St. Patrick’s Day is a holiday that has been celebrated in my family since I can remember.  I’m 80% (or more/less – the jury is still out) Irish and I had the red hair & freckles to prove it.  (Hair turned blonde after I was 4 and the only way it will EVER get red again is if I hit that bottle).  My grandparents on my dad’s side always talked about their parents coming directly from the Emerald Isle and I am dying to travel over there and see the sights of  County Cork.

I have been so crazed lately with work, home, the animals, etc. that I haven’t really had time to focus on properly celebrating all things Irish this year.  My apartment complex holds monthly resident parties and they are a blast.  I decided that since it was St. Patty’s day, a kitchen experiment was in order, namely Black & Tan Brownies from this month’s issue of Cooking Light.

I’m a bad Irish lass as I never really appreciated Guinness before.  I don’t honestly remember ever trying it – until yesterday.  Thanks to my fab neighbor Brad who provided expert counsel on where to procure a six pack of Guinness, this recipe was a winner.  Funny thing – Philly doesn’t sell beer in wine/spirit stores.  You buy it in a beer store and the one near me only sells it by the case.  Go figure – big change from Florida where you could buy it in the grocery store.   Well the new Whole Paychex in Plymouth Meeting had it ready for me in their pub as they are the only ones that I know of that can sell beer in a grocery store here.  The catch is you have to buy your groceries first and then buy your beer.  Small price to pay for a successful recipe, I know.

So, last night I’m in the kitchen mixing away, the sous chefpug is whining because he can’t have chocolate but he can smell the oven working at full throttle, and flour was everywhere.  A double batch HAD to be made because if my apartment complex was going to partake, why shouldn’t Wiggy’s pet sitter and my co-workers, right?  I do have to admit that while it may seem a bit daunting and labor intensive, it’s well worth it.  These brownies are amazing.   A couple hints – make sure to add a bit of espresso to the chocolate mix to amp up the chocolate flavor.  Also, when the recipe says to use a 9 x 13 pan, make sure to use the right pan.  I used one 9 x 13 and then did the other brownies in an 8 x 8 square pan and those were a bit more dense.  Some good news – as they are from Cooking Light, they are only 162 calories.  Not bad, huh?

This is a recipe that is going in the Tried & True column and will become a St. Patty’s Day staple.   Even better – if you have some leftover Guinness, they are good year round, not just on March 17th.

May The Luck O’ the Irish Be With You!
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Black & Tan Brownies

Recipe adapted from CookingLight
 
Ingredients
Tan Brownies:

• 6  tablespoons  butter, softened
• 1 1/2  cups  packed brown sugar
• 2  large eggs
• 1  teaspoon  vanilla extract
• 4.5  ounces  all-purpose flour (about 1 cup)
• 1  teaspoon  baking powder
• 1/4  teaspoon  salt
• 1/2  cup  chopped pecans (I omitted these)
• Cooking spray

Black Brownies:

• 3  ounces  unsweetened chocolate, finely chopped
• 4  tablespoons  butter
• 1  cup  granulated sugar
• 2  large eggs
• 1  teaspoon  vanilla extract
• 1  cup  Guinness Stout
• 2 tablespoons cooled espresso (or 1 tablespoon of espresso powder dissolved in a small amt. of hot water).
• 4.5  ounces  all-purpose flour (about 1 cup)
• 1/4  teaspoon  salt

Preparation

1. Place one rack in lower third of oven; place another rack in center of oven. Preheat oven to 350°.
2. To prepare Tan Brownies, place 6 tablespoons butter and brown sugar in a medium bowl; beat with a mixer at medium speed until light and fluffy.
3. Beat in 2 eggs and 1 teaspoon vanilla.
4. Weigh or lightly spoon 4.5 ounces (about 1 cup) flour into a dry measuring cup; level with a knife.
5. Combine 4.5 ounces flour, baking powder, and 1/4 teaspoon salt, stirring well.
6. Add flour mixture and pecans to sugar mixture, beating just until combined.
7. Spoon into a 13 x 9–inch baking pan coated with cooking spray, spreading evenly with a knife or rubber spatula.
8. Bake at 350° in lower third of oven for 15 minutes.
9. To prepare Black Brownies, melt chocolate and 4 tablespoons butter in a large microwave-safe bowl on HIGH for 1 minute or until melted, stirring after every 20 seconds until smooth.
10. Add granulated sugar, stirring until well combined. 
11. Add cooled espresso.
12. Add 2 eggs, 1 teaspoon vanilla, and Guinness, stirring with a whisk until well combined.
13. Weigh or lightly spoon 4.5 ounces (about 1 cup) flour into a dry measuring cup; level with a knife.
14. Combine 4.5 ounces flour and 1/4 teaspoon salt, stirring well. Add flour mixture to chocolate mixture, stirring to combine.
15. Pour mixture evenly over Tan Brownies.
16. Bake on the center rack at 350° for 25 minutes or until a wooden pick inserted into center comes out almost clean.
17. Cool in pan on a wire rack; cut into squares.

Gathering The Ingredients

The Key Ingredient – Guinness

The Tan Layer

The Black Layer

Espresso Adds Punch To The Chocolate

The Final Product

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