Guinness Stout Brownies

I wanted to make some sort of St. Patrick's Day treat and was torn between baking something of the chocolate-mint variety or something involving beer. When I saw this recipe for Guinness Stout brownies I decided to go with beer because nothing quite says St. Patrick's Day like Guinness.

These brownies were well-received by Dennis and my co-workers. They're a little fudgier than most brownie recipes but had a nice balance between the Guinness and chocolate flavors. Even if people who aren't Guinness fans (they don't know what they're missing!) would enjoy these. I can definitely see making these a yearly treat.

Guinness Stout Brownies (adapted from About.com)

Ingredients

1 cup all-purpose flour

3/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder (I used about a ¼ cup dutch process cocoa and ½ cup unsweetened cocoa since I didn’t have enough unsweetened cocoa powder)

1/4 teaspoon salt

6 tablespoons unsalted room temperature butter, cut into cubes

8 ounces bittersweet chocolate chips

3/4 cup white chocolate chips

4 large eggs, at room temperature

1 cup superfine or granulated sugar

1-1/4 cups (10 ounces) Guinness Extra Stout beer at room temperature (make sure you don’t include foam in your measurement)

1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. Line a 9 x 13-inch baking pan with nonstick foil or regular aluminum foil sprayed with non-stick spray.

In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, cocoa powder, and salt until evenly combined. Set aside.

Melt butter, bittersweet chocolate, and white chocolate chips in a double-boiler over very low heat, stirring constantly until melted. Remove from heat.

In a large mixing bowl, beat eggs and sugar on high speed until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes. Add melted chocolate mixture, beating until combined.

Beat reserved flour mixture into melted chocolate mixture. Whisk in Guinness stout beer. The batter will seem a bit thin. Drop semisweet chocolate chips evenly on top of batter (some will sink in).

Pour into prepared baking pan. Bake 25 to 30 minutes on center rack in the oven, until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out almost clean.

Let brownies cool, uncovered, to room temperature.

Blondies

While at the grocery store I came across a new product from Hershey’s, Cookies ‘n Crème drops. They’re just a drop version of the regular bar, which is white chocolate studded with chocolate cookie pieces. I knew I wanted to incorporate them into something but wasn’t sure what. When I saw this blondie recipe from Mark Bittman mentioned on Smitten Kitchen it looked like just the ticket. The beauty of this recipe is that you can add whatever you want to it. Throw in some coconut, some dried fruit, whatever your heart desires.

Besides the drops (which I smashed with a mallet to make them bite-sized), I also threw in some chocolate chips. Dennis said he would have liked even more chocolate chips, so next time I’ll have to add in some more. Everyone agreed that the addition of the cookies ‘n crème bar was a nice surprise. I’m looking forward to endless variations of this recipe.

Blondies (Adapted from How to Cook Everything & Smitten Kitchen)

2 sticks unsalted butter, melted over low heat
2 cups brown sugar
2 eggs
½ teaspoon vanilla
½ teaspoon almond extract

Pinch salt
2 cups all-purpose flour

Add up to 2 cups of mix-ins – I did a mix of semi-sweet chocolate chips and smashed Hershey’s Cookies ‘n Crème drops

Butter a 9 x 13 pan.

Mix melted butter with brown sugar – beat until smooth. Beat in eggs and then vanilla and almond extract.

Add salt, stir in flour. Mix in any additions.

Pour into prepared pan. Bake at 350°F 20-25 minutes, or until set in the middle. Cool on rack before cutting them.

New Jersey Crumb Cake (aka New York Crumb Cake)

If you’re from northern NJ then you’ve probably heard of B&W Bakery. They’re famous for their crumbcake which is about 2/3 crumb, 1/3 cake. My parents were nice enough to get us a crumbcake for Christmas which we froze. Once we started to run low I went on the hunt for a recipe I could make for when we had a hankering.

I came across one recipe that called for 6 sticks of butter. 6 sticks! Even I couldn’t justify that. So I continued searching and found this recipe which has the perfect ratio of crumb to cake. Dennis gave the cake a thumbs up but said the crumbs were a bit dry. I’m thinking next time to throw some more butter in there because when is more butter not the answer?

New Jersey Crumb Cake (adapted from Food.com)

Ingredients

2 tablespoons butter, plus extra for brushing pan

4 cups all-purpose flour

1/2 cup granulated sugar

2 1/2 teaspoons baking powder

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 large eggs

1/2 cup milk

2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract

1 cup light-brown sugar, firmly packed

1 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon

1 cup unsalted butter, melted and cooled

confectioners' sugar, for dusting

Directions

Place rack in center of oven, and preheat oven to 325°F. Lightly brush a 9-by-12 1/2-inch baking pan with butter, dust with flour, and tap to remove excess. Set aside.

In a medium bowl, sift together 1 1/2 cups flour, the granulated sugar, baking powder, and salt; set aside.

In a second bowl, whisk together the egg, milk, butter, and vanilla.

Using a rubber spatula, fold dry ingredients into egg mixture. Spread batter evenly into prepared pan, and set aside.

In a medium bowl, combine remaining 2 1/2 cups flour, brown sugar, and cinnamon. Pour melted butter over flour mixture, and toss with a rubber spatula until large crumbs form.

