this particular recipe is more my style. guinness stout and dark chocolate. now that is a ladies dessert!
and why black and tan? because of the drink which, when poured perfectly (combing an ale with a stout), creates a beautiful layer of yes, black and tan.
black and tan brownies
tan brownies:
6 tablespoons butter, softened
1.5 cups packed brown sugar
2 large eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla
4.5 oz all purpose flour (about one cup)
1 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt
black brownies:
3 oz unsweetened chocolate, finely chopped
4 tablespoons butter
1 cup sugar
2 large eggs
1 tsp vanilla
1 cup guinness stout
4.5 oz flour
1/4 tsp salt
preheat your oven to 350f. grease a 9x13 pan.
start with the tans.
mix your softened butter and brown sugar, beat in eggs and vanilla. combine flour, baking powder, salt and then stir the drys into the butter sugar combo. spread into your greased pan and bake for 15 minutes.
make the blacks.
in a double boiler system of your choosing, melt the chocolate and butter. remove from heat and stir in the sugar until well combined. add the eggs and vanilla. then the guinness. mix the salt into the flour and then add this to your wet ingredients. use a whisk to incorporate everything.
add the black mix to the tan in the pan.
now, when you take the tans out of the oven, they're going to be soupy. since i am trying this whole 'follow the recipe' thing, although panicked, i proceeded. i poured the black recipe directly onto the tans and watched as it became what i thought was a disaster. i swirled the top and thought 'oh well!' then put the pan back in the oven for 25 minutes. might have been closer to 30 in the end.
cool the brownies, in the pan, on a wire rack.
cut in and see what type of culinary magic took place!
the leavening in the tans brings them to the top while the dense blacks fall to the bottom. (i made this up, but it sounds scientifically accurate, no?) regardless of reasoning, the recipe works!
and although the chocolate flavor is understated, they are an amazing bar of that oh so caramelly brown sugar butter flavor.
notes:
-okay, so i didn't follow the recipe exactly. i took out the nuts. because nuts are nuts. especially in brownies.
-and i substituted dark for unsweetened chocolate (and may have added an extra ounce or two).
-and this totally counts as holiday baking! anything with irish beer can be considered for st paddy's day.
