Sunday, March 17, 2013

Not-So-Vegan Guinness Brownies (and Quick Fix: Sub Southern Tier Choklat Stout for the Guinness)

Hello everyone. Happy St. Patrick's Day! I hope all of you are getting your fair shares of Irish fun today. For me, St. Patty's Day isn't just about all of the festive stuff going on. It also gives me the opportunity to sit down and think about something that has always been important to me, my roots.

I come from a long line of strong, hard-working, and amazing people. You know that stereotypical "Irish Catholic" family? The ones that have 11 kids, are always in each others' business, and love to make snarky comments about one another? Yeah...I come from one of those, and it's perfect in every way.

I've been fortunate enough to have all four of my grandparents with me my entire  life, and they have taught me the values of love and hard work. They have always been there for me and are the best people I know. So, even though I have roots in other parts of the world, I always use St. Patrick's Day to take a moment to thank my parents and grandparents  (and great/ great-great grandparents) for everything that they've done so that I could have the opportunities that I have today.

So...these brownies are an ode to all of my ancestors, who have instilled in me the values of love, family, cooking, and curiosity. For that, I am forever grateful. ❤


Ingredients:

2 cups all purpose flour
1 cup white sugar
2/3 cup brown sugar
2/3 cup Guinness (sub Southern Tier Choklat Stout for vegans)
3/4 cup vegetable or canola oil (+ a little more for greasing)
2/3 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
2 tbsp. ground flax + 3 tbsp. water
1 tbsp. vegan buttery spread
2 tsp. vanilla extract
1 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. salt
2 baker's chocolate squares
1/2 cup chopped pecans or walnuts

Makes about 16 brownies.
Total Cook Time: 35 minutes.

Instructions:

1. Preheat your oven to 350 degrees.

2. In a large bowl, add the flour, white sugar. brown sugar, cocoa powder, baking powder, and salt. Sift together.

3. Next, add the vegetable oil, vanilla extract, and Guinness. Stir together for a few seconds. Mix together the 2 tbsp. ground flax with the 3 tbsp of water, and pour it into the bowl. Add the butterry spread, and stir until well-combined. Do not over stir.

4. The mixture should be very thick. Line a 13 x 9 inch baking pan with  parchment paper or aluminum foil. Grease with about a teaspoon of vegetable oil.

5. Pour the brownie batter into the pan and spread it out evenly. Bake for 25 to 30 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out clean.

6. A few minutes before the brownies are done, melt the baker's chocolate in a saucepan. Once the brownies have cooled for a few minutes, add the melted chocolate and nuts to the top of the brownies.

NOTE***: I guess Guinness isn't vegan, but you can substitute Southern Tier Choklat Stout for the Guinness, it's vegan friendly, chocolatey, and super delicious. It's also preapproved by me. :)

13 comments:

  1. They look yummy! But just in case you didn't know, Guinness isn't vegan. (Totally not trying to be the vegan police, but I wanted to make sure you knew, in case you didn't:)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thank you for letting me know! I don't know how it slipped my mind not to look. What a bummer. I made a note on the post and am going to look for something to replace it with. Thanks again. :)

      Delete
  2. Re: Guinness not being vegan - I'd always heard that the Guinness Extra Stout that's brewed in North America is vegan, but I just noticed a brand-new update at Barnivore (http://www.barnivore.com/products/4516-guinness-extra-stout-north-america-brewed-and-bottled) that suggests that it might not be. Looks like nobody knows for sure! :(

    Either way, your brownies look yummy and I bet you could substitute any stout for them. :)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thanks! I'm gonna have to check out Barnivore because I always forget about the fact that certain beers aren't vegan. I agree...any stout would probably go well in this recipe. :)

      Delete
  3. Oh good - I'm glad you're not mad! I know that sometimes people allow themselves certain things they're flexible on, but it seemed like you didn't know. :D They look really good though! I'm always sad about cookies and brownies that don't have nuts on them.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Definitely not mad. Lol. I would feel awful having a post up claiming that it's "vegan" and then have it not be, so thanks again! And yes, nuts are amazing in cookies and brownies.

      Delete
  4. What a pity Guinness isn't vegan, but these look great even if the Guinness is unhelpful in an animal sense ;)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Yes...it's a shame, but I'm sure there are other good stouts out there that are similar and free of animal products. :)

      Delete
  5. I love brownies! Don't feel about not knowing about guiness. When I first had to stop eating gluten I had no idea how many things it is in and ate soy sauce and had a nasty reaction. There are so many foods and drinks that have 'hidden' ingredients. Your photos look delicious :)

    ReplyDelete
  6. Awww what a sweet post! And such a great celebration of your Irish heritage. These look so fudgy delicious!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thanks...it was a good day. Those brownies were delicious. I was a little upset that they turned out to not be vegan, but oh well.

      Delete
  7. These look so chocolaty! I will absolutely give these a try. Thanks!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. You're very welcome! Just make sure to use a vegan stout rather than Guinness. You can probably sub almond milk or water for the beer as well. I found out that Southern Tier Choklat Stout is vegan friendly, and it's chocolatey and super delicious. It would be amazing in this recipe.

      http://www.stbcbeer.com/

      Delete

Leave some love...it's always appreciated! ♡♡♡

Related Posts Plugin for WordPress, Blogger...