These bourbon pecan brownies are not for the faint of heart. They’re a rich, fudgy brownie recipe studded with pecans and amped up with chocolate flavor thanks to a little bourbon baked right in. The texture is thick and chewy, with so much flavor!
Try these browned butter chocolate chip cookies and my butterscotch pudding made with (or without) bourbon next. You might also like these fudgy Bailey’s brownies with Irish cream!
Why You’ll Love These Bourbon Pecan Brownies
A dash (or two) of bourbon whiskey brings delicious, toasty flavor to my favorite fudgy brownies. These bourbon pecan brownies are rich and chocolatey, with a splash of bourbon whiskey that makes the flavors pop. Optional, but totally recommended! Here’s why you need to make a batch ASAP:
- They’re so easy to make! The batter for these brownies is quick and needs only a few easy baking ingredients. Have a warm pan of brownies on the counter in under an hour.
- Every bite is super fudgy. A little bourbon goes a long way toward the perfect rich, chewy, and chocolatey brownies. The whiskey flavor isn’t strong at all, but it makes the chocolate flavors shine.
- They’re packed with nutty crunch. The chocolate and pecan combination is irresistible, but you can use any nut you like. I also couldn’t resist adding chocolate chips to the mix. Melty, gooey chocolate pockets in a fudgy brownie? Yes!
- You’ll want to make them all the time. These brownies are great for potlucks and holidays (nothing says “Good cheer” like a boozy brownie!). Serve them as they are, or top them with ice cream and caramel sauce for a decadent after-dinner treat.
Ingredients You’ll Need
Here are some notes on the ingredients for these bourbon pecan brownies. Scroll to the recipe card below the post for a printable list with the full amounts you’ll need.
- Butter and Sugar – I use regular granulated sugar and unsalted butter, but salted butter works, too. You can just skip the added salt.
- Eggs – These can be at room temperature.
- Cocoa Powder – My favorite is Hershey’s unsweetened natural cocoa powder. You can use Dutch-processed cocoa powder for even fudgier brownies.
- Bourbon – Choose your favorite bourbon whiskey. You can also use brandy or dark rum if you don’t have bourbon. Or, if you’d rather skip the alcohol altogether, go ahead and leave it out.
- Chocolate Chips – No brownie is complete without a handful or two of melty chocolate chips! You can use semi-sweet, dark, or white chocolate chips or chopped chocolate.
- Pecans – Chopped pecans give these brownies a nice crunch and the flavor pairs well with the bourbon and chocolate. I sometimes like to toast the nuts for more flavor.
Can You Taste the Bourbon in These Brownies?
Bourbon is to these brownies what espresso or coffee is to a chocolate cake: you don’t actually taste it, but it helps to amp up the fudginess. That’s the beauty of bourbon in these pecan brownies. The flavor is there if you know it’s there, otherwise, it simply gives the chocolate a boost.
How to Make Bourbon Pecan Brownies
Ready to make some brownies? Follow the steps below. You’ll find printable instructions in the recipe card along with the full recipe details.
- Heat the butter and sugar. You’ll start by dissolving sugar into melted butter on the stovetop. Once that hits 120ºF, take it off the heat.
- Combine. Meanwhile, whisk your eggs with cocoa powder, baking powder, and salt, followed by a splash of bourbon. Stir in your warm butter mixture, followed by the flour.
- Stir in the add-ins. Finally, gently fold in the chocolate chips and pecans.
- Bake. Pour the brownie batter into a lined 9×13” baking pan. Bake at 350ºF for 28-32 minutes. These brownies can cool completely in the pan. Afterward, lift them out and slice!
More Tips and Variations
- Line the pan. Line the pan with parchment paper before you add your brownie batter. Clean-up is quick, and it also makes it much easier to lift the brownies out of the pan.
- Cool the brownies completely. Cutting the brownies while they’re warm can make them fall apart, or they’ll come out of the pan gooey (and not the good kind of gooey). I’ll even let these brownies rest in the pan overnight before I lift them out. This way, I know they’re 100% cool and ready for slicing.
- Use a sharp knife. A bench scraper also works well if you have one. For clean slices, run the blade under warm water, wipe it dry, and then slice. Wipe the knife clean again before each cut for best results.
- Go half and half. When it comes to cocoa powder, I like to use natural cocoa powder because I find that Dutch-processed cocoa powder makes the brownies very dark. If you love the fudginess of darker cocoa powder, but don’t want a brownie that’s almost black in color, you can use half regular cocoa and half Dutch-processed. All the flavor and the brownies stay brown!
How to Store
- To store. These bourbon pecan brownies are fine to store at room temperature, just be sure to keep them airtight. They’ll be at their freshest for up to 3 days.
