Pecan Pie Brownies
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These pecan pie brownies combine a rich fudgy brownie base with a sweet pecan topping. They’re gluten free, grain free and bake up into the most delicious holiday treat.
Since the holidays are anything but traditional this year, why not make a non-traditional dessert?! I’ve shared a variety of pie recipes here on EBF, but wanted to switch things up this year and share this spin on pecan pie. I’m a sucker for all types of brownies, but when brownies have a gooey, crispy pecan topping, it’s next level. Whether you’re gathering with immediate family or spending the holiday solo, I highly recommend making these brownies to lift your spirits!
While I’ve made sweet potato brownies and black bean brownies before, this recipe was my first adventure into almond flour brownies. It took some testing, but I think this pecan pie brownie recipe turned out perfectly. They’re rich and fudgy and SO delicious! The almond flour brownie base is perfectly moist and the pecan pie topping adds a satisfying crunchy, sweet crust to the treat.
“Delicious! I used dark chocolate in place of chocolate chips and coconut sugar in place of cane sugar. It was soooo good. Such an easy, incredibly yummmy recipe, with a perfect brownie consistency!”
Why You Gotta Try This One
- Two desserts in one – It’s the best of both worlds! Fudgy brownies meet gooey pecan pie for a dessert mashup that’s sure to impress.
- Naturally gluten-free – Thanks to almond flour, this recipe is completely gluten-free, making it a great option for anyone with dietary restrictions.
- Perfect for the holidays – This dessert is guaranteed to steal the show at Thanksgiving or any holiday gathering. It’s classic and unique all at the same time!
Ingredients You’ll Need
- blanched fine almond flour – I recommend Bob’s Red Mill super fine almond flour. It’s perfect for baked goods and what I use for all of my almond flour recipes.
- unsweetened cocoa powder – adds rich chocolate flavor to the brownie base.
- chocolate chips – melt into the brownies for extra richness in every bite. I love Lily’s chocolate chips for a lower sugar option or Enjoy Life chocolate chips for dairy-free.
- eggs – the key to binding the brownies and giving them that soft, fudgy texture.
- butter – adds richness to the brownies.
- cane sugar, brown sugar, and maple syrup – a blend of sweeteners that give the brownies depth and balance. The cane sugar and brown sugar add sweetness and structure, while the maple syrup adds a hint of caramel-like flavor.
- whole or chopped pecans – the star of the pecan pie layer! Use whole pecans for a classic look or chopped pecans for a more rustic feel. Either way, they add crunch and a buttery nuttiness that pairs perfectly with the chocolate.
Find the full ingredient list with measurements in the recipe card below.
How to Make Pecan Pie Brownies
- Combine wet ingredients – In a medium-sized bowl, whisk eggs. Stir in the melted butter, sugar, salt, vanilla and melted chocolate chips.
- Bake – Scoop the batter into a 9×9 baking dish sprayed with cooking spray and spread the batter to the edges. Bake at 350ºF for 20 minutes.
- Prepare pecan topping – While the brownies bake, combine the brown sugar, maple syrup, melted butter, egg, vanilla, salt and pecans in a small bowl.
- Bake and enjoy – After the brownies bake for 20 minutes, remove them from the oven and spread the pecan topping over the brownie batter. Place back in the oven and bake for another 20 minutes or until the topping has set. Let cool slightly before slicing and serving.
Brittany’s Tip
- Use room temperature ingredients: Let your eggs and butter hang out at room temp before mixing. This helps everything blend together seamlessly for a smooth, dreamy batter.
How to Store
At room temperature – Store your brownies in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 3 days. Perfect for keeping them soft and fudgy!
In the fridge – For longer storage, keep the brownies in the refrigerator in an airtight container. They’ll stay fresh for up to a week. Let them come to room temperature before serving if you prefer a softer texture.
In the freezer – These brownies freeze beautifully! Place them in a single layer on a baking sheet to freeze initially, then transfer them to an airtight container or freezer-safe bag. They’ll keep well for up to 3 months. When ready to enjoy, thaw in the fridge overnight or at room temperature for a few hours.
Frequently Asked Questions
The brownies are ready when the edges are set, and the center is still slightly gooey. A toothpick inserted into the center should come out with a few moist crumbs, not wet batter. Overbaking can dry them out, so keep an eye on them!
