Love and Olive Oil
Bourbon Pecan Fudge Brownies

Bourbon Pecan Fudge Brownies

Ultra Fudgy, Sweet & Salty, Bourbon Pecan Brownies

Like a good bourbon, these brownies actually get better with age.

Not that they’ll last that long, but still, just know that if you find yourself with a few left in 4 or 5 days, they will be nothing short of awesome.

Baking with bourbon is a lot like baking with an extra-potent vanilla; in fact, I’d argue that any recipe that uses vanilla could benefit from a glug or two of bourbon. It’s that underlying sweetness, that vanilla-like richness, that makes bourbon extra suitable for baking where other liquors fall short (you don’t see me, or anyone else for that matter, baking with vodka or gin for a reason). Typically 1 teaspoon of vanilla can be replaced with 1 tablespoon of bourbon in most recipes. You can use more if you want the bourbon flavor to be more pronounced, so long as you don’t add so much bourbon that it adversely affects the texture of the final product.

These brownies are delightfully boozy… just the right amount of tipsy without crossing the line to sloppy. I’m not sure if it’s the bourbon that makes these brownies extra rich and fudgy, though it sure seems that way; all I know is I will be making another batch in the very near future.

Salted Bourbon Pecan Fudge Brownie Recipe

Normally I am vehemently opposed to nuts in my brownies, although I may need to loosen my anti-nut stance just a bit, especially seeing as I’ve made (and thoroughly enjoyed) both pistachio brownies and almond brownies… I’m starting to realize that I might just be anti-walnut, and not entirely anti-nut.

After these brownies, we can definitely add pecans to the list of Lindsay-approved nuts that are allowed in my baked goods. Of course, the addition of the chocolate chips here doesn’t hurt, either.

Ultra Fudgy, Sweet & Salty, Bourbon Pecan Brownies

I topped these brownies with more chopped pecans and chocolate chips (because I like my food to give a visual hint about what’s inside inside) as well as a generous sprinkle of flake sea salt: my secret weapon, if you will, to making truly killer brownies. It’s that little hint of salt right on the edge of your palate that takes these brownies over the top.

Salted Bourbon Pecan Fudge Brownie Recipe

This isn’t the first time I’ve spiked a recipe with bourbon. It’s something I tend to do a lot, actually. Hungry for more? Check out these other recipes for more bourbon goodness!

Bourbon Pecan Fudge Brownies

Bourbon Pecan Fudge Brownies

These incredibly rich and decadent fudge brownies are spiked with bourbon and studded with toasted pecans.

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Ingredients:

  • 1/4 cup all-purpose flour
  • 1/3 cup dark or Dutch-processed cocoa powder, sifted
  • 1/4 teaspoon baking powder
  • 1/4 teaspoon instant espresso powder
  • 1/4 teaspoon fine sea salt
  • 6 tablespoons unsalted butter, cut into cubes
  • 5 ounces dark or bittersweet chocolate (70-75%), finely chopped
  • 1 cup granulated sugar
  • 2 large eggs, room temperature
  • 3 tablespoons bourbon
  • 1/3 cup semisweet chocolate chips or chunks, plus more for topping
  • 3/4 cup coarsely chopped pecans, divided
  • flake sea salt, for topping

Directions:

  1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Line an 8-by-8-inch baking pan with parchment paper; lightly butter parchment.
  2. Whisk or sift together flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, espresso powder, and salt. Set aside.
  3. Combine butter and chopped chocolate in a saucepan. Stir over low heat until chocolate is almost melted. Remove from heat and continue to gently stir until smooth; the residual heat from the pan should be enough to melt the last few bits of chocolate.
  4. Whisk in granulated sugar until incorporated; batter will be slightly grainy and paste-like.
  5. Whisk in eggs, one at a time, whisking completely after each one, until batter is smooth and shiny. Whisk in bourbon.
  6. Sprinkle dry ingredients over top of melted chocolate mixture and whisk or stir until just incorporated. Stir in chocolate chips and 1/2 cup of pecans. Spread into prepared pan, using an offsest spatula to smooth batter into corners. Sprinkle with remaining 1/4 cup pecans, chocolate chips, and flake sea salt, as desired.
  7. Bake for 25 to 30 minutes or until top is shiny and crackly and a toothpick inserted near the center comes out mostly clean. Cool on a wire rack for until completely cooled before slicing into squares. Brownies will keep, refrigerated in an airtight container, for up to 5 days.
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10 Comments

  1. In these times of social isolation and of confinement, how to bring comfort?
    These brownies are my answer! I made a batch for my son and left them outside my front door.
    I kept a couple for my man and myself and we thought they were divine.
    My son picked them up and I’m not certain if they made it uneaten before he got back to his appartment. They smelled that good. I’ll have another order soon, I’m sure.
    We got to hang in there together, and we’re going to be ok.🌈

    • It’s best served chilled, but it will keep in a cool, dark place for a while as it’s pretty much pure alcohol. You should be fine. :)

  2. I’m not always a huge fan of dark chocholate, would milk chocolate cocoa powder work or do you think it would diminish the rich chocolatey flavor too much?

    • Milk chocolate cocoa powder isn’t really a thing. Cocoa powder by nature is just the cocoa solids, there’s no dairy in it. 
      You could use milk chocolate instead of the dark chocolate though. It’d increase the sweetness and possibly change the texture a bit too, but should still work fine.

  3. I forget what the question was, but these are definitely the answer. Interestingly I probably would have thought first of blondies with bourbon and pecan, but now the idea of chocolatey bliss surrounded by the mellow-tipsy flavor of bourbon and rich pecans has me all hot and bothered. ;-) 

  4. how to find Bourbon . Please I like your dish……

  5. These sound absolutely perfect

  6. I don’t drink bourbon so I never would have thought to use it in baking. Love this idea though. Next up is brownies with bourbon for me.

  7. These are SOOOO good! Bourbon for the win!

  8. I love how you say they get better with age – this is a good thing, as otherwise I’ll be obliged to eat all of them within a day!
    I seriously can’t scroll past a brownie recipe on bloglovin’ without clicking on it, so here I am. I’ll pin this for later use of course ;)

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