I know, I know. It’s been over a month since I’ve launched this blog and I’ve yet to post anything other than a cookie recipe. Guess what. That’s all going to change with this post!
Salted Caramel Cheesecake Guinness Brownies. That’s right. The name of these might be a mouthful, but they are so rich and decadent and essentially sinful, that you really can’t call them by any other name. They are what they are and they are absolutely unashamed of that fact.
I did a lot of research into how to create a perfect fudgy brownie. There needs to be a high ratio of fat to flour, plenty of chocolate, a mixture of melted chocolate and cocoa powder, and lots of eggs. I put all of that together and took it one step further by adding an entire bottle of Guinness to the equation. You see, even though the Guinness bakes out of the brownies in the oven. The stout has incomparable way of mixing with chocolate and intensifying the cocoa flavor. You might still be able to smell the Guinness when you pull these out of the oven, but it’s there to satisfy your taste buds, not your need for an after work libation (of course, there’s nothing wrong with cracking open a second bottle to enjoy while these are in the oven!).
If you’re impatient, or just want a chocolate fix, you can easily stop with the brownies. If you want to go all out and completely bring something indulgent to the table, you can actually whip up the no-bake cheesecake mixture and salted caramel fairly quickly. You just have to be patient while it all chills to set in the fridge. As can be seen from these photos, I don’t possess that ability to wait (I also only had half the amount of cream cheese I needed for the recipe, was in desperation mode, and didn’t want to go to the store so I threw all my ingredients together and figured we could just eat them a little melty–if you can remember to get two packages of cream cheese though, use them!).
One of my coworkers and I always talk about how we should write a cookbook together. She’d handle the real food while I do the dessert section. Really, our premise is to tell people when to drink while cooking; these brownies are perfect for that. Mix your batter, take a sip. Waiting on your sugar to melt? Take a drink. Waiting for your cheesecake brownies to cool in the fridge? Have a couple beers and watch an episode or two of This Is Us.
Even if you’re happy with just the brownie, you’ll want to give this whole combination a try. The rich brownie with the slight bite of chocolate chips that parallel the crunch of the pretzels on top combines so well with the semi-tart sweetness of the cheesecake and the caramel. Plus the saltiness pulls it all together. Salty, sweet, chocolatey.
It’s about time you treat yourself. You do deserve it, after all.
| Cook Time | 30-35 minutes |
| Servings |
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- 1/2 cup butter
- 1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
- 8 ounces bittersweet/dark chocolate
- 4 ounces milk chocolate
- 3/4 cup granulated sugar
- 1/2 cup light brown sugar
- 3 large eggs room temperature
- 2 tsp vanilla extract
- 1/4 cup dark cocoa powder unsweetened
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 11 ounces Guinness room temperature, no foam (one bottle)
- 2/3 cup chocolate chips (I mix bittersweet and milk chocolate)
- 1/2 cup granulated sugar
- 3 Tbsp butter room temperature
- 1/4 cup heavy whipping cream room temperature
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
- 16 ounces cream cheese room temperature
- 14 ounces sweetened condensed milk (one can)
- 1/4 cup powdered sugar
- 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
- 1 Tbsp salted caramel
- pretzels crushed
Ingredients
Guinness Brownies
Salted Caramel
Salted Caramel Cheesecake
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- Preheat the oven to 350°F and line a 9"x13" pan with parchment paper, leaving a slight overhang on the sides.
- Place 8oz bittersweet chocolate and 4oz milk chocolate in a medium bowl with the butter and olive oil. Set your bowl over a saucepan of simmering water and melt over a low heat, stirring, until smooth. Remove from heat and leave to cool until room temperature.
- In a separate bowl, whisk together the flour, cocoa powder, and salt. Set aside.
- In a large bowl, whisk together the eggs and sugars until light and frothy. Add the vanilla and the cooled chocolate, whisking until combined.
- Whisk in 1/3 of your dry ingredients followed by 1/2 the Guinness. Repeat, ending with your flour mixture, whisking until just combined. Fold in your chocolate chips.
- Pour into your pre-lined or greased pan and bake from about 30-35 minutes until a toothpick comes out of the center with just a few crumbs stuck to it. Leave to cool.
- In a saucepan over medium heat, melt 1/2 cup sugar, occasionally swirling the pan to help distribute the heat, until you achieve a deep amber color.
- Add in your butter, stirring constantly until it melts. Slowly whisk in the room temperature heavy cream. The mixture will begin to foam so you might have to do it a little at a time. Once it's all combined, you should have a smooth sauce. Remove from the heat and stir in the vanilla and salt.
- In the bowl of a stand mixer or with a hand-mixer, beat the cream cheese and powdered sugar at a medium high speed until light and smooth.
- Add the sweetened condensed milk a little at a time, scraping down the edges every once in a while, until completely combined. Mix in the vanilla and salted caramel.
- Evenly spread your cheesecake mixture over your cooled brownies. Drizzle salted caramel over the top and chill until the cheesecake is firm, preferably overnight. Top with crushed pretzels before serving (you can put them on earlier, but they will lose their crunch the longer they sit with the cheesecake and caramel).
You can easily melt the chocolate, butter, and oil in the microwave. Just make sure you do it in intervals, taking the bowl out once in a while to give it all a good mix. If you go the double boiler route, make sure the water doesn't touch the bottom of the bowl. You want the heat, but you don't want to risk the water getting into the bowl because it'll cause the chocolate to seize on you rather than melt.
Make sure the melted chocolate is no longer warm to the touch--you don't want it to scramble the eggs when you mix the two together.