You can, but be mindful of the added salt in the recipe. You may want to reduce the sea salt in the brownie batter slightly to balance out the flavors.
Cakey brownies can happen if there’s too much flour or if the batter is overmixed. For fudgy brownies, make sure to measure your almond flour accurately and avoid overmixing once the wet and dry ingredients are combined. Also, be mindful of your baking time—overbaking can dry them out and make them more cake-like.
More Brownie Recipes You’ll Love
If you enjoyed this recipe, please consider leaving a ⭐ star rating and let me know how it went in the 📝 comments below.
Pecan Pie Brownies
Ingredients
- ½ cup unsalted butter, melted
- ¾ cup cane sugar
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
- 3 large eggs
- ¾ cup chocolate chips, melted (I used Lily’s)*
- ½ cup unsweetened cocoa powder
- 1 ½ cups blanched fine almond flour
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
Topping:
- ¼ cup brown sugar
- 2 Tablespoons maple syrup
- 2 Tablespoons melted butter
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- 1 large egg
- 1 ½ cups whole or chopped pecans
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Spray a 9×9 square pan with cooking spray.
- In a medium-sized bowl, whisk eggs. Stir in the melted butter, sugar, salt, vanilla and melted chocolate chips.
- Add the cocoa powder, almond flour and baking powder and stir to combine.
- Scoop/pour the batter into the prepared pan, spreading it to the edges.
- Bake brownies in the oven for 20 minutes.
- While brownies are baking prepare topping by combining brown sugar, maple syrup, melted butter, egg, vanilla, salt and pecans in a small bowl.
- After 20 minutes, remove brownies from the oven and evenly spread the pecan topping over the brownie batter. Place back in the oven and bake for 20 minutes or until the topping has set. Remove from oven and let brownies cool for about 15 minutes before slicing and serving.
Video
Notes
- To melt the chocolate, place the chocolate chips in a microwave-safe bowl and microwave in 15 second increments for about 90 seconds, stirring in between until the chocolate has fully melted.
- Brownies will keep for 2 days covered at room temp or up to 5 days in the fridge.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Like This Recipe? Rate & Comment Below!
Hi,
What would you use to replace butter for a dairy free version ?
Coconut oil?
Thanks 😊
Hi! I would recommend trying a Vegan butter. Let me know how these brownies turn out!
These were so good!!!!! I use flaxseeds instead of eggs and dates instead of maple sugar and coconut sugar instead of brown sugar and used almond and vanilla extract and everything was wonderful!! Paired it with some peanut butter swirl ice cream!! I am newly gluten free (wheat allergy) so this is legit!!
YUM! I am happy to hear that this recipe is a hit, Akaila. Your substitutions sound amazing and pairing it with the peanut butter swirl ice cream sounds delicious. Thank you for your review + star rating, I so appreciate it!
These are soo delicious and simple to make!! They were a hit for Thanksgiving. Definitely making again 🙂 Thanks for another great recipe!
Woo!! Happy to hear this recipe was a hit, Cristina. Thanks for the review!
The pecan topping was DELICIOUS but the brownie turned out to be more of the consistency of cake. I subbed regular flour and used half the amount of what the recipe called for for almond flour…will have to give these another try and see how they turn out!
Thanks for sharing! I haven’t tried this recipe with another flour so that was likely the issue of them being too dense. Let me know if you try them again and how they turn out. 🙂
I don’t use white sugar. What other sweetener could I use? For your brownie recipe. Thank You. Nancy
You could sub in coconut sugar!
Hi Brittany, these look amazing and I can’t wait to try them! Just wondering if I could use brown rice syrup in place of the cane sugar? Or maybe coconut or rapadura sugar?
Thanks you!
Hey Eddie – I wouldn’t swap a liquid sweetener for the regular sugar. Coconut sugar would be a good substitute!
Made these using coconut flour…..I used 3/8 cup. And they are delicious!!
Ohh good to know that coconut flour worked!! Thanks for coming back to share that and for leaving a review. I so appreciate it, Alison. 🙂
Absolutely delicious! I 100% agree these are a dream. Not the easiest to compile for a chubbyvguy that wants to do lots of sampling! I do have to say though, the mugging I got from the pop-up ads got way out of hand on my Samsung S10+. I closed the sight 7 times and the little videos kept going & going. I finally just did screen shots. Is there a way we can keep you making money, and keep the rest of the world sane!
