Guinness Brownies with Cream Cheese Frosting Drizzle
Decadent, rich Guinness Brownies with Cream Cheese Frosting Drizzle are the perfect dessert to for St. Patrick’s Day. These dense, dark chocolate brownies get a tangy cream cheese drizzle to finish them off. 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!
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.
However, I attended the Wearin’ of the Green post-parties… and when we lived in Baton Rouge a few years back, we enjoyed all the festivities the parade, pre- and post-parties had to offer.
This year is a bit different since we have a newborn, and we didn’t make the annual Dallas St. Patrick’s Day Parade this past weekend.
That didn’t stop us from celebrating at home with homemade brownies!
Why I love this easy brownie recipe:
These Guinness Brownies with Cream Cheese Frosting Drizzle are just as decadent as they sound… and they’re really, really good if you’re a chocoholic.
The dark chocolate sings when paired with the Guinness. (You could also use another stout if that’s what you’ve got on hand.)
And if these dense brownies weren’t enough on their own, you drizzle some festive green cream cheese frosting on top of them as a finishing touch.
Other festive St. Patrick’s Day desserts: 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
Need more inspiration? Head on over to my St. Patrick’s Day recipe index for more ideas!
What you need to make Guinness Brownies and their Cream Cheese Frosting drizzle
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In addition to those tools, you’re going to need some brownie ingredients to make these brownies with stout beer:
- Dark chocolate chunks — I like to use 60%-70% dark chocolate for this, but you can use whatever you’ve got on hand
- Unsalted butter
- Dark brown sugar — but light brown sugar also works in a pinch!
- Granulated sugar
- Pure vanilla extract
- Eggs
- Guinness — or any other unflavored stout beer if you don’t have a Guinness
- All-purpose flour — we always keep unbleached on hand at our house, but you can use the regular ‘ol AP and that works just fine!
- Unsweetened cocoa powder — NOT Dutch process!
- Kosher salt
- Cream cheese, softened
- Powdered sugar
- Half-and-half
- Green food dye—if you’re giving these colorful flair for St. Patrick’s Day
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 the dark chocolate chunks and the butter. Heat the mixture in the microwave in 30 second increments, stirring after each session.
Add the rest of the wet brownie ingredients. Once all the chocolate is melted, measure in the sugars and vanilla, and stir until combined. Crack the eggs in a small bowl, and break the yolks using a fork. Pour the eggs into the chocolate and sugar mixture, stirring until combined.
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, stirring, then pour in the Guinness. Stir until there are no longer lumps, and the mixture is well combined. Pour the brownie batter into the prepared baking dish, and sprinkle with the extra dark chocolate chunks.
Bake the Guinness Brownies. Bake for 40-50 minutes, or until the edges are firm and an inserted toothpick comes out clean. Let cool before adding the frosting.
Make the cream cheese frosting. In a large bowl, combine the frosting ingredients with a hand mixer. Mix until smooth.
Decorate and enjoy. Once the brownies have cooled, drizzle with the cream cheese frosting, and enjoy!
Frequently Asked Questions
If you don’t have Guinness on hand, I suggest using a full-bodies stout beer. Stouts oftentimes have chocolatey or coffee undertones, and they bring out the richness of the chocolate that goes into these brownies so well.
I do not suggest leaving out the beer in this recipe. If you want to make a solid brownie recipe without beer, head on over to these Lindt Classic Chocolate Brownies and these Dr Pepper Chocolate Cherry Brownies.
Since they’re drizzled with a cream cheese frosting, I would store these covered in the fridge for 2-3 days after baking. If you leave off the frosting, they can be kept at room temperature for a little longer.
Obviously, Guinness mixes well with dessert. However, if you’re looking for a drink, I suggest trying The Boyfriend Irish Coffee!
More brownie recipes to try:
- Homemade Brownie Skillet with Oreos
- Dr Pepper Chocolate Cherry Brownies
- Chocolate Chip Brownies with Bourbon and Pecans
Interested in baking these beauties at your house?
Scroll on down to learn how to make ’em!
Guinness Brownies with Cream Cheese Frosting Drizzle
Decadent, rich Guinness Brownies with Cream Cheese Frosting Drizzle are the perfect dessert to for St. Patrick's Day. These dense, dark chocolate brownies get a tangy cream cheese drizzle to finish them off.
