Guinness Cheesecake Brownies with Pretzel Crust
Dark, rich, malty Guinness, with it’s slight molasses-y sweetness and hint of coffee bitterness, paired with a dense, fudgy brownie. It’s a no brainer!
**This post first appeared on my other blog, YinMomYangMom.com.**
I already know what you’re thinking, so let’s get it out of the way right up front:
1) Yes, you can taste the Guinness, and
2) That’s definitely not a bad thing.
When I first saw this recipe on Bitchin’ Camero, I had a feeling it was gonna be bonkers. I mean, dark, rich, malty Guinness, with it’s slight molasses-y sweetness and hint of coffee bitterness, paired with a dense, fudgy brownie?!? Well, DUH!
But, you know, when it comes to holiday baking, I just can’t resist a little lily-gilding…
The pretzels get crushed up, tossed in melted butter and brown sugar, and pressed into the bottom of a parchment-lined, 9×13 pan.
Chocolate is melted with butter, and added to eggs, sugar, and a bottle of Guinness.
Flour, cocoa, and salt are stirred in and the batter gets poured over the pretzel crust.
Then a little cheesecake loveliness is whipped up and swirled on top.
Bake it all up and you have a little slice of Irish-pub-inspired dessert heaven…!
I just love the way the cheesecake swirl kinda looks like the creamy head on a tall pint…
And pretzels and beer have always been a perfect pair, right? Almost as perfect as pretzels and chocolate…
Guinness Cheesecake Brownies with Pretzel Crust
Ingredients
- 2 1/2 cups crushed pretzels
- 3/4 cup unsalted butter, melted
- 3 tablespoons light brown sugar
- 8 ounces semisweet chocolate, finely chopped
- 3/4 cup milk chocolate chips
- 5 tablespoons unsalted butter
- 4 eggs
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- 1 11.2- ounce bottle Guinness Stout
- 1 cup all-purpose flour
- 3/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
- 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
- 8 ounces cream cheese, softened
- 1 egg
- 1/4 cup sugar
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Instructions
- Toss the crushed pretzels with the melted butter and brown sugar, and press the mixture into the bottom of a parchment-lined, 9x13-inch pan.
- Melt the semisweet and milk chocolate in a double boiler, along with the butter.
- In a large bowl, combine the eggs and sugar. Stir in the Guinness.
- Mix in the flour, cocoa powder, and salt, and pour over the pretzel crust.
- Whip the cream cheese and sugar together until fluffy. Blend in the egg and vanilla. Drop dollops of the cream cheese mixture over the surface of the brownie batter, and swirl together with the tip of a knife.
- Bake for 30 minutes at 375 degrees, cool completely, and cut into squares.
These brownies are a great way to celebrate St. Patrick’s Day, but really, they would be absolutely phenomenal any day of the year!
