Tuesdays At The Table - Guinness Brownies

Howdy!  I'm reveling in a 70+ degree Monday, and the rest of the week looks pretty good too.  How is that even possible in New England in March?!?! Is it unseasonably warm where you are too?
It's actually a good thing...the sun and a little warm air is helping me come out of hibernation (or at least that's how it feels), and I have the first of my garden fruits/veggies coming in the next few days!  I'll do a full post of what will be growing around the house/garden later in the week.  In the meantime, this will be my first year growing strawberries...and if you have advice, I'd love to hear it!

Anyway...  St. Patrick's Day is coming quickly.  To me, that means I have a good excuse to sneak beer into everyday foods.  I made something similar last year, and found a great new recipe to share.  {recipe and picture via}

Guinness Brownies

1 14.9 oz. can Guinness Draught, reduced down to 1 c.
1 1/2 cups chocolate chips (the darker, the better)
1 stick unsalted butter
1 cup granulated sugar
1 cup flour
1/2 cup cocoa powder
1 T. espresso powder (Medaglia D’Oro or the like)
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 eggs

In a sauce pan, reduce 1 can of Guinness over medium low heat to 1 cup of beer. Skim the foam.

Melt the chocolate chips and butter in the microwave in 30 second increments. Mix in beer, sugar and salt. Beat in the eggs.

In a medium bowl, sift together flour, cocoa, espresso powder. Add dry ingredients to chocolate mixture.

Line an 8×8 baking pan with parchment (or grease and cocoa powder).  Pour batter into pan and smooth the top with a spatula. Bake at 350 for 25 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out almost clean.

What's cooking in your kitchen?