stout

You don’t have to be Irish to appreciate these stout-glazed brownies. Whenever I hear the word “stout,” I immediately think of the adjective, which usually refers to a person who is (somewhat) fat or has a heavy build. Growing up, I was a “stout” child and I remember hating to go shopping for clothes. Almost nothing off-the-rack would fit me without some kind of alteration. I remember having to shop in the “husky boys” section for clothes. Husky typically means big and burly or strong. I don’t know if husky is better than stout when it comes to describing kids’ clothes. But I do know that I much prefer “stout” as a noun, which means a strong, dark beer brewed with roasted malt or barley. If a beer is a stout, it’s considered to have a strong or the strongest flavor.

There are several kinds of stout beers: dry (Irish), imperial (Russian), porter, milk, oatmeal, coffee, oyster and even chocolate! Chocolate and beer often makes for a great combination in recipes. These stout-glazed brownies will have you dancing an Irish jig with each bite.

Want to share these stout-glazed brownies with the kids? Here are some things to consider when baking or cooking with alcohol:

• alcohol boils at 172° F, so almost any kind of baking or cooking with alcohol won’t leave any in the food once it’s done. It evaporates quickly. 
• there’s not much alcohol in beer to begin with. It’s mostly water.
• there’s not enough alcohol in beer for it to burn.

Bob’s your uncle!

Stout-Glazed Brownies

Preheat your oven to 350° F.  Lightly grease the bottom of a 9×9-inch baking pan with butter or shortening. In a medium saucepan, bring the stout to a boil and cook until reduced to 1/2 cup (about 10 minutes). Let cool and set aside.

In a medium heatproof bowl set on a small saucepan of simmering water, melt 12 ounces of dark chocolate and 1 cup butter. Stir constantly, until smooth. Remove from heat and cool slightly.

Whisk the sugar, eggs and vanilla in a large bowl. Gradually whisk in the chocolate mixture and 1/4 cup stout, reserving the remaining stout. Fold in the flour and 1 1/4 teaspoons salt.

Spread the batter in the prepared baking pan. Bake for 35 to 40 minutes, or until the brownies surface begins to crack. Toothpick inserted in the center should come out with moist crumbs. Cool for 20 minutes.

Stir the remaining 4 ounces of dark chocolate in a medium heatproof bowl, set on top of small saucepan of simmering water, until melted and smooth. Add the reserved 1/4 cup stout, remaining 2 tablespoons butter and remaining 1/4 teaspoon salt. Whisk until well blended.

Pour the warm glaze over the brownies. Let stand until glaze is set (about 40 minutes). Cut into 4 rows by 4 rows to make 16 stout-glazed brownies.

Ingredients:

1 cup stout
3/4 cup all-purpose flour
1 cup plus 2 tablespoons butter, divided
1 1/2 cups granulated sugar
3 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla
12 ounces plus 4 ounces dark chocolate, chopped, divided
1 1/4 teaspoons and 1/4 teaspoon salt, divided

Number of servings: 16

Cooking time: 35 minutes