Happy (early) St. Patrick’s Day!! What better way to celebrate the Irish than with the richest, fudgiest brownies of all time? With booze, of course. Who do you think I am?
I absolutely love St. Patrick’s Day – it’s one of my very favorite holidays to make a festive treat for my blog. I love drinking stout beer and whisky, wearing green, and being super pale all year around, so an entire day dedicated to such things is highly exciting to me.
A few years ago, I made this chocolate stout bread for a St. Patrick’s Day breakfast treat, and it was SO GOOD. Like, one of my favorite blog recipes of all time (which is quite a distinction). I’ve been craving an ultra-fudgy, ultra-chocolatey brownie situation in my life for way too long, and I figured it was high time to remedy the situation. Baking with beer is one of my favorite things, and I know how well stout pairs with deep, rich chocolate – it’s seriously decadent perfection in my book.
Enter: these insanely fudgy chocolate stout brownies. These brownies are so ooey-gooey, fudgy, and fantastic. When it comes to brownies, I am team fudgy all the way. Cakey, crumbly, dry brownies can go take a long walk off a short pier in my opinion. These brownies absolutely did not disappoint in that regard – if you couldn’t tell from the pictures, they are FUDGY AS HELL. Success!!
The stout flavor is definitely not prominent, so even if you’re not a stout lover like me, don’t be concerned. However, I urge you not to skip it!! I liken it to baking brownies or chocolate cake with espresso powder or coffee – you can’t identify the flavor, but it adds an insanely amazing depth of flavor and a richness that just makes the chocolate so much better. These brownies are not too sweet and absolutely full of flavor – just my type!! Your St. Patrick’s Day bash will be a major hit with these babies!
- ½ cup stout beer
- 12 ounces bittersweet chocolate (use a high quality baking chocolate, such as Baker’s or Ghiradelli – not chocolate chips!)
- 1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter
- 1 cup sugar
- 1 tsp. vanilla
- ½ tsp. kosher salt
- 3 eggs
- 1 cup flour
- Powdered sugar, if desired, for dusting
- Preheat your oven to 250°F. Line an 8x8 inch square pan with aluminum foil (leave enough extra on two sides to grip and lift the brownies out) and spray the foil with baking spray. Set aside.
- In a small saucepan, bring the stout to a boil. Reduce heat, cover and simmer for about 10 minutes, until it has reduced by half. Transfer to a small bowl and set aside to cool a bit.
- In a double boiler (or a heatproof bowl set above an inch of boiling water in same small saucepan), melt the chocolate with the butter, stirring every so often until completely melted and smooth. Transfer to a medium bowl and allow to cool for about 10 minutes, until just warm to the touch and not hot.
- Add the sugar, vanilla, cooled stout, and kosher salt to the melted chocolate mixture; stir to combine with a spatula or wooden spoon. Add the eggs one at a time, making sure to combine completely before adding the next egg (make sure to do this quickly so the eggs don’t cook). Next, lightly fold in the flour until just barely combined, taking care not to over-mix. Pour the batter into prepared pan.
- Bake in preheated oven for about one hour, until a tester inserted into the center comes out clean (start checking at 50 minutes, mine was done in slightly less). Allow the brownies to cool for at least 2 hours, and as long as overnight, to firm up before slicing. Top with a sprinkling of powdered sugar, if desired, and enjoy!
Looking for more St. Patrick’s Day treats?
Matcha White Chocolate Blondies
Your recipe never says when to add the stout to the batter. I am assuming you add it with the sugar and vanilla.
I am about to try this recipe using a Chocolate Hazelnut Stout, figure it should give it a Nutella like flavor.
Hi Ken, thanks for noticing that!! Yes, you add it with the sugar and the vanilla in that same step. I am fixing the recipe now – good catch! That sounds amazing, I hope you enjoy! 🙂