I got the inspiration to create these Stout Dark Chocolate Brownies while paying a visit to my favorite local micro-brewery.
These guys brew some of the best stouts in the world and also, almost obviously, happen to have a stout chocolate brownie on their menu, which they serve with a little bit of chocolate sauce and a few dollops of whipped cream on the side. Oh, and a few sliced strawberries, too.
Oddly enough, though, I was never really inspired to order it off the menu… instead, I got totally stirred and excited to create my very own version, using one of their “house” stouts of course!
Since I’d already used their Aphrodisiaque in my Stout Dark Chocolate Cheesecake, this time I elected to go with their Péché Mortel, a totally incredible Imperial Coffee Stout.
That Péché Mortel — which literally translates to Deadly Sin — turned out to be an excellent choice! Of course, if you didn’t have access to it, you could very well use any other stout beer, preferably an Imperial Stout if you could get your hands on one.
If you’re not too sure what the difference is, check out this nifty little Guide to Stout Styles of Beer! If you’re into beer, it’s pretty interesting read!
The stout not only confers a very intriguing yet super rich flavor to the brownies, it also makes them incredibly moist and fudgy. I mean seriously! Can you get a sense of how fudgy these things are just by looking at the pictures? They were by far the fudgiest brownies I’ve ever had! I think that from now on, I will always be adding stout to my brownie batter.
As for the frosting, the stout gives it such a unique flavor, it’s something that truly needs to be experienced.
A word of warning before you start baking, if I may… These guys, they’re seriously, intensely SWEET! They are not for the faint at heart, or the untrained palate.
Well, like most of the desserts I make. So I guess your palate must be getting used to it by now!
I figure you may proceed with confidence, then…
STEP-BY-STEP INSTRUCTIONS & PICTURES
First, you gotta make some beer concentrate! To do that, simply pour the beer into a medium saucepan and then boil it until it reduces to precisely 1/2 cup, which should take about 20 minutes.
The best way to ensure that you get precisely the right amount is to transfer your beer to a glass measuring cup every now and then to see where you’re at and then return it to the pot to reduce some more if you have to.
Oh, and while that’s happening, be sure to keep a close eye on things to avoid boiling-over. Beer tends to rise quite a lot!
Once your beer has reduced to precisely 1/2 cup, set it aside to cool for a wee bit while you set up to make the brownies.
TO MAKE THE BROWNIES
Preheat your oven to 350°F. Grease a 9” square baking pan and line the bottom with parchment paper, leaving a bit of an overhang on either side for easier unmolding.
Then, combine the butter and finely chopped chocolate in a mixing bowl and microwave on high for about 1 minute; stir until smooth and lump free. If you have to, return the mixture to the microwave for a few seconds but make sure that you don’t let the chocolate get too hot, as it would cook the eggs if it did. Just let it get hot enough so all the chocolate gets completely melted. Set aside.
In a separate bowl, combine the sugar, salt and eggs…
…and whisk until well combined.
Delicately whisk in the melted chocolate mixture.
And then add the beer reduction and vanilla extract…
…and whisk until well incorporated.
Add the flour all at once…
…and stir with a rubber spatula until just combined, no more.
Transfer the batter into the prepared pan and spread to an even thickness.
Bake for 28 to 30 minutes, or until the edges are firm to the touch but the center is still somewhat soft. Do not overbake! Take the brownies out of the oven and place them on a wire rack to cool completely.
While that’s happening, you can start working on the frosting!
TO MAKE THE FROSTING
Combine the butter and half the powdered sugar in a large mixing bowl. Beat carefully with a an electric mixer on low speed until the icing sort of starts to come together and then add the remaining 1/4 cup of the beer reduction.
Resume mixing until smooth and well combined.
Mix in the rest of the powdered sugar, then add the heavy cream…
…and beat on high speed until combined and fluffy.
Add the melted white chocolate…
…and beat until well incorporated.
Now switch to a rubber spatula and give that bowl a good scrape.
Okay, I’ll admit it: that photo was entirely unnecessary, but since I’d snapped it, I could not not share it… I mean come on, don’t you just want to stick your finger in that frosting and then lick it right off? I know I do! So yeah. Here’s a little frosting porn for ya!
When you’re done staring at that frosting, pour in the melted semi-sweet chocolate…
…and stir lightly, leaving some visible streaks in the frosting.
