Recipe Background
Extra Dark Guinness Brownies offer a deep chocolate flavor, perfect for city living milestones and sharing with friends.
The first time I made these Extra Dark Guinness Brownies was the night I moved into my new loft downtown. With towers of boxes surrounding me, I craved that fuzzy feeling of warmth and home. I found a bottle of Guinness nestled between a spatula and an old photo album. Knowing I couldn't simply sip it while unpacking, I decided brownies were the best culinary outlet for my creative energy. The slow addition of the beer into the saucepan, letting it bubble and reduce, felt like an apt metaphor for my own condensed journey to this new chapter of city living.
These brownies quickly became the darling of my baking repertoire, perfect for the housewarming party the following weekend. As the Guinness thickened, its deep, earthy aroma filled the kitchen and mingled with the rich scent of bittersweet chocolate. The instant espresso powder, always a staple in my pantry, lent an intriguing edge to their flavor, catching guests by surprise. Baking brownies while surrounded by half-emptied boxes, I learned the importance of patience. Letting them cool on the parchment overhang led to cleaner slices and satisfied smiles.
Guests arrived, bearing eclectic cheeses and homemade hummus, arms flailing, as narratives of nostalgia and excitement filled the room. I served the brownies with a light dusting of confectioners' sugar, letting them bask in laughter and shared stories. These dark treats were the perfect sweet ending to a bustling evening of laughter and new beginnings, cementing their place in my heart as a celebratory delight.
Ingredients
- 1 cup all-purpose flour
- 3/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
- 1 tablespoon instant espresso powder
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1 (11.2-ounce) bottle Guinness beer or other stout beer
- 1 1/2 sticks 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 topping
- 1 tablespoon confectioners' sugar for garnish
Directions
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
- Coat a 9x9-inch baking pan with cooking spray and line the bottom with parchment paper, leaving a 2-inch overhang on two of the sides.
- Coat the parchment paper with cooking spray.
- In a medium bowl, add the flour, the cocoa powder, the espresso powder, and the kosher salt and whisk to combine.
- In a medium saucepan, slowly add the beer while trying to make as little foam as possible. Holding the pan at an angle and slowly pouring the beer down the side will help.
- Place the saucepan over high heat and bring the beer to a boil.
- Reduce the heat to medium-low and simmer the beer until thickened and reduced to about 1/3 cup, about 12-13 minutes. You can carefully transfer the beer to a measuring cup to see if it is reduced enough.
- Add the butter to the reduced beer and whisk constantly until melted, about 1 minute.
- Add the chocolate to the beer-butter mixture and whisk constantly until melted and smooth, about 2 minutes.
- Transfer the pan from the heat and whisk in the granulated sugar until combined.
- Add the eggs, 1 at a time, and beat well after each addition.
- Add the vanilla to the beer mixture and stir until just combined.
- Add the flour mixture to the beer mixture and slowly stir until combined. Make sure not to overmix or to let the flour spill out of the pan.
- Pour the batter into the prepared pan.
- Bake until the brownies are set on top, they have slightly pulled away from the sides, and a toothpick inserted into the center comes out with just a few moist crumbs, about 30-35 minutes.
- Sprinkle the brownies with the flaky sea salt.
- Let the brownies cool for 30 minutes.
- Use the parchment paper overhang to transfer the brownies from the pan to a cutting board and let them cool completely, about 30 minutes.
- Use a fine-mesh sieve to dust the confectioners' sugar over the top of the brownies.
- Slice and serve.
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