Guinness Brownies with Baileys Caramel Cheesecake Swirl

These rich and fudgy cheesecake brownies are inspired by the Irish stout's caramel and coffee undertones and the smooth cream liqueur that pairs so well with cocoa.

Prep:

minutes

Cook:

50

minutes

TOtal:

minutes

Ingredients

Brownie Batter

  • 1 cup Guinness
  • 170g (¾ cup, 1 ½ sticks, 12 tbsp) unsalted butter
  • 225g (8 oz) semi-sweet chocolate
  • 280g (1 ¼ cups) granulated sugar
  • 3 large eggs, room temperature
  • 1 tsp pure vanilla extract
  • 145g (1 cup) all-purpose flour
  • ½ tsp salt
  • ½ tsp espresso powder

Cheesecake Batter

  • 250g cream cheese, softened
  • 65g (⅓ cup) granulated sugar
  • 1 large egg yolk
  • ¼ cup Baileys Irish Cream
  • 9 tsp caramel

Instructions

  1. Place the oven rack in the middle of the oven.
  2. Preheat the oven to 350°F.
  3. Butter a 9 x 9 inch baking pan and line with parchment paper.  Make sure to leave an overhang that you can use as handles to remove the brownies from the pan. 
  4. Pour the Guinness into a small saucepan and bring to a boil.
  5. Reduce the heat and let simmer for about 12 minutes, until the Guinness is reduced to ½ cup.
  6. Set the ½ cup of Guinness aside and let cool for 10 minutes.
  7. Melt the butter and the chocolate together in a heat proof bowl placed over a saucepan of simmering water.  The bowl must not touch the water. Stir until combined.  
  8. Remove the bowl from the heat.
  9. Whisk in the sugar and Guinness.
  10. Whisk in the eggs and vanilla.
  11. In a small bowl, mix the flour, salt and espresso powder together.
  12. Use a spatula to gently fold the dry ingredients into the batter.
  13. Pour the brownie batter into the prepared pan.
  14. In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the cream cheese, sugar, egg yolk and Baileys together until smooth.
  15. Spread the cheesecake batter over the brownies with a small offset spatula.
  16. Drop 9 dollops of caramel onto the cheesecake batter.
  17. Run a knife through the caramel and cheesecake batter to create swirls.
  18. Bake for 55 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out with moist crumbs. 
  19. Place the pan on a wire rack and let cool completely.
  20. Let the brownies chill in the fridge.
  21. Lift the brownies by the parchment paper overhang and place on a cutting board.
  22. Use a large chef’s knife to slice the brownies into 16 portions.  Rince the knife in hot water and wipe it before each cut to get clean slices.
  23. Store in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.