We don't do a lot in the way of celebrating St. Pat's. We're probably too old for bar crawls, and we're not at all Irish so the holiday is a bit lost on us. HOWEVER - I cannot argue with baked goods!

These brownies are my answer to St. Patrick's Day. They're rich and chocolatey and I included beer! I don't know what more one could want.

I really enjoyed the challenge of creating these brownies, and I love working with ingredients I don't normally use! Picking the stout for your brownies could be challenging, but it's a lot of fun! Pick one with a flavor that you think will work well with chocolate. Some stouts already have chocolate in them and that usually works well. This year I grabbed one that had a coffee flavor and it added a whole different appeal to the brownies. Pick whatever YOU think sounds good! And don't worry about the alcohol - it bakes off!

Stout Brownies
Makes 1, 8x8 pan

3 Tbs. butter
2 oz. unsweetened chocolate
2 oz. semi-sweet chocolate
1/4 C. flour
3 1/4 Tbs. cocoa powder
pinch of salt
2 eggs
1/2 C. sugar
1 tsp. vanilla extract
2/3 C. stout beer

Line an 8x8 baking dish with parchment paper and grease (butter or olive oil) set aside.

Preheat oven to 375 °.

In a bagna Maria, or double boiler, combine butter and chocolate. Set over medium-low heat and stir occasionally until everything is melted and smooth. Set aside until cool enough to handle.

In a separate bowl, whisk together flour, cocoa powder and salt. Set aside.

In another bowl, beat eggs and sugar together until smooth and a bit fluffy.

Add a spoonful of the chocolate mixture into the eggs and stir to raise the temperature a bit (temper the eggs). Then add the rest of the chocolate mixture into the egg and mix.

Add vanilla and beer to the egg mixture. Mix again until combined.

Add the dry ingredients to the wet, 1/3 at a time, mixing after each addition. Once the batter is formed, pour into prepared pan.

Bake at 375° for 45 minutes or until a tooth pick inserted in the center comes out clean.

Enjoy with your favorite stout as a special treat for St. Patrick's Day - or whenever!