I Made These Pecan Pie Brownies for Thanksgiving and They Were Gone Before the Pie

Anyone who eats with me on the regular knows two things: I don’t like nuts, and I don’t like pies. Most assume my nut-free requests are allergy related, but it’s more of a texture issue for me. Why would you ruin a smooth consistency with unnecessary crunches? I’ve debated this point at many dinners and come to realize that it’s a losing battle. While some may enjoy it, it’s just not my thing.

Pies are a harder point to debate. The sad truth is that I don’t have sound logic for staying away from the arguably most American dessert of them all. My mother baked beautiful apple pies throughout my childhood, so she’s not to blame. Given the option of pie or no dessert at all, I’ll end a meal with an empty plate or go in search of the nearest chocolate stash.

When I told my husband that I wanted to bring a plate of Pecan Pie Brownies to his mother’s house for Thanksgiving, he was thoroughly confused. Of all the holiday desserts, it seemed like the least likely fit. But word around the Southern Living office was that this new recipe made some of the fudgiest brownies around. Pecans aside, I needed an excuse to give this recipe a whirl.

There are a few brilliant things happening in this recipe. First, unlike most brownies, this recipe calls for a melted chocolate base. It’s the secret to a dense yet moist foundation that would be fabulous on its own. Beyond the chocolate, the pecan filling topping takes things up a notch. The topping is added halfway through baking, soaking into the brownies they cook. The result is a syrupy sweet finish that rivals any pie filling.

Recipe: Pecan Pie Brownies

I found my way around the nut factor by baking half the batch nut-free and the other half by the book. It was a selfish move but justified in the fact that our cousin with a mild nut allergy could partake. Nut-loving guests gobbled up their half and made their way into my side of the plate faster than expected. It held its own without the nuts, even up against three pies.

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All in all, my chaotically-cut squares were gone before the pies this year. Some even told me they preferred the pecan-free half. I’ll count that as a win: me:1 nuts:0.