These intensely chocolatey Caramel Pecan Brownies with a luscious caramel layer and crunchy pecans are easier to make because you don’t have to make your own caramel from scratch. Add a few other ingredients and you’ve got a dessert everyone will love and the chocoholics in your crowd will be begging for seconds!
I absolutely adore the combination of chocolate, caramel, and nuts and will usually order it if I see it on a menu. The caramel balances the chocolate and of course the nuts add a wonderful crunch to every bite. Turtle candies, candy bars, and of course these amazing Caramel Pecan Brownies are all on my favorites list!
Probably the most challenging aspect of this recipe is unwrapping all the caramel candies! Mine were older so the wrappers stuck to them more than they ordinarily would. But The Artist joined in and helped and we had them ready in no time.
Next time I will probably use Caramel Bits to save myself the time of unwrapping each piece. (1 cup of bits = about 25 Kraft caramels.) Just use your kitchen scale and match the weight called for the caramels and it will all come together beautifully.
Be sure you use unsweetened chocolate in this recipe. This is designed specifically for that kind of chocolate. Using any other type, like bittersweet or semisweet will throw off the sugar balance! The unsweetened chocolate gives you beautiful chocolate flavor when you melt it with the butter and then mix it with the sugar and eggs.
You could do this whole recipe by hand with a whisk and arm strength, but I chose to use my stand mixer. It allowed me to mix the chocolate/butter mixture with the sugar and eggs while I was busy working on another part of the recipe. I love the freedom it gives me!
If you have nut allergies in your family or are baking for someone who cannot eat pecans, you can leave them out entirely without making any other adjustments. You can also use a different nut if that works better for you.
These brownies are so good – even after a few days. Just be sure to store them well covered. I cut mine into squares making it simple to grab a bite when I need a treat.
I hope you make these Caramel Pecan Brownies for your friends and family soon. They are great all year long and would be very popular for potlucks and progressive dinners!
Did you enjoy this recipe? Let me know in the comments and leave a star rating, I love hearing from you!
Ingredients needed for Caramel Pecan Brownies:
- Unsweetened chocolate, butter, sugar, eggs
- Flour or gluten-free flour blend, caramels, whipping cream, pecans
PRO Tip:
If you don’t want to take the time to unwrap all the caramels, you can use Caramel Bits instead. Just measure them by weight and you can make a straight swap. Because they are smaller, they will also melt more easily with the cream – reduce the amount of time you microwave them accordingly.
PRO Tip:
To get the cleanest cuts, lift the brownies out of the pan once cooled using the parchment sling, and place on a cutting board. Using a long, sharp knife, cut off a strip from each edge of the block. This is especially helpful if you had an uncovered edge – the caramel gets thick and hard to chew. Once trimmed, cut the rest of the brownies into smaller squares (they are very rich).
If you get any sticking on your knife, run it under hot water, wipe dry, and make your next cut. Do this between each cut for the cleanest edges.
How to make Caramel Pecan Brownies:
- Line a 9×13-inch baking pan with parchment and butter the paper. Microwave the chocolate and butter, stirring occasionally and when melted, pour into the bowl of your stand mixer or a large mixing bowl.
- Add the sugar and mix until you can comfortably hold your hand on the bottom of the bowl. Mix in the eggs and vanilla; beat for a couple of minutes until creamy and lightened in color. Add the flour and mix in until fully incorporated and no white streaks remain.
- Spread half the batter in the prepared baking pan, smoothing it as much as possible into an even layer with an off-set spatula. It will spread as it bakes to fill in the corners and edges. Bake 25 minutes at 350°F or until the top is firm when gently pressed.
- While the brownies are baking, microwave the caramels with the cream for 2 to 2-1/2 minutes until the caramels are mostly melted. Stir until completely melted and the mixture is all the same thickness and color. Stir in 1 cup of the nuts.
- Carefully spread the caramel mixture over the hot brownies, spreading into an even layer covering the brownies completely. Scoop the remaining brownie batter onto the caramel and using an off-set spatula, spread it as best as you can over the top, covering as much as possible. Sprinkle the top with remaining nuts.
- Bake 30 minutes or until top is firm when gently pressed. Remove from the oven and set onto a wire cooling rack. Let cool at least an hour then lift the bar of brownies out of the pan and place on a cutting board. Trim off the edges and then cut the brownies into smaller squares. They are rich and people can ask for seconds if they want more!
- Store, covered, at room temperature for a couple of days and refrigerate after that.
PRO Tip:
If you want to use walnuts, here is a trick I learned to remove the bitter oil from the nuts. Place them in a colander and pour boiling water over the top to fully rinse them off. Shake off excess water and spread them out on a baking sheet – then toast them lightly in the oven. They will be sweet and absolutely delicious!
PRO Tip:
If you are using unsalted butter, add 1/2 tsp kosher salt to the flour and mix it into the batter.
