Triple Chocolate Stout Brownies

This is for the serious chocolate fix you need, probably weekly.

Out of all the baked goods that are available to me, brownies are the only ones that that will make me weak in the knees.  Whether at a bakery, or on a potluck table, if there are brownies present, I must have one.

What Characteristics Make for a Great Brownie?

Do you like your brownies cakey? Or should they be on the fudgy side?  Can they have nuts in them, or are you a purist?  Without frosting are they just naked in your opinion, or do you need to see that crackly shiny top?  Can there be cream cheese or tahini swirled throughout?  What about spices?  There are so many opinions regarding the perfect brownie.  And maybe there isn’t one.  Maybe it depends on the day?  Some days I just want a fudgy plain brownie.  Other days I am drawn to one with chunks of walnuts peaking out.  And then there are the beautiful ones with the Venetian type swirls of tahini enhancing the top. I think the only thing I don’t ever care for is frosting. The brownie itself is already rich enough, why add another layer that makes them even richer?  Or if the texture is more cake-like and the frosting is there to give it some smooth creaminess, then is it really a brownie, and not just cake sliced up to look like brownies?  Thankfully there are so many recipes out there, one will surely satisfy your every mood!

What Goes With Chocolate?

Chocolate is one of those ingredients that pairs really great with certain other flavours.  A little heat (chilli pepper or harissa); coffee for that mocha blast; buckwheat, spelt or rye flours for an earthy result; malt, cherries, strawberries, orange, peanut butter, so many possibilities.  Another great ingredient that works fabulously with chocolate is stout beer.  

Which Beer Should You Choose?

The classic choice is a stout or a porter, since they are brewed with with dark roasted malt. The malt lends flavours of cocoa and coffee to these beers.   Porter beers are similar in profile however “Porters lean more toward chocolate and malted flavours with less bitterness. Stouts offer a more intense bitter coffee flavour and are often higher in alcohol” King Arthur Baking. The thick creamy dark stouts with sweet undertones adds such a layer of depth when baking with chocolate.  There are some dark ales which may also work.

Sure we can always use a bottle of Guinness. But we have so much more to choose from. These days you can find craft breweries in almost every major city, or region. Check out their selection. The labels will give great clues.  Are words like mocha, coffee, milk, chocolate on the label or in the name itself?  Then that’s a great indicator that you can use it in baking!  Whether it is a stout cake, or porter cookies, these rich beers will make your next baking project way more interesting.  Plus, you get to drink the rest of the bottle or can! 😉

Three Kinds of Chocolate

This Triple Chocolate recipe starts in a bowl set over simmering water (a double boiler if you will) with the butter and chopped chocolate melting away in it.  Then the eggs are whisked into this bowl.  In a separate bowl you’ll mix the flour and sugars, and cocoa powder.  Combine the two bowls and pour it all into a prepared baking pan.  Sprinkle the third type of chocolate, chocolate chips on top and then pop it into the oven to bake.  This brownie recipe will produce a rich, fudgy brownie.  Do not expect something dry, even after baking for a while. The skewer may come out clean, but the inside is beautifully moist!

Best from the Freezer

Once completely cooled down, my advice: cut them into squares and then freeze these on a cooling rack.  Once they are frozen, pull out the ones you want to eat right away, and keep the rest in the freezer, in a freezer bag.  Brownies are especially chocolatey when cold and half thawed! Trust me on this one!! Oh, I show them here cut into 9 squares.  I keep forgetting how rich these are.  Cut them into 16 pieces, you’ll thank me!  And then when you think all is lost and you won’t be able to satisfy that craving, you’ll remember that there is one little square left in the freezer!

If you want to check out my other Brownie recipes, here they are:  Brownies for Two, aka Emergency Brownies,  Halva Salted Rye Brownies

Love Jen

5 from 1 vote

Print

Triple Chocolate Stout Brownies

All the goodness of three kinds of chocolate, plus the richness of stout beer make these decadent fudgy brownies the most memorable treat to bake up. Eating one slightly thawed from the freezer is the best!

Course Baking

Cuisine American

Keyword brownie, chocolate, stout

Prep Time 15 minutes

Cook Time 35 minutes

Servings 16 squares

Ingredients

• 3/4 cup butter
• 6 oz dark chocolate 60%, chopped, or 170 grams
• ½ cup stout beer
• 2 large eggs
• 1 large egg yolk
• ¾ cup flour or 4 oz (112 grams)
• ½ cup unsweetened cocoa powder or 1.1 oz or 33 grams
• 1 cup white sugar or 7 oz or 205 grams
• 1 cup brown sugar or 6.3 oz or 180 grams
• ½ tsp salt
• 2 tbsp mini chocolate chips 1 oz or 30 grams

Instructions

1. Grease an 8x8 inch baking pan, and line with parchment paper. Preheat the oven to 350F.

2. In a double boiler, or stainless steel bowl set over a pot of simmering water over medium heat, add the butter and chopped chocolate. Stir until chocolate has melted and is well combined with the butter. Remove from heat.

3. Stir in the stout. Ensure that the temperature of the liquid is now closer to room temperature, to avoid cooking the eggs for the next step.

4. Add the eggs and yolk. Whisk until well combined.
5. In a medium bowl, combine the the flour, cocoa powder, white sugar, brown sugar and salt. Add this to the pot of chocolate mixture. Fold until just combined.
6. Pour everything into the baking pan. Sprinkle the chocolate chips evenly over the top.
7. Bake at 350 until the top is dry and slightly cracked, and a skewer comes out clean, about 30-40 minutes, depending on your oven. Start checking after 30 minutes.
8. Cool on a cooling rack. Once COMPLETELY cooled, use a knife to loosen any corners stuck to the pan. Use the parchment to lift the brownies out. Cut into 16 squares. Place these on a cooling rack and set this into the freezer. Once they are just frozen, remove what you want to eat right away. Place the rest into a freezer bag and store in the freezer. There is nothing quite like biting into a half thawed brownie, trust me!!

Recipe Notes

You can easily replace the flour with cup for cup gluten free blend.

This recipe is a riff of the one found here