Guinness Brownies Recipe

When it comes to St. Patrick's Day, there are some foods that just naturally come to mind. If you want to make a true Irish feast, you might go all-out with an Irish breakfast or corned beef and cabbage. Of course, you could also keep things simple and have a pint of Guinness ... or you could use your Guinness to take things up a notch! Thanks to this Guinness brownies recipe, courtesy of recipe developer Jessica Morone, you can eat Guinness instead of drink it (or, why not do both?). These hearty brownies incorporate everyone's favorite stout without compromising on chocolatey goodness. "I always love putting alcohol into baked goods, I think its a fun way to change up the flavors," Morone says. 

So, what does the addition of Guinness add to these brownies? "Adding Guinness to brownies (or anything chocolate) really brings out the chocolate flavor in them," Morone explains. "So they don't really taste like beer, they just taste like very rich chocolate brownies." If you want to switch things up from your old brownie recipe, or you want to get in the St. Paddy's Day spirit, be sure to give this Guinness brownies recipe a try!

If you guessed that Guinness might be an ingredient in these Guinness brownies, you guessed correctly! Other than the beer, there are a few other items that you'll need. Be sure you have unsalted butter, granulated sugar, vanilla extract, eggs, all-purpose flour, unsweetened cocoa powder, salt, semi-sweet chocolate chips, and powdered sugar on hand. Also, Morone makes things a little more festive by adding green sprinkles to her brownies, but this ingredient is purely optional. 

With your ingredients sorted and measured, you're ready to hop right into this beer-infused recipe. Before you do anything else, be sure to preheat your oven to 350 F. Also, lightly grease a 9x9-inch baking dish with cooking spray and line it with parchment paper. 

Now, onto the brownie batter. Microwave 8 tablespoons of butter in a large bowl until melted, then add in the granulated sugar, ¾ cup of the Guinness, vanilla extract, and the eggs. Beat these ingredients until they're well-combined. In a separate bowl, whisk together the flour, cocoa powder, and salt, then slowly add the dry ingredients to the wet ones, mixing until smooth. Just like that, you have your Guinness-infused brownie batter, and you can pour it right into the prepared baking dish. 

Pop the brownies into the oven and allow them to bake for 35-38 minutes. Once they're done baking (you'll know they're done once a toothpick in the middle comes out clean), take them out of the oven and allow them to cool. As they're cooling, you can work on making the chocolate ganache, which you will layer on top of the brownies for extra chocolatey goodness. 

In a microwave-safe bowl, add in the remaining 2 tablespoons of butter, chocolate chips, and 2 tablespoons of Guinness. Microwave these ingredients in 30-second increments, until the butter and chocolate have melted, and everything is nice and smooth.

Once you have a smooth mixture from the microwave, add in the powdered sugar and whisk until well-combined. Pour this ganache over the top of the cooled brownies. Be sure to spread the ganache out so that it evenly covers the entirety of the dessert. 

If you want to add sprinkles to your brownies, be sure to do that while the ganache is still wet. Then, allow the ganache to set. Finally, cut the brownies into squares and serve these festive treats! "I don't think you need to necessarily serve anything with these brownies — they are great on their own — but I bet serving these with ice cream would be amazing," Morone says. And, if you end up with any leftovers, Morone says that "you can store leftovers tightly wrapped for 3-4 days," and adds that "you don't need to refrigerate these." St. Patrick's Day just got a whole lot more decadent thanks to this Guinness brownies recipe!