Pumpkin Beer Brownies
Pumpkin. Beer. Brownies. You read that right. In this case, pumpkin cappuccino beer brownies. OMG. These are insanely good.
One of the things Ryan and I miss most from Michigan (apart from friends and family of course) is the beer. There are so many great microbreweries in West Michigan and we've found some great beers that we are very loyal to. Unfortunately, none of those beers make it this far west. As we explore the Pacific Northwest beer scene we get to sample some really great and unusual beers. One of these is Elysian Brewing's Punkuccino. A pumpkin cappuccino stout. It's like my two favorite beverages (coffee and beer) had a tryst in a pumpkin patch. I mean this in the best possible way. The beer is excellent and was the inspiration for this recipe.
I generally stay away from the "pumpkin-craze" that happens this time of year. I don't care for pumpkin spice lattes and as much as I try, I really don't like pumpkin pie. However, put pumpkin in a brownie and I'm there. The subtle pumpkin flavor in this dessert is just enough without falling too far into the pumpkin vortex...
First, you will need a good pumpkin stout. If you can find a coffee pumpkin stout, definitely go for that, however a regular pumpkin stout will do. Find one from a local brewery. Support beer near you!
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Start by melting the butter and dark chocolate chips in a small saucepan over very low heat. Watch this carefully. If the mixture gets too hot, you can "break" the chocolate and it will become gritty. Set aside the melted chocolate and butter. In a large mixing bowl, combine eggs, sugars, and vanilla together. Stir in the cocoa powder and add the melted chocolate. Stir in the pumpkin puree and pumpkin stout. Add salt and flour, stirring until combined.
Make the pumpkin cream cheese layer. Combine pumpkin puree and softened cream cheese with powdered sugar and spices.
Pour brownie batter into a 9 x 13 inch pan lined with parchment paper. Spread cream cheese layer evenly over the top of the brownie mixture. You can choose to swirl in the cream cheese if you wish. Bake 25-35 minutes or until done. Cool and slice into 12 large brownies or 24 "brownie bites".
While brownies are baking...pour yourself a glass of the remaining pumpkin stout!
Recipe
Pumpkin Beer Brownies
By Land of Noms, October 21, 2014
Pumpkin stout adds richness to pumpkin brownies. A perfect way to celebrate Fall!
brownies, pumpkin, pumpkin stout
Ingredients
- 1 cup butter
- 2 cups of dark chocolate chips
- 1 cup of sugar
- 1/2 cup of brown sugar
- 2 eggs
- 1/4 cup of cocoa powder
- 1 teaspoon of vanilla extract
- 1 cup of pumpkin puree
- 1 cup of pumpkin stout
- 1 teaspoon of salt
- 2 cups of flour
- 4 oz of cream cheese, softened at room tempurature
- 1/2 cup of pumpkin puree
- 1/4 cup of powdered sugar
- 1 teaspoon of cinnamon
- 1/2 teaspoon of nutmeg
- 1/2 teaspoon of allspice
Directions
- Preheat oven to 350
- Line a 9 x 13 inch pan with parchment paper
- Melt butter and chocolate chips over low heat in a small saucepan, remove from heat
- In a large mixing bowl, combine sugar, brown sugar, eggs and vanilla extract
- Add melted chocolate and stir to combine
- Stir in cocoa powder, 1 cup of pumpkin puree, and pumpkin stout
- Add salt and flour, stir until well combined
- In a separate bowl, combine cream cheese, 1/2 cup of pumpkin puree, powdered sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg, and allspice; mix well
- Pour brownie mix into prepared baking pan. Spread cream cheese mixture overtop
- Bake 25-35 minutes until a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean
Sharing our culinary adventures in Cascadia with simple, sustainable & satisfying eats. Bon Appétit!
