Guinness Brownies --
Chocolate and Beer Go Together Surprisingly Well
I wasn't going to post this recipe because I don't think they are really brownies, per se, but Tom really liked them --especially after they aged in the refrigerator --and he wants us to make them again, so here it is. Plus St. Patrick's Day is around the corner. So, Guinness Brownies seems apt.
Guinness Brownies
(from Baking for Friends by Kathleen King)
Makes 16 brownies
6 T. salted butter, cut into tablespoons, plus some for greasing the pan
12 ounces high-quality milk chocolate, finely chopped
3/4 cup unbleached all-purpose flour
3/4 cup natural cocoa flour
1/4 t. salt
4 large eggs, at room temperature
3/4 cup granulated sugar
1/4 cup firmly packed brown sugar
1 1/4 cups stout, preferable Guinness
1 cup semisweet chocolate chips
Note: You will need a 9x9 pan. I bought one and I am glad I did. An 8x8 would overflow.
Position an oven rack in the center of the oven and preheat the oven to 325 degrees. Lightly butter a 9-inch square baking pan. Line the bottom and 2 opposite end of the pan with an 18-inch length of aluminum foil, pleating the foil to fit, and letting the excess foil hang over the sides. Lightly butter the foil.
Note: Give yourself time to chop the chocolate before beginning the next step. And have everything else ready to go, too. You will have to work fast from here on out. Or your chocolate will be too cold to mix into the batter.
In a small saucepan, melt the butter over medium heat.
Remove from the heat, add the chocolate, and let stand for 1 minute.
Stir until the chocolate is melted and smooth. Let cool slightly.
In a small bowl, whisk together the flour, cocoa, and salt.
In a large bowl, beat the eggs, granulated sugar, and brown sugar
with an electric mixer set on high speed until combined, about 1 minute.
With the mixer set on low speed, beat in the chocolate mixture. Scrape down the sides of the bowl.
With the mixer still on low speed, add the flour mixture,
followed by the Guinness,
scraping down the sides of the bowl as needed.
Spread evenly in the prepared pan.
Sprinkle the chocolate chips evenly over the batter.
Bake until a wooden toothpick inserted into the center of the brownies comes out with moist crumbs, about 50 minutes.
Do not over bake.
Transfer the pan to a wire cooling rack and let cool completely.
Run a knife around the side of the pan to the loosen the brownies. Lift up the foil "handles" to remove them from the pan.
Cut into 16 squares.
The Guinness flavor is not pronounced. It just enhances the chocolate, the way a liqueur does in a traditional confection.
B
