chocolate & pecan brownies

Delicious, soft and chewy homemade chocolate & pecan brownies are a simple bake for baking with kids and one that will satisfy any chocolate craving. Crispy on top and molten and chewy inside with a great crunch from the pecan nuts.

Chocolate pecan brownies are a quick and regular bake in our house. My kids love these homemade chocolate brownies, they are a simple bake and even better, they are able to bake them without my help.

This is one of those recipes that don’t take too long to prepare, and don’t have too many complicated steps. In other words a great bake for children.

This is my go to recipe for easy chocolate brownies, the one I use when I need to produce baking quickly!

I’ve baked these homemade chocolate brownies for years, sometimes with nuts, sometimes without. So if you prefer a nut free chocolate brownie, simply leave the pecans out.

Why you’ll love this recipe:

• Packed full of chocolate, if you love chocolate you’ll love these homemade chocolate brownies.
• These brownies are really quick and easy to prepare which makes them ideal for baking with children, who have a short attention span.
• The recipe is easily adapted to make Gluten Free Chocolate Brownies and there are instructions later in the post to help you do that.
• Enjoy them hot or cold. Lovely to eat cold with your favourite cuppa, but delicious when warmed up and served with some vanilla ice cream.

How to make Chocolate Brownies:

• Preheat the oven to 150C/140CFan and line a 20cmx30cm baking tin with baking parchment.
• Prepare all your ingredients ready to start as this is a quick recipe once you get started.

• Break up the chocolate and place in a large bowl along with the butter. Place the bowl in the microwave for 2 minutes. Remove and stir the melted chocolate and butter together until well combined and set aside to cool slightly.
• In a separate bowl mix together the flour, cocoa powder and muscovado sugar. Stir through and break up any lumps in the sugar.

• Pour the flour and sugar mixture into the melted chocolate, along with the chopped pecan nuts and stir well to combine.

• Now add the beaten eggs to the brownie mixture and give everything a final stir.

• Pour the brownie mixture into the baking tin and place into the oven to bake for 1 hour.

• Once baked, remove the tin from the oven and set it onto a wire cooling rack to cool.
• Once the brownies have cooled completely, cut into slices and remove from the pan.
• Store in an air-tight container, placing a piece of baking parchment between each layer of brownie to stop them sticking together.

Top tip for cutting brownies:

It is very tempting when faced with a tray of brownies straight from the oven, to cut them up and enjoy them straight away. However, this does make them really tricky to cut into squares without them falling apart.

Instead allow them to cool completely in the tray, this will give the brownie time to set. Once cool cut them up into squares and gently remove them from the tray.

Recipe ingredients & substitutions:

• Milk Chocolate: I use a good quality milk chocolate to make these brownies, but you can use dark chocolate or a mixture of dark and milk chocolate if you prefer.
• Cocoa Powder: is also added to add a real depth of chocolaty flavour.
• Butter: I use unsalted butter, but you could also use salted butter. Don’t be tempted to use margarine as you won’t get the same flavour or set in the brownies.
• Flour: self raising flour is used in this recipe. However, you can also use gluten free flour to bake gluten free chocolate brownies (see instructions below).
• Sugar: I recommend using light muscovado sugar as it has a great molasses flavour that really works in a chocolate brownie. A good substitution would be soft light brown sugar or a golden caster sugar.
• Eggs: use 3 large beaten eggs in this recipe. Just don’t add them when the chocolate mixture it too hot or you will scramble the eggs.
• Pecan nuts: add great crunch to these chocolate and pecan brownies. You can swap the pecans for any other nut like hazelnuts; almonds; brazil nuts; walnuts or macadamia nuts.

Can I adapt this recipe to make gluten free chocolate brownies?

Yes, this recipe is really easily adapted to make gluten free brownies. My Mum is coeliac so I bake these for her often as brownies are one of the simplest bakes to adapt for someone who follows a gluten free diet.

The small amount of flour in the recipe means that its an easy swap for a gluten free alternative. When I make gluten free chocolate and pecan brownies I substitute the self-raising flour with gluten free self raising flour. I would recommend using Doves Flour as I have had great results baking with their gluten free flours.

However, it’s also important to ensure that the chocolate you are baking with is also gluten free. Some chocolate contains milk powder and other ingredients that don’t make it suitable for a Gluten Free diet.

Can I leave the nuts out of this recipe?

The pecan nuts in these chocolate and pecan brownies add a lovely crunch element to the soft gooey brownie. However, if you have a nut allergy, or don’t enjoy nuts, then leave them out of the recipe entirely.

How long can you store chocolate brownies?

Once baked and cooled, place these brownies in an airtight container and they can be stored on the counter top for 3-4 days. I like to place a layer of baking parchment between each cake layer to stop the brownies from sticking together.

