Bourbon Pecan Brownies Recipe
Calling all bourbon and chocolate lovers! Now's your chance to have your cake and eat it, too. These decadent brownies are filled with chocolate, nuts, and best of all, bourbon. While they aren't really boozy, the dense chocolate is enhanced with the sharp flavor of whiskey. And they aren't hard to make, either. After melting the chocolate in a makeshift double-boiler, you only need one bowl and a sturdy spatula to mix everything together.
Everyone has a brownie texture preference, and this recipe by developer and production baker Michelle McGlinn is the perfect recipe for lovers of fudgy, dense, moist brownies. That is, brownies that are rich and gooey rather than light and fluffy. These are great on their own, but are also the best kind of brownie for eating warm under a scoop of vanilla ice cream. If you're allergic to nuts, simply omit the pecans from this recipe for an equally as delicious, nut-free brownie. This recipe was made and tested using bourbon, so while you can't omit it, the taste is subtle and the alcohol bakes out making it a delicious treat for anyone. Ready for your new chocolate obsession? Read on below.
Gather your bourbon pecan brownie ingredients
This recipe starts with melting the chocolate and butter into a thick sauce on a double boiler. For this, you'll need butter, cocoa powder, and chocolate. While this can be done with many types of chocolate, we'd recommend using a 60% bittersweet or dark baking chocolate (the kind sold in 4-ounce bars that break into squares). Chocolate chips and chocolate chunks don't melt as smoothly which will leave you with a lumpy batter and crumbly brownie, but either can be used in a pinch.
The remaining dry ingredients in this recipe are granulated sugar, salt, baking powder, and flour. Added to the dry ingredients are eggs, vanilla, and vegetable oil — we're using both butter and oil in this recipe for a balance of fudgy and cakey. Butter helps the batter rise while baking, so swapping the oil for more butter will result in a cakey, fluffy brownie, while using the oil will offer a dense, chewy, fudgy brownie.
Of course, you'll also need pecans, chocolate chunks, and bourbon. Use your favorite of each; chopped or whole pecans, dark or bittersweet chocolate chunks or chips, strong and sweet bourbon whiskey. Don't reach for your nicest bottle here, though. Use any budget bourbon with nutty caramel tasting notes.
Melt the chocolate
First things first, get your oven preheating to 325 F, allowing it to warm up as you whip together these brownies.
In baking everything is done for a reason, so it's wise to question every step or choice of ingredients. Brownies, as we know, can be fudgy or cakey, thick or thin, crackly or smooth. This recipe is for a thick, fudgy brownie, and the first step in achieving that moist interior is melting the chocolate (if we were making cakey brownies, we'd just use cocoa powder).
Chocolate is notoriously hard to melt smoothly because it scorches so easily. You can microwave the chocolate, but be keen to melt in small increments and stop early to let the chocolate soften into its own residual heat. You can also melt directly in a saucepan, but you'll need a very watchful eye, low heat, and a constant stir. The easiest method? Double boiling.
You don't need fancy equipment to double-boil, just a small saucepan and a heat-proof bowl. Place your butter, cocoa, and chocolate in the bowl and bring a small amount of water to simmer in the saucepan below. The bowl will heat up gently from the steam, and your chocolate will melt effortlessly into a glossy chocolate sauce. Ta-da! No scorching.
Combine the batter ingredients
We aren't adding flour yet because we don't want to over mix, so we will start the batter with the other dry ingredients, the oil, and the eggs. Mix those together to form a wet paste, then drizzle the melted chocolate in while you whisk. A dexterous task, but this will ensure you don't accidentally cook the eggs when adding the hot chocolate. Yes, eggs can cook simply from residual heat, so avoid this by keeping the egg mixture moving.
Sift the flour into the batter
Sifting the flour removes lumps and makes for a silky batter. Don't take that too literally, yet, though — when you add the flour, the batter will look very dry. Don't worry, we still have a quarter cup of bourbon to add. Since it is important not to overmix, stop combining when there's a sprinkling of flour still showing in the batter. You'll eventually mix it all in, but for now, we want to just barely bring the batter together.
Add the bourbon and pecans and bake
Vigorously stir the bourbon, pecans, and chocolate chunks into the batter until the batter thins into a smooth pourable consistency. Pour into a parchment lined (and sprayed, for good measure) brownie pan and tap forcefully on the counter to smooth out. Transfer to the oven and bake for around 35 minutes. This recipe is written for a metal baking pan, so if you are using glass, start testing the doneness around 25 minutes until a toothpick comes out nearly clean. You don't want the toothpick to be completely clean, but make sure it isn't caked in chocolate, either. Aim for a toothpick with just a little bit of chocolate sticking to it.
Slice and serve
While it is tempting to cut into a freshly baked brownie right away, it's best to wait a few hours for the brownies to completely cool or else they will crumble apart. When ready to slice, you can slice in the pan or pull the brownie out using the parchment paper and cut it on a cutting surface. Serve these decadent, fudgy brownies after dinner with a smokey old fashioned, a drizzle of caramel sauce, or, of course, a crisp glass of bourbon. Save leftovers in a sealable bag or airtight container at room temperature for a week or in the refrigerator for up to 2 weeks.
- 4 tablespoons butter
- 2 tablespoons cocoa powder
- 3 ounces 60% bittersweet chocolate, broken into pieces
- 1 ½ cups granulated sugar
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- ¼ cup canola or vegetable oil
- 2 medium eggs
- 1 ½ cups all-purpose flour
- ¼ cup dark chocolate chunks
- ¼ cup roughly chopped pecans
- ¼ cup bourbon
- Preheat the oven to 325 F. Line an 8x8-inch metal baking pan with parchment paper. Spray the parchment lightly with cooking spray.
- Melt the butter, cocoa powder, and bittersweet chocolate pieces gently in a double boiler. Alternatively, place a heat-proof bowl over a pot of simmering water and melt butter, cocoa, and chocolate in bowl. Melt slowly until very smooth, stirring constantly with a spatula.
- In a large bowl, whisk together the sugar, vanilla, salt, baking powder, oil, and eggs until well combined.
- Pour in the melted chocolate slowly while whisking vigorously to temper the eggs. Combine fully.
- Sift the flour into the chocolate mixture and mix with a rubber spatula until barely combined; do not fully incorporate the flour.
- Add the chocolate chunks and pecans and stir. Pour in the bourbon and stir until the mixture is smooth and thick.
- Pour the brownie batter into prepared baking pan and hit firmly against the counter to settle any air bubbles. Place the brownies in the oven and bake for 35 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out mostly clean.
- Cool completely before slicing and serving.
| Calories per Serving | 435 |
| Total Fat | 19.8 g |
| Saturated Fat | 7.2 g |
| Trans Fat | 0.3 g |
| Cholesterol | 50.1 mg |
| Total Carbohydrates | 59.0 g |
| Dietary Fiber | 2.4 g |
| Total Sugars | 39.9 g |
| Sodium | 122.6 mg |
| Protein | 4.7 g |
