Posted By: Theresa Carpine

Like knitting and gardening, baking is one of those quaint, domestic activities that 21st century women have re-embraced after a little perspective following the Women’s Lib movement. We can be feminists and bakers, right? And we’re even more awesome if we can involve craft beer in the process.

A good chocolate stout brownie recipe is something that every lady of craft beer should keep in her pantry. It’s a decadent and delicious treat when combined with a scoop of vanilla bean ice cream or a glass of whole milk (none of this skim milk nonsense, ladies). Whether you’re baking for a special occasion or to help a friend recover from a recent breakup, beer brownies are always a hit.

Stout is a synonym for strong, so it’s appropriate that stouts are dark, heavy beers with high alcohol content. According to Campaign for Real Ales, the stout began as an especially strong style of porter and eventually became its own classification of beer. Chocolate stouts are distinguished by their (wait for it…) chocolate flavor through the use of darker, aromatic malts. Some brewers, like Rogue Ales, use actual chocolate in the brewing process; Rogue Chocolate Stout also gets props for featuring craft beer lady Sebbie Buhler on their label.

Any chocolate stout can be used in this recipe, transforming an average batch of brownies into a rich, moist, and luxurious dessert. Young’s Double Chocolate Stout is stocked at my local Trader Joe’s, so that’s my go-to stout when baking these brownies. If your local brewery has their own chocolate stout on tap, get a bottle or a growler to go when you want to try this recipe; if you have any stout leftover, I suggest enjoying a beer float while you bake.

Happy baking!

Double Double Chocolate Stout Brownies Recipe

Ingredients

12 oz. chocolate stout
1 cup cocoa powder, unsweetened
2 cups sugar
½ cup butter, melted
2 tsp. vanilla extract
4 eggs
2 cups flour
¾ tsp. salt
½ cup semisweet chocolate, chopped (NESTLE TOLL HOUSE Semi-Sweet Morsels are the perfect size)
½ cup milk chocolate or white chocolate, chopped

How to do it:

Preheat oven to 350° F. Line a 13x9x2 baking pan with aluminum foil, letting the foil extend 2 inches beyond the short side.

Whisk chocolate stout and cocoa powder in a large bowl until blended and smooth. Add sugar, butter, vanilla extract, and eggs, one at a time, whisking until well blended.

Add flour and salt, whisking until smooth. Stir in chocolate.

Spread mixture in foil-lined pan and level batter with a spatula.

Bake 42 to 45 minutes until the top of the brownies are shiny and dry (there may be a few cracks in the top). When a wooden toothpick comes out of the center with just a few moist crumbs attached, remove brownies from the oven and let cool completely in the pan on a rack.

When cool, lift foil out of pan and transfer brownies to a cutting board.

Makes 32 brownies.
Guest Post written by Theresa Carpine whose beer prose can also be seen here: April Brews Day & Sweet Treat at Boundary Bay.