Twist N’ Stout

I still feel this way.

A week or two ago I bought a beer kit that included can of Hopped Malt Extract (HME), yeast, and a little instruction booklet. I had discussed with the store manager my apprehensions about starting at this level (see World of Wort-Craft), but he assured me I’d be okay.

Red (Ale) Leader, standing by.

I was pleasantly surprised with how smoothly the first day went. I was expecting this process to take several hours (more to come on my endeavors in a future blog post). Since it didn’t, I had time to create something else. And since it was also Valentine’s Day, I had to reward myself (and my partner-in-crime) with an obligatory dose of theobromine.

There are two types of brownie people: those who prefer a chewy texture, and those who prefer them to resemble chocolate cake (though I haven’t met many of the latter). The following brownies are a compromise for the two types. Cooled, they are chewy. Warm, the stout flavours are enhanced and the texture is more cake-like.
What’s that? You don’t taste the beer? You’re probably not doing it right. Have another bite.

Twix N’ Stout Brownies

Serve with beer. Obviously.

3/4 cup unsalted butter

3 oz. semi-sweet baking chocolate (OR 1/2 cup bittersweet chocolate chips)

3/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder

1 1/2 cups granulated sugar

1/4 tsp. salt

1 egg, 1 white

1 1/2 tsp. vanilla extract

3/4 cup stout beer

1 1/2 cups all purpose flour

1 cup chopped Twix bars or Twix bites, or the chocolate bar of your choice

1. Preheat oven to 350°F.
2. Grease an 8×11” pan or line with parchment paper.
3. In a large saucepan, melt together the butter and chocolate.
4. Remove the chocolate mixture from heat and whisk in the cocoa, sugar, and salt.
5. Beat together the egg, vanilla and beer. Slowly whisk this into the warm chocolate mixture.
6. Add flour and fold into batter until just incorporated.
7. Fold in chopped Twix pieces and chocolate chips.
8. Spread the batter into the pan and bake for 30-35 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.
9. Cool completely and store in an airtight container for up to 1 week.Makes approximately 20 brownies

References

Recipe adapted from: http://www.chocolatemoosey.com/2015/03/05/chocolate-stout-brownies/

Beer Smith. How to Brew Beer – 5 Steps for Making Beer at Home. http://beersmith.com/blog/2009/01/10/how-to-brew-beer-5-steps-for-making-beer-at-home-part-1/