Guinness Brownies

Decadent Guinness Brownies are the perfect dessert for St. Patrick’s Day or for any occasion where you need a chocolate dessert to share. These dark chocolate brownies are dense and have the most intense chocolate flavor since since they call for stout beer in the batter. Makes 12 large brownies.

Love desserts featuring stout beer? You’ve got to try No Churn Guinness Brownie Ice Cream, Chocolate Guinness Cupcakes with Baileys Frosting and Mint Chip Guinness Beer Float!

2025 update: I originally developed and shared these stout brownies in March 2015, around the time we had our firstborn. I have updated the recipe to include metric measurements, as well as added a lot more tips and tricks to the post, along with new images. I hope you love these as much as we do!

St. Patrick’s Day always makes me think of the Wearin’ of the Green in Baton Rouge, even though I never made it to the parade during my collegiate years.

I did, however, attend the festivities after college, and had a blast with friends, as well as my husband.

Why I love this easy brownie recipe:

These Guinness Brownies are just as decadent as they sound… and they’re really, really good if you’re a chocoholic.

join our party!

get our latest recipes delivered to your inbox every week — plus all my entertaining tips and tricks!

​
​

Subscribe

We respect your privacy. Unsubscribe at any time.

That’s because the stout beer really helps the chocolate flavor shine and come through. It’s kind of like when you add coffee or espresso powder to chocolate desserts… those enhance the chocolate. The beer does the same thing in these homemade brownies.

I will say that this recipe makes for slightly more cakey brownies than a traditional fudgy or gooey brownie just because the Guinness stout adds some yeast to the batter, which causes the beer brownies to rise in the oven.

That said, you will not be disappointed in this recipe because it yields the most moist brownies that have a beautiful depth of flavor. If your tastebuds are on point, you can get some of that Guinness flavor with each bite.

The dark chocolate sings and there are some chocolate chips in the batter, too, for delightful melty bites. 

I originally drizzled these beauties with festive green cream cheese icing and during my reshoot, decided to skip that since they are delightful on their own. However, if you want to make the frosting, they taste excellent, too. 

Other sweet St. Patrick’s Day recipes: Irish Cream Biscuits with Boozy Chocolate Ganache | Chocolate Guinness Milkshakes with Irish Whiskey Cream | Chocolate Chip Irish Cream Pound Cake | Mint Chip Guinness Beer Float

What you need to make this recipe:

The Speckled Palate participates in affiliate programs. As an Amazon Associate, I earn a commission from qualifying purchases. Please refer to my disclosure page for more information about these affiliate programs.

• Large mixing bowl
• Small saucepan
• Glass measuring cup
• Square baking pan
• Wire rack, for cooling

Here are the ingredients you need to acquire to make this Guinness brownies recipe:

• Dark chocolate chips — 62% dark chocolate chips are what I used in this and what I recommend because they play really nicely with the beer flavor. If you want to use bittersweet or semisweet chocolate chips, those should also work. I do not recommend using milk chocolate chips because those will make the brownies too sweet. I originally used dark chocolate chunks, and those can be used here, too.
• Unsalted butter — this adds fat and liquid to our batter. I do not recommend replacing it with dairy free or vegan butter or oil.
• Dark brown sugar — you could also use light brown sugar, if that’s what you have in your pantry.
• Granulated sugar — also known as white sugar, this is a sweetener for our brownies. I do not recommend replacing this with a sugar substitute.
• Pure vanilla extract — use the best you can afford! It helps the other flavors sing.
• Large eggs — the regular kind from the grocery store is what you’re looking for. If you need a recipe that does not involve many eggs, this is not the one for you, and I do not recommend using egg substitutes in this recipe.
• Guinness beer — I used Guinness extra stour beer. You could also use another stout beer of your choosing. Be sure that it’s not flavored. You could swap this with the same amount of coffee to get a similar flavor profile, though it will not be an exact match. 
• All-purpose flour — also known as AP flour. We keep unbleached flour at my house, but the regular kind also works. I have not tried to substitute this with a gluten-free flour and do not recommend that at this time.
• Unsweetened cocoa powder — this is not the same thing as Dutch process cocoa powder, so please read the label.
• Kosher salt — medium grain kosher salt is what I keep in my kitchen. A similarly sized sea salt will work just as well.

How to make Guinness Brownies

Prepare. Preheat the oven, and line a 9″x9″ square baking pan with parchment paper. Give it a spritz of cooking spray, too, before setting it aside.

Melt the chocolate. In a large bowl, combine half of the chocolate chips and the butter. Heat the mixture in the microwave in 30 second increments, stirring after each session. 

You can also do this in a small saucepan over medium heat. Be sure to melt the butter before adding the chocolate to ensure it does not burn.

Add the sugar to the melted chocolate mixture. Stir vigorously to combine, then stir in the vanilla extract. Set aside. 

We do not want this to be too hot. Otherwise, it could cook the eggs.

In a separate bowl, combine the eggs and the brown sugar. 

Whisk until light and fluffy.

​Pour the slightly cooled chocolate mixture into the egg mixture. 

Whisk to combine.

Mix the dry brownie ingredients. In a medium-sized bowl, combine the flour, cocoa powder and salt. 

Make the brownie batter. Sprinkle the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients, and stir.

Add the remaining chocolate chips. The mixture will be decently thick.

Pour in the beer, and stir until there are no longer lumps, and the mixture is well combined. 

Pour the brownie batter into the prepared pan, and transfer to the preheated oven. Bake for 35-40 minutes, or until baked through, and let cool before slicing and enjoying with a glass of beer. 

How to store:

Store the stout chocolate brownies in an airtight container on the countertop for 2-3 days. They will not last much longer than this because they are so moist.

Alternately, you can store in the refrigerator in an airtight container (or on a platter covered tightly in plastic wrap), but that will change the texture. However, it will afford you a longer storage time of up to a week.

Frequently Asked Questions

More brownie recipes to try:

If you want something more traditional, my family adores Chocolate Chip Brownies with Bourbon and Pecans.

If you’re looking for a skillet brownie recipe, this Homemade Brownie Skillet with Oreos is for you.

And if you want to bring in some different flavors, you’ve got to try Dr Pepper Chocolate Cherry Brownies.

Just interested in baking these Dark Chocolate Guinness Brownies?

Scroll on down to learn how to make ’em!