Guiness Stout Brownies

My hubby is a fan of all things beer and when I came across these brownies of course we had to try them! I made them for a Christmas potluck we went to last year and they turned out pretty good. They are a super dark, chocolatey, dense brownie and are almost fudge like but how could they not be with three different kinds of chocolate in them!! The guys liked them but I'm still on the fence. I think I need to make them one more time to make my mind up :)

Guinness Stout Brownies
1 cup all-purpose flour
3/4 cup unsweetened cocoa
1/4 teaspoon salt
6 tablespoons unsalted butter, cut into cubes
8 ounces dark bittersweet chocolate, chopped
3/4 cup white chocolate, chopped
4 large eggs, at room temperature
1 cup sugar
2 bottles Guinness Extra stout beer
3/4 teaspoon vanilla
1 cup mini semi-sweet chocolate chips

- Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. Line a 9 x 13-inch baking pan with nonstick foil, or regular foil, lightly greased.
- Pour both bottles of beer into a medium saucepan, and simmer on medium heat until it's reduced down to 1 1/4 cups. If you keep a glass measuring cup nearby, you can check the progress when you think you're close. It should take about 15 minutes. Leave the beer on the side to cool.
- In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, cocoa, and salt until evenly combined.
- Melt butter, bittersweet chocolate and white chips in a double-boiler over very low heat, stirring constantly until melted. Remove from heat. (You can also do this in the microwave, heating it on high and stirring every 30 seconds).
- In a large mixing bowl, beat eggs and sugar on high speed until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes. Add melted chocolate mixture, beating until combined.
- Beat reserved flour mixture into melted chocolate mixture. Whisk in the reduced beer mixture and the vanilla. The batter will seem a bit thin, but it will be perfect. Pour into the prepared baking pan and drop semisweet chocolate chips evenly on top of batter.
- Bake 20 to 25 minutes on center rack in the oven, until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out almost clean. (The original recipe cites a longer time, but I found that mine were ready sooner. It might just be my oven so leave it in a few extra minutes if you think it needs it).
- Let brownies cool, uncovered, to room temperature. Dust with confectioners' sugar if you want before serving

Cake Batter Brownies

I made these brownies recently and they were a hit. Especially with my little man! The recipe calls for red food coloring to make the frosting pink but I went with blue since I don't have any little ladies in the house and they came out just as cute! I think these would just as good without the icing as well but if you have a super sweet tooth def make the icing. I also put them in a 13 x 9 pan to make them thinner so that I had more to share :) (P.S. I found this recipe online at Six Sisters' Stuff )

Ingredients:

• 1 box yellow (or Funfetti!) cake mix
• 1/4 cup vegetable oil
• 1 egg
• 1/3 – 1/2 cup milk
• 1/4 cup rainbow sprinkles (if you use a yellow cake mix, add these in)
• 1/2 cup white chocolate chips
• Sprinkles for the top
• Frosting (see recipe below)

Directions: Combine the cake mix, oil, and egg in a large bowl. Add the milk slowly – you want the batter to remain as dense as possible. Then mix in the rainbow sprinkles and white chocolate chips. Spray pan (either 8x11" or 9x9" pan) with non-stick cooking spray. Dump batter in pan and spread to the edges. Bake for 25-30 minutes at 350 degrees. (They will be a little soft/gooey in the middle- just let them sit for about 20-30 minutes and they will set up. But I guarantee that you will not be able to wait that long.) Frost when cooled (optional . . . these taste amazing without frosting, but I am a serious frosting lover, so I added just a little bit).

Frosting:
1/4 cup margarine or butter, softened
2-3 Tbsp milk
1 tsp vanilla
2 cups powdered sugar (more or less depending on how thick/runny you like it)
3-4 drops red food coloring to get desired pink color (optional)

Combine all ingredients until well-blended. Spread on top of blondies.

Knock You Naked Brownies

**These were good, but they weren't what I was looking for so I probably won't make them again. Especially since I have a couple other recipes that I would like to try out. But since none of you are looking for something specific you may just love this recipe.**

Ingredients
■1 box (18.5 Ounce) German Chocolate Cake Mix (I Used Duncan Hines)
■1 cup Finely Chopped Pecans
■⅓ cups Evaporated Milk
■½ cups Evaporated Milk (additional)
■½ cups Butter, Melted
■60 whole Caramels, Unwrapped
■⅓ cups Semi-Sweet Chocolate Chips
■¼ cups Powdered Sugar
Preparation Instructions
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

In a large bowl, mix together cake mix, chopped pecans, 1/3 cup evaporated milk, and melted butter. Stir together until totally combined. Mixture will be very thick.

Press half the mixture into a well-greased 9 x 9 inch square baking pan. Bake for 8 to 10 minutes. Remove pan from oven and set aside.

In a double boiler (or a heatproof bowl set over a saucepan of boiling water) melt caramels with additional 1/2 cup evaporated milk. When melted and combined, pour over brownie base. Sprinkle chocolate chips as evenly as you can over the caramel.

Turn out remaining brownie dough on work surface. Use your hands to press it into a large square a little smaller than the pan. Use a spatula to remove it from the surface, then set it on top of the caramel and chocolate chips.

Bake for 20 to 25 minutes. Remove from pan and allow to cool to room temperature, then cover and refrigerate for several hours. When ready to serve, generously sift powdered sugar over the surface of the brownies. Cut into either nine or twelve helpings, and carefully remove from the pan.

*Adapted from the standard/classic “Knock You Naked Brownies” recipe. These brownies don’t really knock you naked…but almost.

Andes mints Brownies

Ingredients:

• 1 cup butter
• 2 cups sugar (white)
• 4 eggs
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 1 cup all purpose flour
• ½ cup cocoa
• ½ teaspoon salt
• about 1/4 cup (or however much you please, really) of chopped Andes mints
• An additional package of whole Andes mints

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Grease 9 x 13 pan. Melt butter in saucepan over low heat. Once melted remove from heat and add sugar, vanilla, and eggs. Blend together. In separate bowl, mix together flour, cocoa, and salt. Add dry mixture to the wet and mix well. Add chopped Andes mints. Pour into greased pan and bake for 35-40 minutes.

RIGHT when the brownies come out of the oven, layer the top with the whole package of Andes mints (or however many it takes to cover the surface). Let them stand for a minute or two, until they are smooth enough to spread. Using a frosting spatula or a flat knife, spread the melted Andes mints evenly over the brownie to cover. Cool, cut and enjoy.

**OMGosh these things are freaking amazing! Seriously make them now! What I did differently is I used the andes mints from the cookie aisle next to the chocolate chips. I used about 1/2 a bag in the brownies and then used the other half to melt on top. I did it this way so the chocolate layer wasn't as think :) They looked pretty and taste amazing!**