PRO Tip:
The only leavener in this recipe are the eggs. Beating them fully will help generate lift for the brownies. These will be fudgy brownies, not cakey ones.
Recommended Tools (affiliate links; no extra cost to you):
- Chef’s knife
- Cutting board
- Kitchen scale
- 9×13-inch baking pan
- Parchment paper
- Mixing bowls
- Stand mixer or hand mixer
- Offset spatula
- Wire cooling rack
- Long, sharp knife
Gluten-Free Tips:
*You can adjust any baking recipe to gluten-free by using 120 grams per cup of my favorite gluten-free flour blend. If you are using another brand of gluten-free flour, whisk the mix, spoon it lightly into a measuring cup until mounded, level off the top with the back of a knife, and weigh the flour left in the cup. Use that weight as your standard per cup of that specific flour. Do this for each flour blend you use. Commercial blends such as Pamela’s All-Purpose Artisan Blend, Bob’s Red Mill 1-to-1, or King Arthur Measure for Measure are all good choices.
All recommended ingredients are gluten-free as of the writing of this article. Always check to be sure the products haven’t changed and are still safe to consume.
Caramel Pecan Brownies (Gluten Free)
These intensely chocolatey Caramel Pecan Brownies with a luscious caramel layer and crunchy pecans are absolutely delicious. Add a few other ingredients and you’ve got a dessert everyone will love and the chocoholics in your crowd will be begging for seconds!
Ingredients
- 4 oz (113g) unsweetened chocolate, chopped
- 3/4 cup (170g) salted butter, cut into cubes
- 2 cups (396g) granulated sugar
- 4 large eggs (200g)
- 1 tsp vanilla extract or vanilla paste
- 1 cup (120g*) gluten-free all-purpose flour blend* or all-purpose flour
- 1 pkg (13 to 14 oz; 368g to 398g ) unwrapped caramels
- 1/3 cup (76g) heavy whipping cream
- 1-1/2 cups (171g) chopped pecans, divided (optional)
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350°F (177°C). Line a 9x13-inch
(23x33cm) pan with parchment, leaving two ends extended above the sides of the pan, and butter the parchment. - In a large microwave-safe bowl, microwave the chocolate and butter together on High for 30 seconds, stir and continue microwaving in 20 second increments, stirring after each heating, until the chocolate is nearly completely melted, a total of about 2 minutes. Stir until the chocolate is completely melted and pour into the bowl of your stand mixer or a large mixing bowl.
- Add the sugar to the chocolate mixture and mix well until cool enough to hold your hand on the bottom of the bowl. Add the eggs and beat for a couple of minutes until creamy and lightened in color. Mix in the vanilla. Stir in the flour, mixing just until incorporated with no white streaks left. Spread half the batter into the prepared pan using an off-set spatula. It will spread as it bakes, filling in the bottom of the pan.
- Bake 25 minutes or until the top is firm to the touch. While the brownies are baking, microwave the caramels and cream in a medium microwaveable bowl on High 2 to 2-1/2 minutes or until caramels are mostly melted; stir until caramels are completely melted and the mixture is all the same thickness and color. Stir in 1 cup (114g) of the nuts.
- Spread the caramel mixture over the brownie layer in the pan in an even layer. Cover the caramel mixture with the remaining brownie batter, spreading as much as possible with an offset spatula. (Mine did not get all the way to the edges and left an uncovered strip around the sides of the pan.) Sprinkle the top with the remaining 1/2 cup (57g) nuts.
- Bake 30 minutes or until the top is firm to the touch. Transfer the brownies to a wire cooling rack. Let cool for at least an hour, then pull them out using the parchment sling, and set on a cutting board. Trim off the edges and then, because they are fairly rich, cut them into somewhat small squares. People can always come back for seconds!
- Store, covered, at room temperature for a couple of days and refrigerate after that.
Recipe found at www.theheritagecook.com
Notes
*You can adjust any recipe to gluten-free by using 120 grams per cup of my favorite gluten-free flour blend. If you are using another brand of gluten-free flour, whisk the mix, spoon it lightly into a measuring cup without a spout until mounded, level off the top with the back of a knife, and weigh the flour left in the cup. Use that weight as your standard per cup of that specific flour. Do this for each flour blend you use. Commercial blends such as Pamela's, Bob's Red Mill 1-to-1, or King Arthur Measure for Measure are all good choices.
All recommended ingredients are gluten-free as of the writing of this article. Always check to be sure the products haven’t changed and are still safe to consume.
Nutrition Information:
Yield:
32Serving Size:
1Amount Per Serving: Calories: 49Total Fat: 1gSaturated Fat: 1gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 1gCholesterol: 25mgSodium: 13mgCarbohydrates: 7gFiber: 0gSugar: 1gProtein: 2g
The nutritional information for recipes on this site is calculated by online tools and is merely an estimate.
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