They say the way to a man's heart is through his stomach, so if your other half is due some TLC, you're in the right place.
Whether you're baking for Himself or yourself, nothing beats a warm, fudgy brownie topped with a scoop of ice cream. A big tray of brownies goes down a treat at parties too, just slice them up and pop them onto paper plates to serve... they even benefit from sitting in the sun for a few minutes!
This recipe uses stout to create a thick, moist bite that really retains that gooey deliciousness. If you don't have a US measuring cup, simply use the conversion chart below.
For the brownies:
1 cup stout
1 stick unsalted butter
1/2 cup + 1 tablespoon unsweetened cocoa powder
1 cup + 2 tablespoons granulated sugar
2 ounces unsweetened chocolate, chopped (optional)
1 large egg white
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
For the frosting:
6 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened
1 cup powdered sugar
Method:
- First, make the concentrate: add the stout to a small saucepan and boil until it reduces to 1/3 cup. It will take about 20 minutes. Keep an eye on it to prevent boiling-over.
- Preheat the oven to 160 C, and line a 9 x 5-inch loaf pan with parchment paper.
- In a microwave-safe bowl, combine the butter, cocoa powder, sugar, and unsweetened chocolate (if using). Microwave on HIGH for 30 seconds. Stir, and microwave for another 30 seconds.
- Let the mixture cool for 1 minute.
- Stir in 4 tablespoons of the stout concentrate, the egg white, vanilla and salt.
- Finally, stir in the flour and stir for 50 strokes to incorporate and activate the gluten in the flour.
- Pour the mixture into the loaf pan and bake for 40-45 minutes. It's done when the surface is dry and a toothpick inserted has only moist crumbs sticking to it. Let cool.
- Once the brownies are cool, make the frosting: beat together the softened butter and powdered sugar until combined.
- Beat in the remaining stout concentrate (1 tablespoon).
- Frost the brownies and serve.
Recipe and image by Dessertfortwo.com
