Chocolate Porter Brownies

Brownies are very popular for dessert or even for an afternoon snack. They taste even better when matched with a chocolaty porter or stout.

Ingredients

• 250gm unsalted butter
• 50gm baking cocoa
• 200gm quality dark chocolate
• 125gm chopped 85% cocoa chocolate
• 220gm (1 cup) raw caster sugar
• 3 large eggs
• 2 teaspoons vanilla essence
• 125ml chocolate porter (such as Holgate Temptress)
• 150gm (1 cup) plain flour
• 135gm (1 cup) chopped walnuts (hazelnut or macadamia would also work)
• Butter for coating pan

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 160°C.
2. Coat a 23cm metal square baking pan with butter and line bottom with baking paper. Leave enough baking paper to hang over one edge to help you remove the brownies after cooking.
3. Melt chopped 200gm chocolate and butter in a bowl, over a saucepan with water on low heat.
4. Stir sugar into butter mixture and allow it to sit while preparing egg mixture.
5. Beat together eggs, vanilla, and porter until smooth.
6. Using a wooden spoon, gently mix the egg mixture with the butter.
7. Sift together cocoa and flour, gradually mix into the egg and butter mixture.
8. Stir in the chopped chocolate and walnuts.
9. Pour into baking pan and, if you want a crunchy top, sprinkle the top of the mixture with some more caster sugar.
10. Bake at 160°C for 40 to 50 minutes. A skewer will slide out fairly clean when cooked, but may still have some melted chocolate on it.
11. Slice and serve with a generous glass or two of porter.

Enjoy!