Guinness Chocolate Brownies
Happy St. Patrick’s Day!
Do you have any festive food plans for the day? Maybe some corned beef and cabbage and Irish soda bread, or just a run through the drive-thru for a shamrock shake? It won’t come as a surprise that I prefer to eat my festive calories in the form of dessert. I’ve made some amazing sweet things with Guinness in the past, and thought that brownies would be the next logical step in my chocolate and Guinness journey.
These brownies are everything that fabulous brownies should be – rich, moist and extremely fudgy. The Guinness adds a bit of a tangy malt flavor that’s subtle but noticeable. Like all of my favorite brownie recipes, these don’t require any special equipment – a couple of bowls, a whisk and spatula is all you need. They come together quickly, so they’re a perfect last-minute dessert if you’re looking for something easy to make today.
You could top these with some green sprinkles or green frosting for an extra festive flair!
One years ago: Grasshopper Brownies
Four years ago: Homemade Shamrock Shake
Guinness Chocolate Brownies
Ingredients
- ½ cup (115 ml) Guinness stout
- 12 ounces (340.2 g) semisweet chocolate, finely chopped
- 1 cup (227 g) unsalted butter
- 1½ cup (300 g) granulated sugar
- 3 eggs
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- ¾ cup (93.75 g) all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon salt
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Grease a 9x9-inch square baking pan, then line with parchment paper.
- Bring the Guinness to a boil over medium-high heat in a small saucepan. Boil until reduced to ¼ cup, about 5 minutes. Set aside to cool.
- Place the chocolate and butter in a heatproof bowl set over a saucepan of simmering water and stir occasionally until completely melted and smooth. Remove from the heat and set aside.
- In a large bowl, whisk together the sugar, eggs and vanilla extract until thoroughly combined and pale yellow in color. Gradually whisk in the melted chocolate mixture, then the reduced Guinness. Add the flour and salt and fold into the batter with a rubber spatula until no streaks of flour remain.
- Pour the batter into the prepared pan and bake until a toothpick comes out with moist crumbs attached, about 40 minutes. Remove from the oven and place the pan on a wire rack; cool completely before cutting and serving. The brownies should be stored in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 5 days.
Notes
Did you make this recipe?
Leave a review below, then snap a picture and tag @thebrowneyedbaker on Instagram so I can see it!
Gooey mess… are you sure 1 cup butter… spilled over the pan and made a disaster of my oven… now still in oven 50 min and toothpick still wet… thoughts?
This recipe was PERFECTION! Only critique would be not enough Guinness flavour. Â But I am going to pair it with Guinness ice cream and see.
Thank you for sharing!
These are delicious, and the recipe is wonderfully forgiving. I didn’t have all the ingredients, so I subbed semisweet chocolate chips, 3/4 cup of vegetable oil instead of butter, and 1 cup of brown sugar because all I had was 1/2 cup granulated sugar. The recipe still came out perfectly–exactly like the pictures. These have a delicate crackly top and are mostly fudgy with a slight chew.
The bake time was spot-on for me. I found they set up nicely once they cooled. I agree with a previous reviewer who said these brownies almost have a caramel-like taste. The Guinness adds depth and makes these just different enough to be special. I will make these again for sure!
Delicious!! This chocolate brownie looks so yummy! Thank you!
I made these today and they are soooo good! I only put in a half tsp of salt and added a touch more Guinness and they still worked out alright. I had to leave them in 10 minutes longer as others have said in these comments. Now I have to keep from eating the whole pan in 1 night.
Made these tonight. Didn’t have the 9″ square so I baked them in the 9″ x 13″ and they came out delicious. A nice fudgy consistency. I did add about 10 minutes extra baking time since my oven is getting up there in age. The Guinness does add that malt flavor and it tasted a little like caramel. A great recipe! Can’t wait to share…or maybe not. ;)
Chocolate + stout = perfection. The end.
I made the brownies and they turned out gooey. I used a different beer that a friend gave me. Could that be the reason? Does the Guinness stout make that much difference?
Hi Lori, I didn’t test these with a different type of beer, so it’s possible. It’s also possible that they may have just needed some additional time in the oven.
Made these tonight, mine went for ten extra minutes (maybe fifteen? I don’t quite remember as I was going in increments of 5) and while the toothpick came out looking reasonable, I let these cool while I showered and they are pretty gooey now as I sample them. It will be interesting to see how they are tomorrow. I’m thinking my oven needs to be hotter for these in a 9″ pan.
Okay, I tried them again today and they set up better but are still incredibly gooey. More gooey than my usual brownies (which are quite moist!) but still definitely good.
Co-workers are moaning over them :-)
Great idea! I wonder how these would taste with a chocolate stout or a chocolate porter?? Maybe a Young’s Double Chocolate Stout??
After talking to an experienced baker I now understand why you must use the beer. Can’t wait to make these yummy brownies. Thanks for the recipe.
I’d like to substitute the beer for something else. What would you recommend? We don’t drink so most of it would go to waste.
I have to make these!! I love brownies and these look so amazing. Not going to be for St Patrick’s this year, but soon!
Those looks outrageously good!
Michelle,
I love fudgy brownies. Happy St. Patrick’s Day.
Annamaria
These look amazing! Somehow Guinness is just perfect with chocolate!
Kari
http://www.sweetteasweetie.com
What? No baking powder??
ugh, these look perfect! so fudgy!!
I just recently baked with stout and chocolate for the first time and it was soooo good. I imagine, then, that these brownies must be insanely good!
Yay for Guinness in everything this St. Paddy’s! Love that perfect crispy brownie top too :)
Wow theses look so good and moist! I would have a hard time just eating one!
You know, I’ve never made brownies before that weren’t out of a box. But I’m just wondering how you got that crispy top. When I was a kid and baked brownies with mom, they always had that crispy top. Now, the top looks spotted and isn’t crispy. Maybe it’s the oven? But heck, since they now make Spanx for men (Uggs too) I have no fear. Although wife says “no” to both. Says Crocs are ok though.
I’ve read that the reason brownies get the crispy top is from the beaten egg whites and sugar coming together. So, once you add the eggs to the butter-sugar mixture, really beat the heck out of it.
These look amazing! Just think, you could even top them with your whiskey Ganache and Bailey’s Icing that you use on the Guinness cupcakes! Can’t wait to make these!
I made a loaf of Irish Soda Bread this weekend, but I’m thinking that these brownies may have to be in the lineup for tonight’s dessert. Holy cow. These look too good. Would it be acceptable to drink a Guinness while eating these brownies?
Now brownies, that is a beer use I can get behind! I would stick to Irish whiskey for beverages. Beer is better baked. Especially if chocolate is involved.