- Freeze. You can also freeze these brownies airtight for up to 2 months. Defrost them at room temperature before serving.
More Fudgy Brownie Recipes
- Banana Bread Brownies
- Coconut Brownies
- Fudgy Cake Mix Brownies
- Fudgy Nutella Brownies
- M&M’s Brownies
This recipe was updated in 2024 with new pictures and more helpful tips! Enjoy!
Print
Bourbon Pecan Brownies
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 30 minutes
- Total Time: 40 minutes
- Yield: 24 brownies 1x
- Category: Brownies
- Method: Oven
- Cuisine: American
Description
Bourbon pecan brownies are rich, fudgy, and a little boozy! Feel free to leave the whiskey out if it’s not your thing, or add extra if you love the flavor.
Ingredients
- 1 cup unsalted butter
- 2 1/4 cups granulated sugar
- 4 large eggs
- 1 1/4 cups unsweetened cocoa powder
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- 3 tablespoons bourbon
- 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
- 1 cup chopped pecans
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350°F. Line a 9×13-inch baking pan with parchment paper and coat with nonstick spray. Set aside.
- In a medium saucepan over medium heat, melt the butter. Once melted, add in the sugar and stir constantly until sugar is combined and begins to dissolve and gets shiny, but not bubbly. Temperature should reach 120°F. Remove from heat.
- In a large bowl whisk together eggs, cocoa powder, baking powder, salt, and bourbon. Mixture will be very thick. Add in warm butter mixture and continue whisking until mostly smooth.
- Using a rubber spatula or wooden spoon stir in flour until combined, about 50 strokes. Add in chocolate chips and pecans and stir until evenly incorporated.
- Spread brownie batter into the prepared pan and bake for 28 – 32 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted 2-inches from the edge of the pan comes out clean.
- Allow the brownies to cool completely in the pan before removing them using parchment paper and transferring to a cutting board to cut them into pieces.
Notes
- Store airtight at room temperature for up to 3 days for best freshness.
- Freeze airtight for up to 2 months for best freshness. Thaw at room temperature.
these are AMAZING!!!! I made a second batch of batter before the first was even done because I knew these were going to be outrageous!!!! followed the recipe exactly as written . my new to go to recipe thank you!!!
So glad you liked them!!
Made these brownies for Father’s Day, my boyfriend loved them. I will definitely make these again.
So glad you liked them!!!
They were perfect for Father’s Day treat. Thank you!!
“Make sure they are cooled COMPLETELY! I even like to allow brownies to sit in the pan overnight after they are baked before cutting.”
This may be the funniest thing I’ve ever read?? Who has that kind of will power around a warm pan of bourbon pecan brownies? I know you eat with your eyes first but in this case, I think I’d cover the mangled brownies with a scoop of vanilla ice cream. That would cool them off fast and hide the delicious mess.
Can’t wait to try them, thanks for the recipe and laugh.
hahaha! I mean I have to say it, right? lol
There’s definitely something wrong with them even though I followed the recipe. The batter tastes and smells disgusting and burnt. I am not a novice in the kitchen. There’s so much sugar it takes forever to melt and turns into something thick like tar after. It’s next to impossible to keep from bubbling. I’m fairly certain the butter sugar mix is just burnt even though I stirred and watched it the whole time. I let it cool for a bit but it was still really hot and just burned the other ingredients. The butter mixture after it melted I turned the stove off and 2 minutes later suddenly bubbled up and over all over the stove. Like I said I absolutely know what I am doing in the kitchen and nothing like this has ever happened and I literally make browned butter choc chip cookies with a similar process.
It sounds like you cooked the sugar mixture way too long. It should just dissolve and then immediately remove it from the heat, not just turn the burner off, as the burner will stay hot. (The mixture shouldn’t be dark in color at all, as you should remove it from cooking before it caramelizes) I can’t imagine why the butter mixture would all of the sudden bubble up after 2 minutes of cooling. Sorry you had a bad experience.
The sugar would not dissolve the butter kept browning as the sugar just sat there. I knew it was taking to long but the high amount of sugar takes sooo long to dissolve. I don’t know what to do differently 2 1/4 of sugar takes a while to dissolve. How long is it supposed to take? I don’t see a way to dissolve the sugar without burning the butter in the meantime?
The sugar doesn’t need to be completely dissolved, just beginning to dissolve, as written in the recipe 🙂 Possibly the heat was up a little too high?
I like how you said they aren’t for the “faint of heart”. I don’t know about you but I’d like to see a brownie swoon. I’d like to have a brownie swoon and these might do it. They look fantastic.
hahaha! hope you make them!