We had a bit of a scaled-down celebration for Christmas this year, with several of our family members traveling outside of Kansas, so I very carefully considered what treats I would be making.
Normally, I overdo it with several types of candies and baked goods to share, but knowing that our group would be a bit smaller, I promised myself I would stick to only three things.
Well, I had to, of course, make my yearly batch of peppernuts. It just wouldn’t feel like Christmas without them.
Then I decided that I would go easy on myself and make just a few peanut clusters. You know, a couple dozen or so—a small batch.
And finally, I had to throw in a new recipe to try, and sticking to my simple theme for the year, I landed on what looked to be a yummy pan of pecan brownies. The recipe made a nice, eight-by-eight-inch batch of brownies that were perfect for our small celebration, and it’s a great one to keep in the recipe box for future gatherings.
This comes from Taste of Home. You can find the original at https://www.tasteofhome.com/recipes/pecan-brownies/. I doubled the vanilla in my version.
Pecan Brownies
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup butter
- 2 ounces unsweetened chocolate
- 1 cup sugar
- 2 eggs
- 2 teaspoons vanilla
- 3/4 cups flour
- 1 cup chopped pecans
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
- Prepare an eight-by-eight-inch baking pan by lightly greasing it with butter, shortening or cooking spray. Set it aside.
- In a medium-sized pot, melt the butter and chocolate, stirring constantly. Once they are completely melted, remove the pot from the heat and stir in the sugar.
- Let the mixture cool for a few minutes.
- Lightly beat the eggs in a small bowl, and add the eggs, vanilla and flour to the pot, stirring to combine everything well.
- Finally, fold in the pecans (save a few to sprinkle on the top of the batter).
- Spread the mixture into your prepared baking pan and sprinkle the top with a few pecan pieces.
- Bake for 15 to 20 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.
- Let the brownies cool before slicing them and storing them in an air-tight container.
I liked these, because they were chocolatey and nutty and not sickeningly sweet. I also sliced them into small squares, which made them perfect for the Christmas snack table.
In addition to sharing these with our family, they were a nice addition to some Christmas gifts we dropped off with friends on Christmas Eve, and I was very happy with how they turned out.
Even better, they’re already gone and not hanging around on my kitchen counter, tempting me to have just one more.
I can’t quite say the same for the peanut clusters, but hey, at least I tried.
This piece first appeared in print on Dec. 28, 2023.
Spice Up Your Life is a weekly newspaper column written by Lindsey Young in south central Kansas. If you are interested in sponsoring this column, please contact us through the “Contact Lindsey” link at the top of the page.
