Black and Tan Brownies

I mentioned these delicious brownies in my “A Taste of Ireland” post over the weekend. They were so yummy that I thought they deserved their own post. Also, because it’s technically two brownie recipes together, I thought step-by-step photos might prove helpful. Enjoy!

Ingredients:

   Tan Brownies:

• 6 tablespoons butter, softened
• 1 1/2 cups packed brown sugar
• 2 large eggs
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 4 1/2 ounces all-purpose flour (about 1 cup)
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 cup chopped pecans
• Cooking spray

Black Brownies:

• 3 ounces unsweetened chocolate, finely chopped
• 4 tablespoons butter
• 1 cup granulated sugar
• 2 large eggs
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 cup Guinness Stout
• 4 1/2 ounces all-purpose flour (about 1 cup)
• 1/4 teaspoon salt

So, I finally got a stand mixer! Which made this recipe a snap. I am so excited about my new toy, so expect to see that red beauty in a few upcoming posts. I will still write the preparation as if I was using a hand mixer. If you have a stand mixer, you add all the ingredients straight to the mixer bowl.

 

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. To make, begin by preparing the tan brownies. Add 6 tablespoons butter and brown sugar to a large bowl. Beat on medium speed until fluffy, about 2 minutes (if they don’t get fluffy and you get tired, no worries. Mine usually more resembles coarse sand).

Add the two eggs one at a time and 1 teaspoon vanilla. Mix to combine.

In a small bowl, combine the 1 cup flour, 1/4 teaspoon salt, and 1 teaspoon baking powder using a whisk. Add the flour mixture to the sugar mixture and beat on medium to combine. Add the pecans and mix until just combined.

The batter will have almost a play-doh consistency (it’s very thick). Scoop into a 9×9 inch pan coated with cooking spray (or a 13×9 inch pan). Use a spatula to evenly spread it evenly.

 

Wow. In re-reading this recipe, I just realized that I was supposed to bake this at 350 degrees for 15 minutes. I totally didn’t do that. Yikes. Moving on…

 

To make the black brownies, melt the chocolate over medium low heat with 4 tablespoons butter on the stove.

 

You can also put them in a microwave-safe bowl on high for 1 minute or until melted, stirring every 20 seconds until smooth. Add to a large bowl and add granulated sugar.

Add 2 eggs and 1 teaspoon vanilla. Mixing to combine. Add the Guinness (I measured 1 cup after the bubbles went down) and mix to combine.

In a small bowl, combine the flour and salt. Add the flour mixture to the chocolate mixture, stirring to combine.

It has a much thinner consistency than the tan brownies. Pour evenly over the Tan Brownies.

Bake at 350 for 25 minutes or until a wooden pick comes out clean. Mine, because I used a 9×9 pan, and never baked the tan brownies for 15 minutes beforehand, took 45 minutes. So if you make them my way, assume 45 minutes. If you’re using a 13×9 pan, start with 25 minutes and check. Add ten minutes to the time if the wooden pick doesn’t come out clean.

Despite my huge oversight, the brownies turned out delicious! The tan brownies kind of came up over the edges of my black brownies, which is probably due to my inability to follow the directions correctly. But that actually ended up making this cool swirl in the brownies, so I call it a win.