This chewy brownie recipe is full of crunchy pecans and topped with delicious melted bites of rich dark chocolate and flaky salt. They are not too sweet at all, balanced by the salted butter and pecans. To summarize, these brownies are chewy, slightly fudgy, nutty, rich, and with just the perfect amount of salt. In this recipe, I go through everything you need to know on how to get that perfect chewy brownie texture. And did I mention that this is a one bowl recipe?
There are three kinds of brownie people. Cakey, chewy, and fudgy people. Which type are you? I am a chewy brownie type of gal. I just can’t get over how they are the slightest bit fudgy in the middle with the perfect denseness. And no brownie is complete without extra chocolate pieces and chopped nuts.
You can use whichever chopped nuts you prefer in this recipe. Pecans and walnuts work particularly well because of their softer texture and buttery flavour.
Serve these delicious brownies warm with a cup of coffee/tea for breakfast (my personal favourite), or with a scoop of ice cream and chocolate syrup for dessert!
Or just eat them straight out of the pan. No judgement there - they are just that delicious.
Check out my related recipes:
How to get that chewy brownie just right
- Do not over mix the batter when adding the eggs. Fold the eggs into the batter just until they are combined. Over mixing will incorporate too much air into the batter, creating too much lift and resulting in a cakey brownie.
- Do not over mix the batter when adding the flour as well. This will also incorporate too much air (see above point) and overdevelop the gluten, making a cakey brownie.
- Lastly, do not over bake the brownies. You want to bake them just until they are set and a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean with a few crumbs glued onto it. If it comes out covered in wet batter then the brownies need to go back into the oven! They will set up more as they cool down.
Let's get baking!
Preheat oven to 180°C (350°F). Prepare a 9” by 13” baking dish by lining the bottom with parchment paper, leaving extra parchment “handles” on the long sides of the pan to easily lift out the brownies after baking.
Bring a pot filled to a third with water to a simmer. Place the chocolate chips and butter in a heatproof bowl on top of the pan of simmering water, being careful that the bowl doesn’t touch the water. Stir constantly until the chocolate and butter are melted. Take off the heat and let cool for 10 minutes.
Into the melted chocolate mixture, add the sugars, eggs, and vanilla with a whisk, just until combined. Do not over mix.
Add the flour and chopped pecans into the melted chocolate mixture, and fold just until combined. Be careful not to over mix or the brownies will be too cakey.
Pour the batter into the prepared baking pan and tap the bottom of the pan a few times against a countertop to remove any air bubbles. Press the pieces of dark chocolate or chocolate chips onto the top.
Bake the brownies for 20-25 minutes in the preheated oven, testing at 20 minutes for doneness. The brownies are baked when a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean with a few crumbs on it. If the toothpick comes out coated in batter then the brownies need to be baked more. Do not over bake.
Remove the brownies from the oven and sprinkle with the flaky salt. Let the salted brownies cool completely in the pan. Once cool, lift the brownies out of the pan using the parchment handles to help.
Cut into 12 squares, and enjoy! These brownies will store well in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 4 days, if you can resist from eating them before then. The brownies will freeze well wrapped in parchment paper in a freezer safe bag for up to 2 months.
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Happy baking! xx
Salted Pecan Chewy Brownies
Equipment
- 9" by 13" baking pan
- small pot
- heatproof bowl
Ingredients
- 2 ⅓ cup semisweet chocolate chips (or semisweet baking chocolate) 400g
- 1 ⅓ cup salted butter 300g
- ¾ cup brown sugar
- ¼ cup granulated sugar
- 4 eggs room temperature
- 2 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 ½ cup all purpose white flour 180g
- ⅔ cup chopped pecans or walnuts 85g
- ⅓ cup dark chocolate pieces (I use 72%), or substitute with semisweet chocolate chips 50g
- ½ teaspoon flaky salt or coarse sea salt for sprinkling on top
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 180°C (350°F). Prepare a 9” by 13” baking dish by lining the bottom with parchment paper, leaving extra parchment “handles” on the long sides of the pan to easily lift out the brownies after baking.
- Melt butter and chocolate: Bring a pot filled to a third with water to a simmer. Place the chocolate chips and butter in a heatproof bowl on top of the pan of simmering water, being careful that the bowl doesn’t touch the water. Stir constantly until the chocolate and butter are melted. Take off the heat and let cool for 10 minutes.
- Into the melted chocolate mixture, add the sugars, eggs, and vanilla with a whisk, just until combined. Do not over mix.
- Add the flour and chopped pecans into the melted chocolate mixture, and fold just until combined. Be careful not to over mix or the brownies will be too cakey.
- Pour the batter into the prepared baking pan and tap the bottom of the pan a few times against a countertop to remove any air bubbles. Press the pieces of dark chocolate or chocolate chips onto the top.
- Bake the brownies for 20-25 minutes in the preheated oven, testing at 20 minutes for doneness. The brownies are baked when a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean with a few crumbs on it. If the toothpick comes out coated in batter then the brownies need to be baked more. Do not over bake.
- Remove the brownies from the oven and sprinkle with the flaky salt. Let the salted brownies cool completely in the pan. Once cool, lift the brownies out of the pan using the parchment handles to help.
- Cut into 12 squares, and enjoy! These brownies will store well in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 4 days, if you can resist from eating them before then. The brownies will freeze well wrapped in parchment paper in a freezer safe bag for up to 2 months.
Notes
- You can substitute the salted butter with unsalted butter, just add ½ teaspoon of sea salt to the batter before baking.
- Be careful not to over mix the batter when adding the eggs or flour. Over mixing will create more lift in the batter, making a cakier brownie.
- Substitute pecans with walnuts if you prefer!
- You can substitute the dark chocolate for the top of the brownie with more semisweet chocolate chips, but choosing a good quality dark chocolate makes it that much more decadent.
Did you make this recipe? Let me know!