Guinness Chocolate Brownies

St Patrick’s Day in our house means many things. The love of green and Guinness is abundant throughout the entire month of March. Since meeting and marrying Dave I have learned many things, one of which being his fondness for Guinness. I’m not a big fan of Guinness or dark beers to begin with but throughout time I have figured out ways to incorporate them into my own celebration. This year I went with something I know I would like: Guinness Chocolate Brownies.

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Over the years I have expanded my Guinness recipes for the holiday. It started with my Guinness Shepherd’s Pie which mixes Guinness with gravy to make a rich and luscious sauce. This was followed up by a Disney-restaurant-inspired Guinness Glaze to dip and swirl homemade Irish Soda Bread in. One year, when I was young and fun, I turned Guinness, Jameson, and Bailey’s into jello shots. This year, I am happy to report that I have outdone myself.

I was inspired by Brown Eyed Baker’s rendition of Guinness Chocolate Brownies and set out on a mission to make 2020 the year I tackled a Guinness-inspired dessert to go along with our already Guinness-heavy holiday.

When I have scratch made brownies before, I was underwhelmed. The best brownie is a chocolatey, fudgy, dense, and moist brownie with a crackle top. This is always perfectly achieved by my friends over at Duncan Hines whose dark chocolate fudge brownies are a family favorite. But see, I knew I could do better. I just hadn’t found the right recipe. And then waltzed in these Guinness Chocolate Brownies.

I made a few adjustments to these brownies according to my own taste and preferences. But let me tell you, I, and my entire family, were blown away by these brownies. They are so tender and moist and the crackle on top! There is no greater travesty to me than a brownie that looks like a cake! These brownies are by far the best I have made that do not come from a box and everyone agrees: they’re better!

Ingredients

• 1 cup Guinness
• 6 oz semi-sweet chocolate (I used Nestle chocolate chips because I always have those on hand)
• 6 oz dark chocolate
• 1 cup unsalted butter
• 1 ½ cup granulated sugar
• 3 eggs
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• ¾ all purpose flour
• 1 tsp salt
  

Instructions

1. Preheat the oven to 350℉. Line a 12×8 baking pan with parchment paper (12×8 is what I had that wasn’t too big or too small. You can use most size pans for this depending on how thick you like your brownies, just be sure to adjust your bake time appropriately)
2. In a small saucepan, boil the cup of Guinness until reduced to about ¼ cup and set aside to cool.
3. In a separate saucepan, boil water and place a heatproof bowl containing the chocolate and butter on top to melt. Stir occasionally until smooth and combined. 
4. In a large mixing bowl, whisk the eggs, sugar, and vanilla until the mixture is a pale yellow. The combination and beating of the eggs and sugar is a critical step in achieving that class brownie crackle on top. 
5. Gradually add the chocolate mixture into the eggs, whisking continuously until combined. Add the Guinness reduction. Fold the flour and salt into the batter until just combined. 
6. Pour the batter into the prepared pan and bake for 30-40 minutes depending on the size of your pan. I find this recipe sometimes needs an extra 5-10 minutes to achieve a clean toothpick when tested. Let cool on a cooling rack until completely cool. If not left to cool before cutting they’ll make a mess. Still edible, but a mess.