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These Guinness brownies are the moistest brownies ever! They’re an awesome combination of cakey and fudgy with a boozy kick. Did I mention that they’re topped with a silky smooth, rich Guinness chocolate ganache? You won’t be able to stop eating them.
Why You’ll Love This Guinness Brownies Recipe
These brownies are flat out amazing and hard to resist. They are based on this brownie recipe, but modified for the carbonation and such in Guinness. I originally tested this recipe no less than 10 times. And before posting this update, I messed with them again to see if I could make them even better. But guess what? They were already perfect. I just love, love these brownies and I know you will too. Here’s my favorite things about them.
- The best texture. These brownies are super moist and are the perfect combination of fudgy and cakey. They aren’t crazy dense, like some fudgy brownies, but they are dense enough while still maintaining a lovely cake-like quality.
- Guiness-y, but not too Guiness-y. The Guinness in these brownies and in the ganache comes through just the right amount. It enhances the flavor of the chocolate and you can taste the beer just enough, but not too much. Not a beer lover? Me neither. I still love these.
- Finished with a flare. The Guinness chocolate ganache is the perfect addition to these moist brownies. It adds an elegance and an extra boost of chocolate-y flavor that takes them over the top.
Looking for more brownies to try? I have lots of brownie recipes you’ll love!
Do These Brownies Taste Like Guinness?
While huge Guinness fans might not think these brownies taste enough like their favorite beer, I think they have a lovely Guinness flavor to them. The truth is that Guinness acts a little bit like coffee with chocolate. It enhances and complements the taste of the chocolate. However, unlike coffee, I really do think you can taste the Guinness. Especially with the Guinness ganache topping. That said, it’s not going to taste a strongly as the beer itself.
One thing I tested with these brownies was cooking down the Guinness, much like I do with things like strawberry puree or even champagne, to give it a stronger flavor. With the Guinness, it made absolutely no difference. In fact, my taste testers thought the one without it cooked down was the one with it cooked down. The good news about that is that there is no need to spend time on an extra step like that.
What You’ll Need
Time to gather your ingredients! Here’s what you’ll need to bring this Guinness brownies recipe to life. Have a look at the recipe card below for exact measurements.
For the brownies
- Vegetable oil – The vegetable oil works to keep these brownies wonderfully moist. Delish!
- Guinness Stout beer – You could try a different brand of stout if you’d like. It should be quite full-bodied.
- Sugar
- Espresso powder – The espresso powder accentuates the chocolate flavor, but it’s not necessary if you don’t have it on hand.
- Vanilla extract
- Salt – Adding a little salt to these brownies helps balance out the sweetness, enhancing the flavor of the dessert.
- Unsalted butter – Using butter in addition to vegetable oil brings added moisture and a wonderful richness to the brownies that you wouldn’t get with vegetable oil alone.
- Eggs – Be sure to use large eggs, not medium or extra large.
- All-purpose flour – It’s always important to measure your flour correctly. Over measuring can give you dry brownies. I highly recommend a food scale or the spoon and level method.
- Dutch-processed cocoa – Feel free to use natural unsweetened cocoa powder instead. That being said, I am partial to the rich flavor of the Dutch-processed cocoa in these.
For the ganache
- Semi-sweet chocolate chips – To get the right consistency, you’ll want to stick with semi-sweet chocolate.
- Unsalted butter
- Guinness – Another full-bodied, flavorful stout would also work.
- Powdered sugar – To give it a bit of an icing-like quality.
How to Make Guinness Brownies
Time to learn how to make some of the best brownies ever! Here’s a quick overview of how it’s done. Don’t forget to scroll to the recipe card below for more detailed instructions.
- Prep. Preheat the oven to 350°F, grease a 9×9 square baking pan, and line it with parchment paper.
- Combine the wet ingredients. Whisk together the oil, Guinness, sugar, espresso powder, vanilla extract, and salt. Whisk in the butter followed by the eggs, one at a time.
- Add the dry ingredients. Whisk the flour and cocoa into the wet ingredients.
- Bake. Spread the batter into the pan and bake for 30-35 minutes.
- Cool. Allow the brownies to cool in the pan.
- Make ganache. Combine the chocolate chips, butter, and Guinness in a microwave-safe bowl and microwave until the Guinness gets hot and the butter starts to melt. Whisk until smooth and then whisk in the powdered sugar.
- Finish it off. Spread the ganache over the brownies, lift the brownies out of the pan, and cut them into bars.
Tips for Success
Want to knock this recipe out of the park the first time? Here are some pro tips that will help you achieve the best results possible.
- Don’t skip the parchment paper. It is not enough to grease the pan here, folks. You need to line it with parchment paper as well. The parchment paper should stick out a bit over the sides so that you can use it to lift the brownies out of the pan once they have cooled.
