Guinness Brownies

It's almost Saint Patrick's Day! My dad's side of the family is very Irish so this is a holiday I definitely like to celebrate. I love Irish food--brown bread, Irish bacon (obviously), corned beef, stews. When I was in Ireland I couldn't get enough. My mom felt otherwise and instead had fun trying apple pie at every restaurant we ate at. While we were in Dublin, we visited the Guinness brewery which was really interesting to see. I really enjoy brewery tours and try to find some wherever I travel to. I was only 18 or 19 at the time we were in Ireland meaning I was old enough to drink there. I just remember sitting in the top of the Guinness brewery trying my hardest to drink the pint of Guinness you get at the end of the tour. At the time, this seemed extremely difficult to accomplish. I had about 5 sips and passed it off to my dad, as did most of my family. My dad loves Guinness so it was not an issue for him in the least. Now, at 23, I could probably go beyond those 5 sips, but I'm not sure I could get much further. Guinness is just so creamy and rich for my tastes. But you know what that means? It's perfect for cooking and baking. I love anything with Guinness flavoring--ice cream, stews, and now brownies. The Guinness makes these brownies really rich. You can almost only have one. Don't worry... I said almost. This week I'll be sharing a few St. Patrick's day recipes to get you in the holiday spirit!

Ingredients:
1 cup all-purpose flour
3/4 cup unsweetened cocoa
1/4 tsp salt
6 tbsp unsalted butter, cubed
8 oz. bittersweet chocolate, chopped
3/4 cup white chocolate chips
4 large eggs, at room temperature
1 cup sugar
2 bottles Guinness Extra Stout beer (all I had was Guiness Draught and it tasted good still!)
3/4 tsp vanilla
1 cup mini semi-sweet chocolate chips

Directions:
Preheat oven to 375F. Grease a 9x13 inch baking pan or line with parchment paper. Pour both bottles of beat into a medium saucepan and simmer on medium heat, until the beer has reduced down to 1 and 1/4 cups. This will take about 15 minutes. Remove from heat and set aside to cool. In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, cocoa, and salt. In a double-boiler over low heat (or in the microwave), melt the butter, bittersweet chocolate and white chocolate, stirring until the chocolate is completely melted. Remove from heat and let cool. In a large mixing bowl, mix together the eggs and sugar on high speed until they are light and fluffy. This should take about 3-4 minutes. Add the cooled melted chocolate mixture into the sugar and beat until well combined. Then add in the flour mixture. Whisk in the beer and vanilla. The batter will be very thin at this point. Pour batter into the baking pan and sprinkle with the mini chocolate chips. Bake 20 to 25 minutes at 375F or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Mine took exactly 20 minutes so start checking around 18 minutes just in case. Let cool before slicing and serving. Dust with powdered sugar or eat with ice cream!

Source: Recipe from Blondies Cakes