Keep them delicious vittles coming!!!
Just made your Pecan Pie Brownies and they are delicious. I could eat them all myself but will share with my run crew as a post run treat! Thanks for this great recipe!
Yay! So glad you loved these brownies, Sia. Thanks for making them and for coming back to leave a review.
I baked your pecan pie brownies. They are so delicious. What I would do differently next time, since I love pecan pie, is make a double batch of the topping. Thank you for sharing this scrumptious dessert!
Ahh yay, that makes me so happy to hear. I’m glad you loved these brownies. Thanks for making them and for coming back to leave a review. I so appreciate it!
This recipe was amazing!! My favorite yet, and I’ve liked a lot of your recipes. They were moist and delicious. However, mine crumbled quite a bit. They were NOT dry & tasted perfect, so I’m hesitant to add anything else – what did I do wrong?
So glad you loved these brownies, Katie. Did you change anything about the recipe? I’m wondering if they maybe just cooked a bit too long in your oven and that’s why they were a bit crumbly.
Delicious! I used dark chocolate in place of chocolate chips and coconut sugar in place of cane sugar. It was soooo good. Such an easy, incredibly yummmy recipe, with a perfect brownie consistency!
Ahh yay, that makes me so happy to hear!! I’m so glad these brownies were a hit. Thanks for making my recipe and for leaving a review. I so appreciate it. <3
So delicious and easy to make! Thank you for the recipe!
Yay!! I’m so glad you enjoyed these brownies. Thanks for making them 🙂
will definitely try. thanks forthis
Your blog was recommended by a friend and I’m am blown away. This is the first recipe I will try (I’ll substitute plain flour) and I will have to think of what type of bird eats this calibre of bird food. Cheers!
I’m glad you were referred to me! Can’t wait to hear what you think of the brownies. I haven’t tested them with another flour, so curious to know how they’d turn out with all-purpose flour.
Soooo good. Only recommendation would be to use more pecans in the topping- I used two cups and kept everything else the same. This was soo good.
Woo!! So pumped you enjoyed these brownies, Caroline. I so appreciate you coming back to leave a comment and star rating.
Amazing brownies and easy, thank you @meet brittany!
Oh yay!! So glad you enjoyed these brownies. Thanks for making them and for coming back to leave a review. I so appreciate it. 🙂
These are amazing. I thought there wasn’t enough topping when I poured it over the brownies but they came out perfect. The pecans were so crunchy and delicious. Another great Eating Bird Food recipe, thank you!
Yay!! So glad these brownies turned out for you!! Thanks for making them and for coming back to leave a review. I really appreciate it. 🙂
Made these today and followed the recipe exactly. They are amazing!!!
Ahh yay that makes me so happy to hear, Hannah!! I’m glad these brownies were a hit. Thanks for making them!!
4.5/5 from me! I used MELT vegan butter substitute and coconut sugar. I honestly thought these were going to be too sweet as I was putting it together but it wasn’t! The brownie was great just ever slightly on the dry side for me put I may just need to adjust my cook time. Thanks for the recipe Brittany!
I’m glad they turned out with vegan butter + coconut sugar, Miranda. Did you add the melted chocolate chips? The cook time definitely varies oven to oven so you might have just needed to cook yours a few less minutes in the first phase of baking. Also, I am wondering if the coconut sugar had something to do with them being a bit dry. Normally coconut sugar can be swapped 1:1 with regular sugar, but sometimes coconut sugar results in baked goods that aren’t as moist, so that could have been the reasoning behind them being a tad bit on the dry side. If you try them again with coconut sugar maybe try adding a bit more moisture (butter or oil) to see if that helps.
Overall, I’m glad you enjoyed these brownies!! Thanks for making them and for coming back to leave a review – I appreciate it. 🙂
Hi Brittany! Any suggestion for us gals with a dairy allergy for a butter substitute?
Hey Miranda – I would try using vegan butter. 🙂 Let me know how these brownies turn out if you end up making them!
Hi, can I use normal plain flour(I’m in the Uk) instead of almond flour?
Thanks
Hey Samantha – I haven’t tested these with regular all-purpose flour, so I’m not 100% sure how they’d turn out! If you decide to try it definitely let me know how they turn out for you!