Now as soon as your brownies will be cool enough, like at room temperature or just a tad warmer, you’ll be all set for assembly!
ASSEMBLY
Start by covering your brownies with a thin layer of frosting… this will ensure that the swirls we’re about to cover them with will adhere well to the surface!
Now fill a pastry bag equipped with a star tip and pipe generous swirls of frosting over the entire top of the brownies.
Of course, you could very well just dump the frosting over the brownies and then spread it evenly with an offset spatula, if you didn’t want to get all fancy shmancy like that…
On the other hand, if you wanted to get super duper fancy, you could take things to the next level and drizzle a little bit of melted white and dark chocolate over those swirls.
Oh yeah! That’s what I’m talking about!
Refrigerate your brownies for about an hour before cutting into squares.
To remove them from the pan, simply pull on the parchment paper… Should you find that they sort of refuse to budge, it’s only because the fat that you used to grease the pan got firm and made the parchment paper cling to the pan. Just give it a few minutes to warm and soften up again and the brownies will lift right up!
All that’s left to do now is cut your brownies into squares with a really sharp knife and enjoy!
Ingredients
- 2- 341ml bottles of stout beer, reduced to 1/2 cup (120ml)
- 3/4 cup (175g | 6oz) butter, softened
- 1-2/3 cup (250g | 9oz) finely chopped unsweetened chocolate
- 2 cups (400g | 14.1oz) granulated sugar
- 3 large eggs, at room temperature
- 1/4 cup (60ml) stout beer reduction (from above)
- 1 tbsp pure vanilla extract, (store-bought or homemade)
- 1/2 tsp salt (I use Himalayan salt)
- 1-1/4 cup (185g | 6.6oz) unbleached all-purpose flour
- 1/2 cup (120g | 4oz) butter, softened
- 4 cups (480g | 16.9oz) powdered sugar
- 1/4 cup (60ml) stout beer reduction (from above)
- 2-3 tbsp heavy cream
- 1/2 cup (75g | 2.65oz) white chocolate, melted
- 1/4 cup (38g | 1.4oz) semi-sweet chocolate, melted
- Melted white chocolate, about 1 tbsp
- Melted dark chocolate, about 1 tbsp
Instructions
- First, make the beer concentrate: pour the beer into a medium saucepan and boil it until it reduces to precisely 1/2 cup, which should take about 20 minutes. Be sure to keep a close eye on it to avoid boiling-over. Set aside to cool
- Preheat your oven to 350°F. Grease a 9” square baking pan and line the bottom with parchment paper, leaving a bit of an overhang on either side for easier unmolding.
- Combine the butter and finely chopped chocolate in a mixing bowl and microwave on high for about 1 minute; stir until smooth and lump free. If you have to, return the mixture to the microwave for a few seconds but make sure that you don't let the chocolate get too hot, as it would cook the eggs if it did. Just let it get hot enough so all the chocolate gets completely melted. Set aside.
- In a separate bowl, combine the sugar, salt and eggs and whisk until well combined. Delicately whisk in the melted chocolate mixture. Add beer reduction and vanilla extract and whisk until well incorporated.
- Add the flour all at once and stir with a rubber spatula until just combined, no more. Transfer the batter into the prepared pan and spread to an even thickness. Bake for 28 to 30 minutes, or until the edges are firm to the touch but the center is still somewhat soft. Do not overbake! Take the brownies out of the oven and place them on a wire rack to cool completely.
- Combine the butter and half the powdered sugar in a large mixing bowl. Beat carefully with a an electric mixer on low speed until the icing sort of starts to come together. Add the beer reduction and resume mixing until smooth and well combined. Mix in the rest of the powdered sugar, then add the heavy cream and beat on high speed until combined and fluffy.
- Add the melted white chocolate and beat until well incorprated, then switch to a rubber spatula and stir in melted semi-sweet chocolate, leaving some visible streaks.
- Once the brownies have fully chilled, cover them with a thin layer of frosting, then pipe generous swirls of frosting over the entire top. If desired, drizzle a little bit of melted white and dark chocolate over the swirls.
- Refrigerate for about an hour before cutting into squares.
Jenny from jennyisbaking.com says
Hi Sonia, wow, these look great! And tnanks for the warning about the sweetness, I will definitely reduce the amout of sugar as apparently the German palate is by far not used to as much sugar…