Fudge Stout Brownies – rocking two worlds

November 30, 9:38 PMBeer ExaminerCharlie Papazian

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Chocolate & Beer - two of the world's favorites combine
to rock your world

Chocolate lovers and beer enthusiasts IGNITE!   The best ingredients make the best brownies and in this case Lucy Saunders in her book, The Best of American Beer and Food shares with us her discovery and refinements. 
     She relates in the introduction of this recipe how,  “I first poured stout into a batch of brownies, but one taste of the Original Hawaiian Chocolate Company’s best bittersweet chocolate drove me to experiment.”  She used Kona Brewing Company’s Da Grind Buzz Stout and the artisanal chocolate in refining this recipe.  Her combination of quality chocolate with coffee stout is an eye opener that will bring tears of choco-beer to your eyes.  Here it reprinted here with permission from the publisher.

  Butter for coating pan
 1 tablespoon cocoa powder
 1 stick (1⁄2 cup) unsalted butter
 4 ounces chopped bittersweet chocolate
 1 cup granulated sugar
 2 tablespoons brown sugar
 2 large eggs
 2 egg yolks
 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
 1⁄3 cup coffee stout
 2 tablespoons bourbon
 3⁄4 cup sifted all-purpose flour
 1⁄4 teaspoon salt
1 cup chopped nuts, such as macadamia, pecans, or walnuts (optional)

1. Preheat oven to 325°F. Prepare a 9-inch metal baking pan by buttering it well and dusting inside with 1 tablespoon cocoa powder. Set aside. In a large 2-quart saucepan, melt stick of butter over low heat until liquid. Add chopped chocolate, stirring often, until melted and smooth. Remove saucepan from heat and let cool to lukewarm (still liquid but not hot).

2. Stir in sugars and mix well. Beat together 2 eggs, yolks, vanilla, stout, and bourbon in a large measuring cup until smooth. Sift flour with salt. Stir stout mixture into saucepan by thirds, alternating with flour by 1⁄3 cupfuls, and stirring after each addition until batter is just blended. Stir in nuts if desired. Do not overbeat.

3. Scrape batter into prepared 9-inch-square metal pan and bake at 325°F for about 1 hour. Let cool to lukewarm before slicing. Use a knife dipped in warm water and wiped clean with each slice (otherwise, because of the very fudgy texture, the brownies will clump).

Makes 16 fudgy brownies

Chef's Note:   Try coffee stout or barrel-aged stout with brownies.  Coffee stouts are made by breweries across North America, but if you can’t find one, substitute 2 ounces sweet stout mixed with 1 ounce brewed espresso.

Check with your local brewpub to see if they have seasonal specials of coffee stouts or porters.  Here are a few coffee porters and coffee stouts that may be available in your area

Redhook Brewing Double Black Stout  
Kona Brewing Pipeline Porter   
Midnight Sun Brewing Arctic Rhino Coffee Porter

Meantime Brewing Coffee Porter   
  

One last hint:  Start out with a beer and cheese pairing and finish with stout/porter and brownies.