Ingredients
Brownies
- 1 ½ cups dark chocolate chunks, divided
- ½ cup unsalted butter
- ¾ cup dark brown sugar
- ¾ cup granulated sugar
- 1 tablespoon pure vanilla extract
- 4 eggs
- ¾ cup Guinness, (or any stout beer of your choosing)
- 1 cup all-purpose flour
- ½ cup unsweetened cocoa powder
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt
Cream Cheese Frosting Drizzle
- 1 oz. cream cheese, softened
- ¼ cup powdered sugar
- ½ teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- 1 ½ teaspoons half-and-half
- Green food dye, optional
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350°F. Line a 9"x9" square baking pan parchment paper and spray with cooking spray (or forgo the parchment paper, and butter and flour the dish.) Set aside.
- In a large bowl, combine ¾ cup of dark chocolate chunks and the butter. Heat the mixture in the microwave in 30 second increments, removing the bowl and stirring after each session.
- Once all the chocolate is melted, measure in the sugars and vanilla. Stir until combined.
- Crack the eggs in a small bowl, and break the yolks using a fork. Pour into the chocolate and sugar mixture, stirring until combined.
- In a medium-sized bowl, combine the flour, cocoa powder and salt.
- Sprinkle the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients, stirring, then add the Guinness. Stir until there are no longer lumps, and the mixture is well combined.
- Pour the brownie batter into the prepared baking dish. Sprinkle the additional ¾ cup of dark chocolate chunks on top of the brownies.
- Bake for 40 to 50 minutes, or until the edges are firm and an inserted toothpick comes out clean.
- While the brownies bake, combine the frosting ingredients with a hand mixer, and mix until smooth.
- Let cool for 20-30 minutes before drizzling with the cream cheese frosting, then slicing.
- Enjoy with a glass of milk... or a pint of Guinness.
Notes
Adapted from Joy the Baker's Beer Brownies recipe.
Nutrition Information:
Yield:
25Serving Size:
1Amount Per Serving: Calories: 169Total Fat: 6gSaturated Fat: 3gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 2gCholesterol: 32mgSodium: 63mgCarbohydrates: 27gFiber: 1gSugar: 20gProtein: 3g
Nutrition facts are an estimate and not guaranteed to be accurate.
Oooh, these sound delicious! And they are so pretty. I’ve had a Guinness burger, but I don’t think I’ve ever tried it in a dessert. I should give it a try for St. Patty’s tomorrow!
Thank you, Jenna! You totally need to try Guinness in a dessert if you haven’t had a chance yet!
Ugh, guiness is sooooo good in chocolate baked goods! My friend made chocolate guiness cupcakes this last weekend, and I was in heaven. With a cream cheese drizzle, these sound even better!
It really is, Kelly! It just makes the chocolate so decadently delicious. I hope you’ve enjoyed these brownies like we have!
Guinness brownies look so perfect, Erin! loved it! perfect for st. partick’s day!
Thanks so much, Savita!
Beautiful, green (and chocolate-covered) St. Paddy’s day post. Brownies and cream cheese icing are a weakness around these parts. Congratulations on your new addition; I’m glad to discover your gorgeous blog and passionate food voice via Laura’s Mess.
Thank you, Shanna! Brownies and cream cheese icing are a weakness for me, too. So happy you found TSP through Laura’s Mess!
These look incredible! I love incorporating beer into desserts so I’ll have to try this out for St. Paddy’s!
Thank you, Sam! The beer just makes the chocolate SO much richer and decadent, so I hope you enjoy these brownies like we enjoyed these!
Um, hello! I’d like a batch of these, please and thank you!
I’ll just send one your way. 😉 Done and done.
I’m a chocoholic and these definitely look like something I should be eating RIGHT NOW!! Yum!!
These brownies are so dense and wonderful and delicious. You gotta make them, Jen!
These are totally screaming my name!
They totally are! ENJOY!
What a treat! The flavors sound so good. Can’t wait to make this St. Patty’s Day treat!
Thank you, Dorothy! This is a lovely treat for St. Patrick’s Day. It’s just so decadently wonderful!
My husband picked up some Guinness the other day, so I may have to “borrow” some and make these. They look amazing!
That sounds like a BRILLIANT idea, Dee! And then he can drink the rest of the Guinness. That’s a win for everyone. 😉
What an amazing treat for St. Patrick’s Day!! YUM!!
Thank you, Katerina! These brownies are somethin’ else. 😀