• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Food
    • Appetizers & Snacks
    • Breakfast
    • Cakes
    • Chocolate
    • Breads
    • Desserts
    • Gluten Free
    • Main Dishes
    • Vegetarian
  • Life
    • Home + Garden
    • DIY
    • Sports
    • #DroolWorthy
  • Travel
    • Where to Eat in Portland, Oregon
  • Recipe Index
  • Resources
  • About
    • Contact
    • Disclaimer & Privacy Policy
  • Work With Me

The Kitchen Paper

Home » Recipes » Cakes

25 March, 2013 By Mary | 14 Comments

Caramel Pecan Chocolate Brownies

Jump to Recipe·Print Recipe

caramel pecan chocolate brownies

First things first, I had a really hard time naming this recipe. As you can see, I went with the (hopefully) most straightforward title possible. Other possibilities included: turtle cups, brownies filled with caramel and pecans, caramel and pecan filled brownies, caramel nut cups, the most insanely delicious dessert I've made in a while — and the list goes on. Obviously most of those were poor choices. Hence: Caramel Pecan Chocolate Brownies. Cups. I still think I need something about the cups... I'm proud of my brownie cups!

caramel pecan chocolate brownies

In other news, did you know about the Spice Girls? Of course you do. I mean, you probably spent an entire 12+ hour summer vacation drive as a kid listening to their first CD on your discman, right? I know I'm not the only one. Also, videotaping choreographed dance routines to many (if not all) of their songs? Yeah, you did that too. I'm really hoping these tapes never surface. It could be the end of my career as I know it.

caramel pecan chocolate brownies

Really though, I just stumbled across the Spice Girls wikipedia page (you might ask how I happened to do that, and the answer is I honestly have no idea. Seriously. I just did). HOW DID I NOT KNOW ABOUT THEIR PREMEDITATED CAREER?! I'm not sure that's entirely the right term, but I was under the impression they were all friends or something who happened to put on a good show. Boy, was I wrong! It might be time to rent Spice World.

caramel pecan chocolate brownies

If you were/are/pretend-not-to-be a Spice Girls fan, please educated yourself with the link above. It's highly informative and probably worth your time to know the origin of your all-time favorite band. Who else rocked crazy outfits and made me a living hell for my mom regulating my wardrobe? Mostly just Spice Girls.

caramel pecan chocolate brownies

Back to turtle cups, or whatever you've taken to calling them. These babies have been cooking up in my brain for a while. I LOVE turtles (the candy). Chocolate, caramel, and pecans. You cannot get better than that! I took Deb's caramel from her salted caramel brownies, combined with my favorite brownie recipe (slightly tweaked), added some toasted pecans, and away we went. The more I make caramel, the more I'm a fan of this dry-start business: it works. Trust the process, follow the recipe, and you'll end up with some really freaking delicious caramel pecan chocolate brownie turtle dessert cups! Can we come up with a longer name?

caramel pecan chocolate brownies

Never give up on the good times! 😉

Print
clock clock iconcutlery cutlery iconflag flag iconfolder folder iconinstagram instagram iconpinterest pinterest iconfacebook facebook iconprint print iconsquares squares iconheart heart iconheart solid heart solid icon
caramel pecan chocolate brownies

Caramel Pecan Chocolate Brownies

  • Author: by Mary
  • Prep Time: 30 mins
  • Cook Time: 45 mins
  • Total Time: 1 hour 15 minutes
Print Recipe
Pin Recipe

Ingredients

Units Scale
  • ½ cup unsalted butter
  • 1 cup sugar
  • ⅔ cups Dutch-process cocoa
  • 1 tsp salt
  • 1 Tbsp vanilla extract
  • 2 large eggs
  • ½ tsp baking powder
  • ½ tsp espresso powder
  • ¾ cups all-purpose flour
  • 1 cup chocolate chips
  • ½ cup granulated sugar
  • 4 Tbsp unsalted butter
  • ¼+ teaspoon sea salt
  • 3 Tbsp heavy cream
  • 1 cup toasted pecans, chopped

Instructions

  1. For the brownies, preheat the oven to 350 F, and lightly grease a mini muffin tin.
  2. In a saucepan over medium-low heat, melt the butter and chocolate chips.
  3. Once melted, add the sugar and cook for another minute.
  4. Remove from heat and add the cocoa and salt. Stir to combine.
  5. Add the vanilla, and then the eggs one at a time. Whisk fully so that the mixture is smooth and glossy.
  6. In a separate bowl, combine the baking powder, espresso powder, and flour. Add to the wet ingredients, mixing until just combined.
  7. Spoon the mixture into the mini muffin cups, about ⅔ full, and bake for 14-16 minutes. The tops should be dry, but still very soft.
  8. Allow the brownies to cool completely before proceeding.
  9. In a saucepan over medium-high heat, melt the sugar.
  10. Break up clumps as needed, otherwise leave it alone until completely melted. It will be a dark copper color and will take about 5 minutes.
  11. Remove from heat and stir in the butter and salt, then the cream. If clumps form, return to heat and cook (whisking) until smooth again.
  12. Once the brownies are cool, hollow out a cavity to hold the caramel and pecans.
  13. Pour caramel into the cavity, nearly filling it, then add nuts, and top again with caramel.
  14. Let cool before serving. If caramel cools too quickly during assembly, microwave for 15 seconds, whisk, and continue.

Did you make this recipe?

Tag @thekitchenpaper on Instagram and hashtag it #thekitchenpaper

 

« Life in Pictures
Sweet Potato and Beet Hash »

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Amy says

    March 25, 2013 at 1:47 pm

    Oh my.... This looks heavenly!!! Beautiful! I just discovered your blog today and I love it!

    Reply
    • Mary says

      March 25, 2013 at 3:11 pm

      Thanks, Amy!

      Reply
  2. Simply Tia says

    March 26, 2013 at 10:50 am

    I have saved this to my favorites (Foodgawker) to try soon! They look so scrumptious. And I love that there's a surprise inside. YUM!

    Reply
    • Mary says

      March 26, 2013 at 11:10 am

      Thanks, Tia!

      Reply
  3. Mari @ Oh, Sweet & Savory says

    March 27, 2013 at 9:03 am

    Oh, these look scrumptious! I love, love, love caramel and haven't come across an inpsiring caramel treat in a while ... until this! Can you share a tip on hollowing out the top of the cupcake?

    Reply
    • Mary says

      March 27, 2013 at 9:17 am

      Oh yes - it's quite easy! I used an oversized metal decorating tip. Use the wide end, push it straight down into the brownie, wiggle it around slightly, then pull it out. Sometimes I had to pull out with a scooping motion, but usually the chunk of brownie popped right out! You could also probably use a paring knife at an angle. Good luck!

      Reply
      • Mari @ Oh, Sweet & Savory says

        March 27, 2013 at 9:25 am

        Thank you, Mary! I will give that a try!

        Reply
  4. Allison @ thebakingyear says

    March 28, 2013 at 8:42 pm

    wow these look beautiful and just DELICIOUS

    Reply
  5. Vera Zecevic – Cupcakes Garden says

    December 08, 2013 at 7:32 am

    I've featured this recipe on my blog, hoping that you don't mind, but if you do, please contact me and I'll remove it. All the best.

    Reply

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Recipe rating ★☆ ★☆ ★☆ ★☆ ★☆

Footer

↑ back to top

About

  • Privacy Policy & Disclaimer
  • About
  • Accessibility Policy

Newsletter

  • Sign Up! for emails and updates

Contact

  • Work With Me
  • Contact

Copyright © 2022 The Kitchen Paper