⏳ Yield & Time

Yield: 16 servings

Preparation Time: 10 minutes

Cook Time: 30 minutes

Total Time: 40 minutes

🍽 Ingredients

• 1 ½ cups All-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon Baking soda
• ½ teaspoon Salt
• 1 teaspoon Ground cinnamon
• ½ cup Unsalted butter, softened
• 1 cup Granulated sugar
• ½ cup Packed brown sugar
• 2 Large eggs
• ⅓ cup Molasses
• 1 teaspoon Vanilla extract
• 1 tablespoon Hot water
• ½ cup Pecans, chopped
• ¼ cup Brown sugar
• ¼ teaspoon Ground cinnamon
• ¼ cup Melted unsalted butter

📖 Instructions

1. Preheat your oven to 350°F (175°C). Grease and flour a 9x13 inch baking pan, or line it with parchment paper for easier removal later. This is a pro tip from my grandma – it saves a lot of hassle!
2. In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda, salt, and cinnamon. Make sure there are no clumps! This is important for even baking.
3. In a separate bowl, cream together the butter and both sugars until it's light and fluffy. It should look like soft, airy clouds; not too much effort is needed here.
4. Beat in the eggs one at a time, mixing well after each addition. If you don't have eggs, you can use a flax egg replacement. Just search online; it’s very easy!
5. Stir in the molasses, vanilla extract, and hot water. This will activate the baking soda and give your brownies that characteristic fluffy texture.
6. Gradually add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients, mixing until just combined. Be careful not to overmix; we want some chocolatey lumps!
7. Pour the brownie batter into the prepared baking pan and spread evenly.
8. For the pecan crumble topping, combine the pecans, flour, brown sugar, cinnamon, and melted butter in a medium bowl. Mix until well combined and crumbly.
9. Sprinkle the pecan crumble evenly over the brownie batter. It’s fun to do this – like making a festive sprinkling of magic!
10. Bake for 25-30 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out with moist crumbs attached. It might seem a little underbaked but trust me, they’ll set as they cool.
11. Let the brownies cool completely in the pan before cutting into squares. This is essential for nice, clean edges and prevents crumbling!
12. Once cool, cut and serve. These brownies are amazing warm, but also fantastic the next day (or even two days later). Store leftovers in an air-tight container in the fridge to keep them fresh and moist.

📝 Notes

• For best results, use fresh, high-quality ingredients.
• Don't overmix the batter. Overmixing can lead to tough brownies.
• Let the brownies cool completely before frosting, if desired.
• These brownies are delicious served warm with a scoop of vanilla ice cream!