- Don’t over-mix. When combining the wet and dry ingredients. Mix just until everything is incorporated. Mixing past this point can cause the glutens in the flour to overdevelop, giving you tough brownies.
- Don’t over-bake. No one likes dry brownies so be sure not to over-bake these. If they don’t pass the toothpick test, let them bake for a bit longer. But keep an eye on them.
- Let the ganache set. Allow the ganache-topped brownies to cool completely in the pan before removing and slicing for cleaner cuts.
Proper Storage
- Refrigerator. Arrange the brownies in a single layer in an airtight container and close the container. You can store them at room temperature for up to 2 days. Past that point, store them in the fridge (up to 5 days).
- Freezer. Arrange the brownies on a sheet pan and pop them in the freezer for several hours until the ganache has firmed up. Wrap each brownie in plastic wrap and then load them all into a freezer bag. You can freeze them for up to 3 months. Allow the brownies to thaw in the fridge before enjoying.
More Brownie Recipes To Try
Brownies, brownies everywhere! Once you’ve gotten this recipe down, try one of these other decadent favorites. Let me know how you like ’em!
- Just Like Box Mix Brownies
- Cookies and Cream Brownies
- Praline Pecan Brownies
- Ultimate Peanut Butter Fudge Brownies
- Fudgy Brownies with Crunchy Butterfinger Crust
- Nutella Fudge Brownies
Guinness Chocolate Brownies
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 30 minutes
- Total Time: 45 minutes
- Yield: 12-15 Brownies
- Category: Dessert
- Method: Oven
- Cuisine: American
Description
These Guinness Chocolate Brownies are the moistest brownies ever, and they’re an awesome combination of cakey and fudgy. You won’t be able to stop eating them!
Ingredients
Guinness Brownies
- 1/4 cup (60ml) vegetable oil
- 3/4 cup Guinness Stout beer
- 2 cups (414g) sugar
- ½ tsp espresso powder, optional
- 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
- ¼ tsp salt
- 1/4 cup (56g) unsalted butter, melted
- 2 large eggs
- 1 cup (130g) all-purpose flour
- 2/3 cup (76g) Dutch-processed cocoa powder
Chocolate Topping
- 5 oz (2/3 cup) semi-sweet chocolate chips
- 2 tbsp unsalted butter
- 2 tbsp Guinness Stout beer
- 1/4 cup (29g) powdered sugar
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350°F (180°C). Grease a 9×9 square baking pan and line it with parchment paper that sticks up over the sides. You can use the parchment paper later to help remove the brownies from the pan.
- Add the oil, Guinness, sugar, espresso powder, vanilla extract and salt to large mixing bowl and whisk together until well combined.
- Add the melted butter and whisk together until well combined.
- Add the eggs and whisk together until well combined.
- Add the flour and cocoa powder and whisk together gently just until well combined.
- Pour the batter into the prepared pan and spread evenly.
- Bake for 30-35 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out with a few moist, sticky crumbs. Allow to cool in the pan.
- To make the chocolate topping, place the chocolate chips, butter and Guinness in a microwave safe bowl and microwave until the Guinness gets hot and butter starts to melt, about 30 seconds or so. Whisk together until smooth. You can microwave it for a little longer, if needed.
- Add the powdered sugar and whisk until well combined and smooth.
- Pour the ganache over the brownies and spread into an even layer.
- Allow to cool completely, then use the parchment paper to remove them from the pan. Cut into bars.
- Store brownies in an airtight container. They can be stored at room temperature for up to 2 days, then should be refrigerated because of the topping. Best if eaten within 4-5 days.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 Brownie
- Calories: 387
- Sugar: 45.7 g
- Sodium: 73.7 mg
- Fat: 18.7 g
- Carbohydrates: 53.7 g
- Protein: 4.5 g
- Cholesterol: 43 mg
These were so good. I made a batch with regular cocoa powder and another batch with Hershey’s Special Dark cocoa powder. All of them were gobbled up, but the dark one’s went first.
I’m so glad you enjoyed them! I’m a dark cocoa fan myself, glad to hear they were enjoyed. 🙂
I just want to thank you for this recipe, it is very delicious! It’s fudgy, and the stout gave these an incredibly rich and interesting flavor. But, it fell apart and crumbled. So sad! We had to eat it with a spoon. But of course the texture and flavor made the crumbling not so important. But what did I do wrong? I really want to make these again, any suggestions?
Hmm, I don’t know. I made them several times during testing and didn’t have an issue with them crumbling. I’m not sure what would cause it.
