-4 days (depending on how humid your kitchen or storage area is) and upto 1 week in the fridge.
- Brownies placed in a freeze-safe airtight container and stored in the freezer will stay fresh for 1-3 months. When ready to serve, thaw frozen brownies in the fridge overnight to restore soft texture.
- Cool the baked brownie in the pan for at least 30-40 minutes. This will make it easier to remove it from the pan and to cut into 9 large or 16 small squares. Brownies will still be warm to touch but be more manageable to cut and serve.
- For nut-free brownies, omit the pecans.
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