Yes, believe it or not, this is happening: I made a HOLIDAY RECIPE. BEFORE THE HOLIDAY. Like bloggers are supposed to do!

My work schedule has gotten so much more manageable in the past couple of weeks. I’m doing more of what I love. And that includes more time on my blog!

I don’t even do anything for St. Patrick’s Day, except now, apparently. Now I am sipping delicious stout beer and munching on one of these decadent brownies. Let me tell you, I was expecting them to be good, but these are serious business. The dense brownie batter will remind you of a flourless chocolate cake. The glossy ganache is made with IRISH CREAM, so yes, it tastes like whiskey, cream and chocolate. It’s fabulous.

There also may or may not be a homemade Irish cream recipe coming up on my cocktail newsletter, The Fizz. If you aren’t on it already, get moving! Homemade Irish cream is a cut above. It’s nice and thick, and you can adjust the sweetness and booziness to your liking. And it’s *so* easy – all you need is a bowl and a whisk.

I am rushing this post to the blog because it’s only a few days away from St. Patrick’s Day – and also, it’s Sunday, so you guys can still have time to go shopping and get these babies baking up for the week ahead. Let me know if you try them, or how you generally celebrate St. Pat’s, in the comments!

Ingredients

• 6 oz. stout beer (Guinness works great!)
• 8 oz. good bittersweet chocolate
• 1 stick of butter, softened
• 1 1/2 cups sugar
• 5 eggs, lightly beaten
• 1/2 cup plus 1 Tbsp. AP flour
• 3/4 cup. cocoa powder
• For the ganache:
• 6 oz. dark chocolate, chopped
• 3/4 cup Irish cream

Instructions

1. Grease a 9×9 inch baking dish, then line it with parchment paper. Grease the inside of the parchment paper as well. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
2. In a small saucepan, bring the beer to a boil and reduce by about 2/3. Allow to cool while you work on the rest of the recipe.
3. Cream the butter and sugar in the bowl of a stand mixer or with a hand mixer. Next, beat in eggs one at a time, and finally add the beer.
4. Stir the flour and cocoa in by hand, until just blended. Transfer to the baking dish and bake for about 30 minutes, or until a tester inserted halfway into the middle of the pan comes out clean. Allow to cool completely.
5. To make the ganache, place the chopped chocolate in a heavy bowl. Heat the Irish cream in a saucepan until it is just boiling, then pour over the chocolate. Set a timer for ten minutes and walk away – don’t touch it! At the end of ten minutes, whisk together the chocolate and Irish cream, and transfer to the brownies, smoothing over the top. Allow 15-20 minutes to set up completely