Guinness® stout is a very dark beer that boasts notes of coffee and caramel, two ingredients that pair naturally well with chocolate. For this recipe, the Guinness is reduced to a syrup to intensify the flavors and really make the chocolate stand out. The brownies are a nice marriage of fudgy and cakey and are intensely chocolatey, thanks to the bittersweet chocolate and cocoa powder.
| Level: | Easy |
| Total: | 2 hr |
| Active: | 30 min |
| Yield: | 16 brownies |
| Level: | Easy |
| Total: | 2 hr |
| Active: | 30 min |
| Yield: | 16 brownies |
Ingredients
- Nonstick cooking spray, for greasing the pan
- 1 cup all-purpose flour
- 3/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
- 1 tablespoon instant espresso powder
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- One 11.2-ounce bottle stout beer, such as Guinness® Extra Stout
- 1 1/2 sticks (12 tablespoons) unsalted butter, cut into pieces
- 4 ounces bittersweet chocolate, chopped
- 1 1/2 cups granulated sugar
- 5 large eggs
- 1 tablespoon pure vanilla extract
- 2 teaspoons flaky sea salt, for garnish
- 1 tablespoon confectioners’ sugar, for garnish
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Spray a 9-by-9-inch baking pan with cooking spray and line the bottom with parchment, leaving a 2-inch overhang on 2 of the sides. Spray the parchment with cooking spray.
- Whisk the flour, cocoa powder, espresso powder and kosher salt in a medium bowl until combined.
- Slowly pour the Guinness into a medium saucepan, trying to make as little foam as possible. (Hold the pot at an angle and press the lip of the bottle to the side of the pot and slowly pour. This should help eliminate foam.) Bring the beer to a boil over high heat, then reduce the heat to medium-low and simmer until thickened and reduced to 1/3 cup, 12 to 13 minutes (you may need to pour the beer into a liquid measuring cup a few times to make sure it is reduced enough). Add the butter and whisk constantly until melted, about 1 minute. Add the bittersweet chocolate and whisk constantly until melted and smooth, about 2 minutes.
- Remove the pan from the heat and whisk in the granulated sugar until combined. Whisk in the eggs, 1 at a time, beating well after each addition. Stir in the vanilla extract until just combined. Add the flour mixture and stir slowly until combined, taking care that none of the flour spills out of the pot. Pour the mixture into the prepared pan.
- Bake until set on top, the brownies have slightly pulled away from the sides and a toothpick inserted into the center comes out with just a few moist crumbs, 30 to 35 minutes. Sprinkle the flaky sea salt on top.
- Let cool in the pan for 30 minutes, then use the parchment overhang to remove the brownies from the pan to a cutting board and let cool completely, about 30 minutes.
- Use a fine-mesh sieve to sprinkle the confectioners’ sugar on top of the brownies and slice into 16 squares.
Nutrition Facts
| Serving Size | 1 of 16 servings |
| Calories | 265 |
| Total Fat | 14 g |
| Saturated Fat | 8 g |
| Carbohydrates | 33 g |
| Dietary Fiber | 2 g |
| Sugar | 23 g |
| Protein | 4 g |
| Cholesterol | 81 mg |
| Sodium | 203 mg |
| Serving Size | 1 of 16 servings |
| Calories | 265 |
| Total Fat | 14 g |
| Saturated Fat | 8 g |
| Carbohydrates | 33 g |
| Dietary Fiber | 2 g |
| Sugar | 23 g |
| Protein | 4 g |
| Cholesterol | 81 mg |
| Sodium | 203 mg |
Reviews
Mine looked identical to the photo and were very moist! The beer did take much longer to reduce down….maybe next time I’ll use a bit higher heat. I didn’t add the salt on top. While they were chocolatey and sweet, they were less than other brownies I’ve made. Perfect paring for those savory meals where you don’t want a super sweet dessert.
These were dry and not very chocolatey, the salt on top made them too salty in my opinion. Considering all the extra ingredients (stout, 5 eggs, 1 tbsp vanilla) and a bit more effort that some recipes, I don’t think these are anything I would make again
Delicious! I am an experienced dessert maker, which helps because it is not easy peasy to make…but so worth it…The stout took a bit longer to cook down, and I did use a measuring cup as suggested in the recipe…Cross between a fudge/cake brownie…outstanding!
A little on the dry side but rich taste. Like a cross between a brownie and chocolate cake. Needs some ice cream to go with it.
They are just ok. More of a cake brownie, than chewy. Definitely not worth all the extra effort here.
They would have been better if they hadn’t been quite so dry.
I tend to agree with the other review that said they were dense.
Just not sure how to fix that.
I tend to agree with the other review that said they were dense.
Just not sure how to fix that.
Mine came out just as pictured! Only a faint hint of the Guinness taste. Made these for a friend visiting from Ireland and they were a hit!
The brownies were very dense and didn’t really have a good chocolate flavor. I won’t be making these again.
I agree that the beer took longer to reduce down. My brownies, although really delicious, did not look as tall as what is pictured in this recipe……and no, I did not forget an ingredient. It did take a long time to prepare overall, but has such a unique flavor. I can’t say I won’t be making this again. I’m sure there are probably less fussy brownie recipes out there.
These are very dense. I’m not sure if I over mixed trying to get everything smooth or if it’s just the recipe. But they are so good. They’d be great with some vanilla bean ice cream to offset the dense-ness of them.