Guinness Cream Cheese Brownies
hjones
19 Posts
Good afternoon, all! As the newest kid on the block here at HRHero.com, I figured, "what better way to endear and introduce myself to everyone than to share a decadent recipe."
So here we are, one of my favorite concoctions melding dark chocolate with stout beer -- Guinness Cream Cheese Brownies!
Brownies:
Ingredients:
8 oz. Semisweet or Bittersweet Chocolate, broken into pieces
4 oz. White Chocolate, broken into pieces
1 stick Unsalted Butter
4 Large Eggs
1 Cup Granulated Sugar
1 Cup All-Purpose Flour
1/2 Tsp. Salt
1/2 Cup Unsweetened Cocoa
1 bottle of Guinness stout (or other dark, rich beer of your choice -- other suggestions off the top of my head would include Young's Double Chocolate Stout, Rogue Mocha Porter, or Mackeson's XXX Stout).
Cream Cheese Layer:
Ingredients:
1 (8 ounce) package cream cheese, softened
2 tablespoons butter, softened
1 tablespoon cornstarch
1 (14 ounce) can sweetened condensed milk
1 egg
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Bittersweet Ganache Topping
3/4 cup heavy (whipping) cream
1/2 tbsp sugar
1/2 tbsp unsalted butter
4 oz. bittersweet chocolate, roughly chopped
Preparation:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line a 9 x 13 inch baking pan with foil or parchment, leaving overhang to lift brownies up once baked and cooled. Butter lightly.
In a medium saucepan, melt the chocolates and the butter over very low heat, stirring until smooth. Remove from heat and allow to cool to room temperature. Meanwhile, in a large mixing bowl, beat eggs and sugar on medium to high speed until light and fluffy. Slowly add cooled chocolate mixture into egg mixture until just combined, then gradually add flour, salt, and cocoa into the chocolate mixture. Finally, add the Guinness and beat the mixture until combined. Pour this mixture into the prepared baking pan.
Next, in clean mixing bowl, begin cheesecake layer. Cream together butter, cream cheese, and cornstarch until fluffy. While beating slowly, gradually add condensed milk, vanilla extract, and egg. Mix thoroughly -- mixture should be slightly runny and easily poured.
Gently pour the cream cheese mixture over the brownies until brownies are completely covered.
Bake for 40-45 minutes or until top layer is lightly browned and a knife or cake tester inserted into the center of brownie comes out almost clean. Remove from oven and let cool completely.
When the brownies have cooled, prepare ganache: In a medium saucepan, combine the cream and sugar and heat over medium heat just until hot. In a medium bowl, combine the butter and chocolate. Add the cream mixture over the chocolate and whisk until smooth. Pour the ganache over the tops of the cooled brownies and refrigerate until the ganache has set completely. Cut into small (seriously, small -- these are rich!) squares and serve.
The texture of the cream cheese layer and the texture of the brownies should be almost identical -- they pair very nicely together and, of course, you can feel free to add any liqueur you like to either the ganache or the cheesecake layer (or both) for an extra accent. I generally serve these with fresh apricot slices that I've dipped in the ganache -- a nice, light complement to the dark, rich flavor of the stout in the brownies.
Holly Jones
HRHero.com
So here we are, one of my favorite concoctions melding dark chocolate with stout beer -- Guinness Cream Cheese Brownies!
Brownies:
Ingredients:
8 oz. Semisweet or Bittersweet Chocolate, broken into pieces
4 oz. White Chocolate, broken into pieces
1 stick Unsalted Butter
4 Large Eggs
1 Cup Granulated Sugar
1 Cup All-Purpose Flour
1/2 Tsp. Salt
1/2 Cup Unsweetened Cocoa
1 bottle of Guinness stout (or other dark, rich beer of your choice -- other suggestions off the top of my head would include Young's Double Chocolate Stout, Rogue Mocha Porter, or Mackeson's XXX Stout).
Cream Cheese Layer:
Ingredients:
1 (8 ounce) package cream cheese, softened
2 tablespoons butter, softened
1 tablespoon cornstarch
1 (14 ounce) can sweetened condensed milk
1 egg
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Bittersweet Ganache Topping
3/4 cup heavy (whipping) cream
1/2 tbsp sugar
1/2 tbsp unsalted butter
4 oz. bittersweet chocolate, roughly chopped
Preparation:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line a 9 x 13 inch baking pan with foil or parchment, leaving overhang to lift brownies up once baked and cooled. Butter lightly.
In a medium saucepan, melt the chocolates and the butter over very low heat, stirring until smooth. Remove from heat and allow to cool to room temperature. Meanwhile, in a large mixing bowl, beat eggs and sugar on medium to high speed until light and fluffy. Slowly add cooled chocolate mixture into egg mixture until just combined, then gradually add flour, salt, and cocoa into the chocolate mixture. Finally, add the Guinness and beat the mixture until combined. Pour this mixture into the prepared baking pan.
Next, in clean mixing bowl, begin cheesecake layer. Cream together butter, cream cheese, and cornstarch until fluffy. While beating slowly, gradually add condensed milk, vanilla extract, and egg. Mix thoroughly -- mixture should be slightly runny and easily poured.
Gently pour the cream cheese mixture over the brownies until brownies are completely covered.
Bake for 40-45 minutes or until top layer is lightly browned and a knife or cake tester inserted into the center of brownie comes out almost clean. Remove from oven and let cool completely.
When the brownies have cooled, prepare ganache: In a medium saucepan, combine the cream and sugar and heat over medium heat just until hot. In a medium bowl, combine the butter and chocolate. Add the cream mixture over the chocolate and whisk until smooth. Pour the ganache over the tops of the cooled brownies and refrigerate until the ganache has set completely. Cut into small (seriously, small -- these are rich!) squares and serve.
The texture of the cream cheese layer and the texture of the brownies should be almost identical -- they pair very nicely together and, of course, you can feel free to add any liqueur you like to either the ganache or the cheesecake layer (or both) for an extra accent. I generally serve these with fresh apricot slices that I've dipped in the ganache -- a nice, light complement to the dark, rich flavor of the stout in the brownies.
Holly Jones
HRHero.com
Comments
Your recipe sounds yummy! Thanks!
Nae
PS - that's a standard 12 oz bottle of Guiness, right?
Holly Jones
Attorney Editor
M. Lee Smith Publishers, LLC
But that would be cruel, wouldn't it? Forcing brownies upon your co-workers?
It is, indeed, a standard 12 oz. bottle of Guinness, or, in the case of the Young's Double Chocolate Stout, 12 oz. plus a little something for the chef!
Enjoy!
Holly Jones
Attorney Editor
M. Lee Smith Publishers, LLC
This sounds like a great recipe but I don't drink beer. Can I substitute with any liquid?
Cheryl C.
Since these brownies are extremely fudgy and dense, i.e., the yeast in the beer doesn't really contribute to making them rise, I don't see why you couldn't try another liquid. I'd start with milk, certainly, but the experimental part of me wonders what cherry (or similar fruit/berry-flavored) cola would be like....
Holly Jones
Attorney Editor
M. Lee Smith Publishers, LLC
Cheryl C.
I should have added doughnuts.
I need to gain my weight back back anyway.
And just remember the baking style and wisdom of Julia Child and Justin Wilson -- a nip for the recipe, a nip for the chef.
Holly Jones
Attorney Editor
M. Lee Smith Publishers, LLC