I had a little of that too on the first day and when cold. I suggest making sure you use parchment, let them sit for a day, then cut when cold, run a knife around the edge and pop the whole thing out. Then serve at room temp.
I just tried these last night for a work party. They were a huge hit. Very decadent. In the future, I would cut back maybe a 1/2 c of the sugar in the brownies themselves. Also, I didn’t like that the “ganache” got a little crispy on top. When I think ganache, i think creamy. I think I would cut the powdered sugar in half or eliminate altogether and add a couple of tablespoons of heavy cream to make it a real ganache and lose the crispiness. Otherwise, magnifique!
I’m so glad everyone enjoyed them!
I made these this afternoon. Although I baked them an extra 6 minutes, they are still gooey in the center. The flavor is very chocolatey – no taste of the beer at all.
Can I replace the guiness with another beer or something else?
We don’t get guiness that easily here in India!
I haven’t tried it with another beer, so I can’t say for sure. I think it’d be ok though.
Oh oh. Can’t find the amounts of baking powder and salt. I am old, so stuff gets past me all the time. If it is there and I am missing it, I offer you my sincerest apology.
You didn’t miss it, they actually aren’t there. 🙂 I noted in the recipe that I used salted butter, so I didn’t add any additional salt. If you decide to use unsalted butter, you could add up to a 1/4 tsp of salt. There isn’t any baking powder because the brownies don’t need it. There’s so much bubbly in the beer that it actually does the work of the baking powder. With additional baking powder, it was more of a cake. So to achieve a nice cakey and fudgy brownie, I left the baking powder out. I hope that helps!
Yes, it does. Thank you so much. Step five threw me off the track; it mentions the baking powder and salt.
Oh yes, I can see how that’d be confusing. 🙂 Sorry about that! It got left in there from the first round of testing. I’ve fixed it – thanks for letting me know!
Has anyone added chocolate chips? I don’t know if I’d need to change the entire recipe or not
You shouldn’t need to change the recipe if you are just adding them into the batter.
I happen to love beer and these brownies really float my boat! Chocolate and stout together is always a good idea. I can’t wait to try this recipe!
Then you’ll definitely love these! I hope you enjoy them! 🙂
WOAH, these brownies look INSANE! How dark and rich do they like! I need ONE!
Thanks Jessica! 🙂
Ah! Love this – I’ve had one can of Guinness (which I don’t like) in our fridge for over 2 months! Perfect way to use it! 🙂
Oh yea, these would be perfect for that beer! 🙂
Ok y’all. I got the chance to try these and let me tell you, WOW! The ganache layer only adds to the rich and decadent brownie layer. YUM!
Lindsay, I don’t like beer either. . but it totally works in these brownies and for st. patty’s day!! totally makes sense that the beer enhances the chocolate . . like wine does when cooking or baking. . these brownies look INSANE. Like gorgeous and chocolatey and everything good! Hope you guys have fun in FL!!! Hoping I can make it to FBF next year!!
I do not like beer at all, but guiness does something wonderful to chocolate – and these brownies look over the top amazing!
Beer is an acquired taste for sure. I’m more of a hard cider girl, myself. These brownies do look incredibly moist. I love how dark they are. The perfect brownie!
Not a fan of beer as well, but these look amazing! My husband is going to be in hog heaven with every bite…and I’ll be trying them too! 🙂
I don’t like beer, either, unless it’s part of a cheese dip. But in these, I think I’m gonna really like it. I love the dark fudginess of it!
Delicious …but too gooey. Followed recipe to a “T” but added an extra 5 min of bake time. Next time will use a basic cream cheese frosting or thicker chocolate ganache as the “liquid” ganache (delicious but…)soaked in and made the bar cutting a nightmare just before the guests arrived. Ended up refrigerating it for a half hour before cutting which helped some. I may use the recipe’s ganache on a boxed cake of brownies also but the two together is a challenge.
Are you sure that you used heavy cream and not some other type of milk in the chocolate ganache? It sounds like yours is much thinner than it should be. Heavy cream has a higher fat content and gives you a thicker ganache. If you use another type of milk, it will not work correctly. You also want to be sure to use semi sweet chocolate, as specified in the ingredients. I know sometimes people want to use milk chocolate, but that will also give you a thinner ganache. And if you do both those things, then you will end up with a very very thin chocolate ganache. I hope that helps!
Hello again,
I did use heavy cream and I also used Ghirardelli premium baking semi-sweet chocolate chips. I appreciate the advice though so am not sure what happened? I have made ganache from scratch(heavy cream & bittersweet chocolate broken into pieces) for “hot fudge” sundaes and it has been thicker so it was not a new thing for me. After the brownies sat in the fridge overnight, they were more firm so they disappeared! Thanks for your reply.