Guinness Chocolate Brownies

The smooth-textured, coffee-forward character of a Guinness effortlessly and singlehandedly reigns supreme in the stout category of beer.

A balance of sweet, bitter, and toasty notes, it’s an entire experience all on its own, sipped and savored in a pint glass, from the frothy head on top to the final drop at the bottom.

But when mixed into a sweet batter, you unleash an entirely new power of chocolaty delight.

These dark and striking brownies are the nonconformists of the baked goods bunch – the punk rockers with stretched ear gauges, faded tattoos, and encyclopedic memories of bands no one has ever heard of.

Marching to the beat of its own drum, this recipe is the black sheep amongst the entire fluffy flock of sweet treats, intentionally walking in the opposite direction of dainty marshmallows, cute cupcakes, and crisp cookies.

You might be tempted to grab two squares… but, trust me, you’ll only need one to keep you satisfied for the rest of the day and through the evening.

If you’re ready to rock and roll, and get a little messy, bring out the bottle opener and let’s party!

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Cooking by the Numbers…

Step 1 – Prep

Preheat your oven to 350°F, preferably with a rack in the center of the oven for the most even bake. Lightly grease a 9-by-9-inch square baking pan with cooking spray, and line it with parchment paper.

Really craving a super thick brownie? Definitely use a smaller 8-by-8-inch square pan! We tested this recipe with both pans, with great results! All you need to do is increase the bake time by 10 to 12 minutes.

Set out a bottle of stout. You can use your favorite brand, but we prefer the Guinness Drought Stout or Extra Stout for this recipe. If you use the brand’s Extra Stout product, the deep coffee and toffee flavors will be stronger and more pronounced in the dessert.

Measure out the granulated sugar, vanilla extract, salt, and all-purpose flour.

Chop the chocolate bars, using a large and sturdy cutting board and sharp chef’s knife. Cube the unsalted butter. While the butter is fine to use if it’s still cold from the refrigerator, it will melt more quickly if you let the butter sit out at room temperature for 10 to 20 minutes prior to starting the recipe.

Crack three large eggs into a small bowl, and check for any shell fragments.

Step 2 – Reduce the Guinness

Pour the stout into a medium saucepan, and bring it to a boil over medium-high heat on the stovetop.

Continue to boil the liquid until it has reduced to approximately 1/2 cup. This will take about 15-25 minutes. Watch carefully so it doesn’t boil over – the stout will get very foamy!

Reducing the beer helps to concentrate its amazing flavors without introducing an excessive amount of liquid into the batter.

In order to check your reduction amount, carefully pour the liquid into a heatproof liquid measuring cup after the 15-minute mark. Note your progress, pour the liquid back into the pot, and continue boiling for additional 5-minute increments before checking again.

Remove from the heat and set aside to cool slightly.

Step 3 – Melt the Chocolate and Butter

As you are reducing the beer, prepare your double boiler – fill a medium pot or saucepan about a third of the way full with water and place it on the stovetop over low heat. Keep the water at a very gentle simmer.

Transfer the chocolate and butter into a heatproof bowl and place it over the simmering pot of water.

Use a spatula to continually stir the chocolate and butter, allowing them to evenly melt and mix together.

Once the ingredients are completely melted and a smooth mixture has formed, which will take about two to five minutes, immediately remove the bowl from the pot and set it aside to cool slightly as you move forward.

Be sure to use a potholder – the bowl will be hot!

Don’t let this mixture sit over the hot pot for longer than necessary, as you may cause it to seize! If that happens, we have solutions to save your seized mixture.

Step 4 – Whisk Together the Eggs, Sugar, Vanilla, and Salt

Use a large mixing bowl for this step – this is the bowl that you will use for mixing the batter.

Whisk together the eggs, sugar, vanilla extract, and salt and thoroughly combined.

Step 5 – Whisk in the Melted Chocolate and Beer

Whisk in the melted chocolate and butter mixture until everything is completely incorporated.

Then, whisk in the reduced beer until everything is thoroughly combined and a smooth, dark batter forms.

Step 6 – Fold in the Flour

Add the flour into the bowl, and gently fold the flour into the batter. Don’t overmix here, or else the brownies will become crumbly, and less fudgy.

Continue folding the flour just until no white streaks remain.

Step 7 – Bake

Immediately pour the batter in your prepared pan – the melted chocolate and butter will start to cool and solidify as the batter sits at room temperature.

Transfer the pan to the preheated oven and bake.

This will take about 40 to 45 minutes. Because the batter is so thick, inserting a toothpick in the very center is the best way to determine doneness.

If the toothpick comes out with liquidy batter, it still needs more time. If the toothpick comes with moist crumbs clinging to it, it’s ready!

Step 8 – Cool, Cut, and Serve

Remove the pan from the oven, and place it on a cooling rack.

Now, this part is important: you can’t dig in just yet!

Even though it’s going to be so painful to wait to eat your deliciously aromatic brownies, they need to cool for at least one hour before you cut into it!

This time allows the dessert’s texture to set, and will make cutting into it easier and cleaner for you.

Once cooled, use a sharp knife for cutting into 16 even square pieces. Serve, and enjoy!

Slather on Some Frosting

As if the ridiculously decadent base wasn’t enough craziness already… here I am suggesting to thickly slather on a topping!

Remember when I was chatting about fighting fire with fire? Here’s an opportunity to stoke the flames!

Run with the Irish theme, and spread our Baileys Irish cream frosting on top once the brownies have cooled completely. We use that frosting on cocoa cupcakes from our Guinness recipe roundup.

For another sweet idea, try our salted caramel frosting – we beat together a simple icing with a homemade caramel sauce until soft and fluffy.