like beer for chocolate

 

I don't do St. Patrick's Day. Despite the fact that everyone thinks I should be in Riverdance, I'm not Irish. I couldn't be less Irish. St. Patrick's Day is the second biggest "amateur night" for going out - right behind New Year's Eve. Add to that the fact that I don't drink beer and, well, it's just another day to me.

What I *do* do is bake - to the enjoyment of my friends who all have massive sweettooths. Since chocolate is always a crowd favorite, I decided to spin the typical brownie recipe to celebrate this joyous "holiday". No...I did not make green brownies nor are there any green M&Ms anywhere to be seen.

This brownie recipe uses a bottle of Guinness Stout, the King of (Irish) Beers. You don't really taste the beer, exactly. What you end up with is a fluffy yet gooey brownie that's full on chocolate with a slight bite at the end. The texture is phenomenal, which I think is caused by the carbonation in the beer. Whatever the reason, these brownies are an excellent way to celebrate - any day.

Guinness Stout Brownies - makes one 13 by 9 pan

1 cup all purpose flour

3/4 cup cocoa powder

1/4 teaspoon salt

6 tablespoons butter - room temperature & cut into pieces

8 ounces bittersweet chocolate - chopped

3/4 cup white chocolate chips

4 large eggs - room temperature

1 cup sugar

1 1/4 cups Guinness - about 10 ounces with the foam removed

1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips

1/8 cup confectioners sugar (optional)

- Preheat oven to 375. Line a 13x9 pan with aluminum foil.

- In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, cocoa powder, and salt until evenly mixed. Set aside.

- Melt butter, bittersweet chocolate, and white chocolate in a double boiler under low heat until evenly melted and smooth. Set aside.

- In a large bowl or mixer bowl, beat eggs and sugar on high speed until light and fluffy - around 3 minutes. Add melted chocolate & butter mixture to eggs, beating until combined.

- Beat reserved flour mixture into the liquid ingredients. Whisk in beer. The batter will seem thin - its supposed to be that way. Drop in semi-sweet chocolate chips.

- Pour mixture into pan and bake for 25 to 30 minutes or until toothpick inserted into center comes out clean. Let brownies cool to room temperature and dust with confectioners sugar, if desired.

Photo by Tami Hardeman

Comments

[Alicat]

Beautiful pictures and love the new one of you as well! So gorgeous. :D

Sounds delish..I'm not big on beer either but baking with it is okay. ;)

[Marilyn]

I'm like you- I don't do St. Patrick's Day, but these brownies look good enough to change anyone's mind.

On a side note-your hair looks great!

[emily]

I've never seen a brownie recipe with beer.It has to be good.

[Bea at La Tartine Gourmande]

Very interesting Tami! I don't drink beer either, and even my Irish hubbie does not. However all his family members do, so I should impress this with your recipe. Merci!

[Ameena]

Wow! Brownies with beer?! Perhaps this is the only way I'll ever enjoy Guiness ;)

Can you come up with a good brownie/tequilla recipe pleae?! :)

[Fran]

Have made Guinness Chocolate Cake before & it was hit. Have been thinking of making brownies so you have just influenced me to buy the next single bottle of Guinness. Thanks

[Moose]

I made these last night. Quite tasty, even with a few mistakes. : )

Thanks for the recipe!

[rob]

Tami, that is cool. I'm not a huge brownie person myself, but my wife loves them. I may just have to give these a try.

[Tom Maicon]

Couldn't agree with you more about St. Patrick's Day, but I do love my beer.

And beer as a secret ingredient in brownies sounds awfully good to me.

Thanks for the recipe!

[pumpkinpie]

These brownies are like a fudgy version of the Chocolate stout cake on epicurious.com, but much easier to make. Thanks for the recipe! True chocohol bakers might also enjoy the bourbon brownies on cookinglight.com Ahh, these brownies brought me back to my college days, when I would order the stout at Rock Bottom Brewery and they served it with a brownie.