Sprinkle crumbs over batter and bake, rotating pan after 10 minutes.

Continue baking until a cake tester comes out clean, about 10 minutes more.

Transfer pan to a wire rack to cool. Dust with confectioners’ sugar.

Ultimate Double Chocolate Cookies

I was planning to make some sort of Valentine’s Day treat but when I realized that I didn’t have any heart-shaped cookie cutters I was stumped as to what I should make. I came across this chocolate cookie recipe and figured if I rolled them in red sprinkles that could qualify them as a V-Day dessert. To mix it up I left some plain and others I rolled in a mint-sugar mix. The mint-sugar cookies got the most enthusiastic thumbs up as the mint paired really well with the strong chocolate flavor.

I did have a problem with some of the cookies in that the middles never set so they fell apart when I tried to move them off the cookie sheet. There’s nothing sadder than cookies that never got to realize their full potential… I’m thinking that I just made those cookies too big which is why they didn’t quite cook through. So if you keep them on the smaller side than you’ll probably have better luck than I did.

Ultimate Double Chocolate Cookies (from Allrecipes)

Servings: 42

1 pound semisweet chocolate chips

2 cups all-purpose flour

1/2 cup Dutch process cocoa powder

2 teaspoons baking powder

1 teaspoon salt

10 tablespoons unsalted butter

1 1/2 cups packed brown sugar

1/2 cup white sugar

4 eggs

2 teaspoons instant coffee granules

2 teaspoons vanilla extract

Melt chocolate over a double boiler or in the microwave, stirring occasionally until smooth. Sift together flour, cocoa, baking powder, and salt; set aside.

In a medium bowl, cream butter with white sugar and brown sugar until smooth. Beat in eggs one at a time, then stir in coffee crystals and vanilla until well blended. Stir in melted chocolate. Using a wooden spoon, stir in the dry ingredients just until everything comes together. Cover, and let stand in fridge for at least 35 minutes so the chocolate can set up.

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Line two cookie sheets with parchment paper or Silpat. Roll dough into walnut sized balls, or drop by rounded tablespoonfuls onto the prepared cookie sheets, leaving 2 inches between cookies. You can roll the cookies in sprinkles or sugar if you'd like.

Bake for 8 to 10 minutes in the preheated oven. Cookies will be set, but the centers will still be very soft because of the chocolate. Allow cookies to cool on the baking sheets for 10 minutes before transferring to wire racks to cool completely.

Malted Coconut-Mocha Bars

Superbowl Sunday turned into a baking and cooking spree. I started with cornbread, then once that finished I set to work on dessert. Then an hour or so before the game started we put a pot of chili on. For a lazy Sunday it wasn't very relaxing!

I came across these bars when I was looking for something to make for my parents as they were stopping by for a visit. These bars have 3 components - the base, the filling and the icing. Apparently every time I attempt to do icing it's a disaster of sorts. So don't repeat my mistake. When the recipe calls for 2 1/2 cups sifted flour that means you should measure it after you sift it, not before. I messed this up and ended up having to double the icing as it didn't completely cover the bars. Whoops...

Regardless, these bars were a hit. The shortbread base pairs perfectly with the sweet icing, and the hint of coconut gives them a nice flavor hit. They may look complicated but they're really not, especially if you're better at following directions than I am.

Malted Coconut-Mocha Bars (adapted from Culinary in the Desert)

For the base

11 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened
2/3 cup packed brown sugar
3/4 cup cup all-purpose flour
1/2 cup white whole-wheat flour
1/4 teaspoon salt

For the filling

3 large eggs, lightly beaten
1/3 cup granulated sugar
2 teaspoons vanilla
1 1/2 cups flaked coconut
1/2 cup chocolate malted milk powder

1/4 cup cocoa powder
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
1 1/2 teaspoons instant espresso powder
1/4 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt

For the frosting

2 1/2 cups sifted confectioners' sugar
1/4 cup chocolate malted milk powder or mix of malted milk powder and cocoa
1/2 teaspoon instant espresso powder
2 teaspoons vanilla
4 to 5 teaspoons boiling water

To make the base

Preheat oven to 350 degrees

In a large mixing bowl, cream together butter and brown sugar.

In a medium bowl, whisk together flours and salt. Beat in the flour mixture until combined - it will be very thick. Scoop mixture into a 9 x 13" baking pan lightly coated with nonstick spray. Evenly pat mixture onto bottom of the pan. Bake until set - about 15 minutes.

To make the filling

In a medium bowl, whisk together eggs, granulated sugar and 2 teaspoons vanilla. Stir in coconut, the malted milk powder, flour, espresso powder, baking powder and salt until well combine. Gently, but quickly spread mixture over the partially baked crust. Place back in the oven and bake until the middle looks set - about 20 to 25 minutes more. Remove and set on a wire rack to cool completely.

To make the frosting

In a medium mixing bowl, beat together confectioners' sugar, malted milk powder, vanilla, and just enough of the boiling water to make the frosting spreadable.

Using an off-set spatula, evenly spread icing over the bars.

Makes about 24 bars.