Chocolate Walnut Guinness Cookies

She loves chocolate.  He loves beer.

Chocolate Walnut Guinness Cookies, a match made in heaven!

Valentine's Projects

On Saturday, Popeye made a "dressing room" for me to use when we are at a trailhead with minimal bushes for coverage: 

I love it! 

The next day is Valentine's Day.  I decide I should cook something using his favorite brew. 

That evening, Cosmo at hand, I decide no, no, no, not one thing....

...but an entire meal using his favorite brew!

(I really like my Cosmo.)

The toughest part of an entire meal containing Guinness is what to leave out!  Honestly!  A perusal of the internet easily yields a hundred main dish stew-, or pot pie-type entrees. A few feature shrimp or fish, and there are several breads and desserts. 

Unfortunately, like my Guinness pie from a few weeks ago, almost every Guinness main dish calls for a day (or two!) of marinating, or at least hours of cooking.  It's not like I planned ahead for this project.  

One has to have priorities.

Obviously, the place to start is dessert!

I save the gingerbread and the chocolate cake recipes for another day.

What we are really out of around here is cookies. Popeye likes cookies. I like cookies. Anybody who might possibly drop by likes cookies.

I find NO viable looking beer-cookie recipes.

We're on our own here!

Oh yeah - and forget dainty pink and white frosting. 

We are talking Guinness.

Brown is beautiful!

Guinness,

 chocolate,

molasses,

 brown sugar,

walnuts...

To perform a matchmaking miracle and get all these beautiful browns to meld into a batch of cookies we will both love, a dark, sweet, beery syrup should work!

Chocolate Walnut Guinness Cookies

2/3 c. Guinness, draught or stout

2/3 c. molasses

One 12 oz package chocolate chips

2 1/2 c. flour

1 1/2 tsp. baking soda

1 tsp salt

1 c. butter

1 c. sugar

1/2 c. brown sugar

2 eggs

walnuts

Combine the Guinness and the molasses in a saucepan, bring to a boil.  Turn down the heat to just below medium and cook uncovered about fifteen minutes.  Check on it and stir every five minutes or so.  Cook down by about half.  (Wow! The smell is amazing!)  Pour into a measuring cup and let cool. 

And if you forgot there were no eggs in the house, you can always take a walk to the grocery while you wait.  Don't forget to cut across the recently bulldozed-all-the-way-to-the-beach landscape (where the base housing used to be), and convince your Sherpa to come with you!

Now just when you think that you have concocted the most divine syrup on earth, it's time for the chocolate!


Melt 1 c. chocolate chips over low, low heat.  Stir until smooth,  cool to room temp.


Preheat oven to 350 degrees.


In a small bowl, combine the flour, baking soda, and salt; set aside.


In a large mixer bowl, combine butter, sugar, brown sugar and 1/2 c. of the Guinness syrup; beat until creamy.  (I have about 2/3 c. of syrup, and I put it all in.  I could probably have saved a couple tablespoons for ice cream or something.  The cookie dough texture is good, but a little less syrup would have been ok too.)


Add egg and melted chocolate chips; mix well.


Gradually add flour mixture.


Stir in remaining chocolate chips, and walnuts, if your Valentine likes them, which in our case is quite a lot!

Drop by rounded teaspoons onto ungreased cookie sheets.

Bake at 350 degrees.  10-12 minutes. 

(We like chewy/crispy so I leave them in the full 12.)

Don't overeat these cookies!  They will ruin your dinner!

We should know.  We can barely manage a small bowl of the Guinness Broccoli Cheddar Soup that went together while the cookies were baking.

Guess we'll have to save the haddock poached in Guinness for tomorrow. 

Oh well.  You gotta have your priorities.