Can you freeze Chocolate & Pecan Brownies?

Yes, these brownies are really easy to freeze. Once baked, allow the chocolate and pecan brownies to cool completely on a wire rack. Once cool, cut and store in an airtight container in the freezer for up to 3 months. When ready to enjou defrost at room temperature.

Useful hints and tips:

1. Line the baking tray with baking parchment as this makes removing the chocolate brownies from the tin a whole lot easier.
2. Allow the brownies to cool completely before cutting up into squares for storage.
3. Use a sharp knife to cut the brownies into squares.
4. When layering brownies into the storage container, I like to place a sheet of baking parchment between each layer of biscuit to stop the brownies from sticking to each other.
5. Make extra to freeze, double up the recipe and enjoy some now and freeze the rest for later.
6. To make gluten free brownies swap the flour for gluten free self raising flour and ensure the chocolate that you are using is gluten free, just check the labeling before you buy.
7. Allergy advice: for comprehensive and detailed allergy advice go to Allergy UK.

Pin the recipe:

Alternative recipe suggestions:

For another simple child friendly recipe try our:

• No-bake Chocolate Tiffin
• Dark Chocolate & Ginger Tiffin
• No-bake Mars Bar Slices
• Custard Creams
• Melting Moments
• Chocolate & Hazelnut Cookies
• Lemon Butter Biscuits
• Orange Butter Biscuits

If you enjoyed this bake have a look at our Ultimate Guide to Baking with Kids, or our Best Cake Recipes post, both are full of great recipe suggestions for baking with children.

Chocolate & Pecan Brownies

Delicious, soft and chewy chocolate brownies with chopped pecans, an easy bake that satisfies any chocolate craving!

4.89 from 9 votes

Print Pin Text SaveSaved!

Disable Screen Sleep ModePrevent your screen from going dark

Prep Time: 15 minutes mins

Cook Time: 1 hour hr

Total Time: 1 hour hr 15 minutes mins

Servings: 18 portions

Calories: 307kcal

Author: Lesley Garden

Equipment

• 20cmx30cm baking tin

Ingredients

• ▢ 400 g milk chocolate
• ▢ 200 g unsalted butter
• ▢ 3 large eggs (beaten)
• ▢ 225 g light muscovado sugar
• ▢ 75 g self-raising flour
• ▢ 25 g cocoa powder
• ▢ 100 g pecan nuts (chopped)

MetricUS Customary

Instructions

• Preheat the oven to 150C/140CFan and line a 20cmx30cm baking tin with baking parchment.
• Break up the chocolate and place in a large bowl along with the butter. Place the bowl in the microwave for 2 minutes. Remove and stir the melted chocolate and butter together until well combined and set aside to cool slightly.
• In a separate bowl mix together the flour, cocoa powder and muscovado sugar. Stir through and break down any lumps in the sugar.
• Pour the flour and sugar mixture into the melted chocolate, along with the chopped pecan nuts and stir well to combine.
• Now add the beaten eggs to the brownie mixture and give everything a final stir.
• Pour the brownie mixture into the lined baking tin and place into the oven to cook for 1 hour.
• Once baked, remove the tin from the oven and set it onto a wire cooling rack to cool.
• Once the brownies have cooled completely, cut into slices and remove from the pan.
• Store in an air-tight container, placing a piece of baking parchment between each layer of brownie to stop them sticking together.

Notes

Pecan nuts have been used in this recipe, feel free to substitute with any other nuts: walnut, hazelnut, etc. Alternatively you can leave the nuts out entirely.

This recipe is easily made gluten free by substituting the self-raising flour for gluten free self raising flour, we recommend Doves GF Flour. Take care to ensure the chocolate is also suitable for a gluten free diet.

Once cooked these brownies freeze well.

Nutrition Facts

Chocolate & Pecan Brownies

Amount Per Serving

Calories 307 Calories from Fat 198

% Daily Value*

Fat 22g34%

Saturated Fat 11g69%

Cholesterol 51mg17%

Sodium 19mg1%

Potassium 142mg4%

Carbohydrates 30g10%

Fiber 2g8%

Sugar 24g27%

Protein 3g6%

Vitamin A 320IU6%

Vitamin C 1mg1%

Calcium 29mg3%

Iron 1mg6%

* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.

• Please note that the nutrition information provided above is approximate and meant as a guideline only •

Course : Baking, Dessert

Cuisine : American, British

Keyword : baking, brownies, chocolate

Tried this recipe? We’d love to see your photos!Mention @lostinf00d or tag #lostinfood!

Share on Facebook

We are linking this recipe up to CookBlogShare, a great sharing site with many other delicious recipes from fellow food bloggers.