High altitude tested pecan pie brownies with layers of shortbread crust, chewy fudge brownies, and sweet, crunchy, caramelized pecans baked on top. If you love chocolate with pecans, you’ll love this combination of moist dark chocolate brownies with all the flavor of pecan pie.
You might also love these high altitude recipes for pecan caramel sticky buns, bourbon pecan crumble, and gooey pecan pie bars.
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Why You’ll Love This Recipe
Moist and Fudgy. To make these pecan pie brownies, I started with my perfect fudge brownie recipe, which is always so dark, moist and fudgy. The brownies are sandwiched between a shortbread cookie crust and pecan pie filling baked on top.
High Altitude Tested. I develop all the recipes on my site for Denver’s altitude of 5,280 feet. If you’re at a lower or higher elevation, please see my FAQs for guidance on adjusting recipes for your altitude. Today’s recipe should work at any altitude without adjustments, though.
See the recipe card at the end of the post for the full ingredients list and instructions.
Ingredients
- Flour. All purpose flour gives the crust structure and strength, and a little flour in the filling helps to thicken it.
- Sugar. You’ll need granulated sugar for the crust, and brown sugar for the pecan layer.
- Salt. Enhances the flavors and balances sweetness.
- Vanilla Extract. Flavor.
- Butter. You’ll be using butter in the crust, as well as in the brownie layer and the pecan topping.
- Light Corn Syrup. Sweetens the pecans and keeps the filling moist.
- Fudge Brownies. You could probably use a box mix if you want to, but I recommend my best fudge brownies recipe.
- Pecans.
Instructions
Crust
- Preheat the oven to 350 F, and position a rack in the center of the oven. Line an 8-inch square baking pan with parchment paper, and lightly spray with non-stick baking spray.
- In a bowl, combine the flour, sugar and salt. Add the vanilla and cold butter, and use a pastry cutter to cut the butter in until moist and crumbly.
- Press the crumbs into an even layer on the bottom of the pan. Bake the crust for 15 minutes, until light golden brown.
- Remove the pan from the oven, set the pan aside, and reduce the oven temperature to 325 F.
Brownies
- While the crust is baking, prepare 1 Recipe Fudge Brownies as instructed.
- Spread the brownie batter over the hot crust, and set aside while you make the pecan layer.
Pecans
- In a bowl, whisk together the melted butter with the brown sugar, corn syrup, eggs, vanilla, salt and flour. Stir in the pecans.
- Gently pour the pecan filling over the brownie batter. If you like, decorate the top of the filling with a few pecan halves.
- Bake the brownies at 325 F for about 60-65 minutes, until the top is browned and the filling is mostly set with just a slight wobble when you gently shake the pan.
- Set the pan on a cooling rack to cool completely before cutting into squares, at least 4-6 hours, or overnight.
Be sure to read all of my BAKING FAQs where I discuss ingredients, substitutions and common baking questions, so that you can be successful in your own baking!
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I use a 9-inch pan instead of an 8-inch pan?
You can use a 9 inch pan, but your layers will be a little thinner, and you’ll need to bake the brownies for 5-10 minutes less.
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Did you love today’s recipe? Please rate the recipe and let me know in the comments what you thought! Also, be sure to follow Curly Girl Kitchen on Instagram, and tag me when you try one of my recipes so I can see all your delicious creations!
High Altitude Pecan Pie Brownies
All recipes on Curly Girl Kitchen are developed for high altitude at 5,280 feet. See FAQs for adjusting to higher or lower elevations.
Equipment
Ingredients
Crust
- 1 cup all-purpose flour, fluffed, spooned and leveled
- ⅓ cup granulated sugar
- ½ tsp coarse Kosher salt (if using table salt, use half the amount)
- ½ tsp vanilla extract
- ½ cup unsalted cold butter, cut into thin slices
Brownies
- 1 recipe Fudge Brownies
Pecans
- ⅓ cup unsalted butter, melted
- ⅓ cup light or dark brown sugar, lightly packed
- ½ cup light corn syrup
- 2 large eggs
- 1 ½ tsp vanilla extract
- ¼ tsp coarse Kosher salt (if using table salt, use half the amount)
- 2 tsp all-purpose flour
- ¾ cup pecans, roughly chopped
Instructions
Crust
- Preheat the oven to 350 F, and position a rack in the center of the oven. Line an 8-inch square baking pan with parchment paper, and lightly spray with non-stick baking spray.
- In a bowl, combine the flour, sugar and salt. Add the vanilla and cold butter, and use a pastry cutter to cut the butter in until moist and crumbly.
- Press the crumbs into an even layer on the bottom of the pan. Bake the crust for 15 minutes, until light golden brown.
- Remove the pan from the oven, set the pan aside, and reduce the oven temperature to 325 F.
Brownies
- While the crust is baking, prepare 1 Recipe Fudge Brownies as instructed.
- Spread the brownie batter over the hot crust, and set aside while you make the pecan layer.
Pecans
- In a bowl, whisk together the melted butter with the brown sugar, corn syrup, eggs, vanilla, salt and flour. Stir in the pecans.
- Gently pour the pecan filling over the brownie batter. If you like, decorate the top of the filling with a few pecan halves.
- Bake the brownies at 325 F for about 60-65 minutes, until the top is browned and the filling is mostly set with just a slight wobble when you gently shake the pan.
- Set the pan on a cooling rack to cool completely before cutting into squares, at least 4-6 hours, or overnight.
I made these as a treat for my coworkers and, boy, were they a hit! I’m at 6900 feet and I followed the recipe as written, omitting the optional espresso powder. I had to bake the base a few minutes longer, but 60 minutes for the brownie portion was spot on. The crust added wonderful flavor and texture to the brownies. These are rich and utterly delicious; a perfect fall treat! Thank you for sharing the recipe!
how would i adjust this for 2000′? they look amazing!
These should work without any adjustments.
I have been looking at your recipes for a long time on Instagram. They are always so beautiful looking. But I live in Florida and figured I couldn’t make most since they are more suitable for higher altitude. I tried this recipe since you said it did not matter the altitude and boy am I glad I did. They are amazing. Thank you very much for taking the time to clearly write the recipe with pictures and tips. I will definitely be making again. And again.