Clodagh McKenna's Guinness chocolate brownies & maple syrup ice cream
To celebrate the Women’s World Cup match between the Republic of Ireland and Canada, Cork-native Clodagh McKenna is flying the flag for her home nation, making her deliciously gooey Guinness chocolate brownies. She’s not a bad sport though, so is giving a nod to the Canadian team with a mouth-watering maple syrup ice cream to go with them.
Guinness chocolate brownies and maple ice cream
Serves: 12
Ingredients
For the maple ice cream:
200g condensed milk
600ml double cream
2-3 tbsp maple syrup
3 tbsp chopped pecans
For the Guinness brownies:
260g unsalted butter
300ml Guinness
100g cocoa powder
2 eggs
420g caster sugar
2 tsp vanilla essence
180ml buttermilk
300g plain flour
2 tsp bicarbonate of soda
1 tsp baking powder
Method
1. To make the ice cream, place the condensed milk and cream into a large bowl and, using an electric whisk, whisk together until you get a thick consistency with soft peaks.
2. Fold the chopped pecans through the ice cream then pour into a 1kg loaf tin. Drizzle the maple syrup on top and swirl through the ice cream, using the end of a spoon.
3. Cover and place in the freezer for at least 5 hours, or until solid.
4. To make the brownies, preheat the oven to 170°C / 160°C fan / Gas mark 3. Grease and line a deep 23 x 23cm cake tin with parchment paper and set aside.
5. Melt the butter in a saucepan over a medium heat until melted. Stir in the Guinness, then remove from the heat and stir in the cocoa powder.
6. In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the eggs, sugar, vanilla essence and buttermilk and then slowly add the Guinness mixture, whisking all the time.
7. In a separate large bowl, sieve together the flour, bicarbonate of soda and baking powder. Using an electric whisk, slowly pour the dry mixture into the wet ingredients and keep whisking until it is all well combined.
8. Transfer the mixture into the baking tin and bake for about 50-60 minutes, or until the brownie is slightly firm to the touch. Set aside to cool a little, and then remove from the tin and allow to cool completely on a wire rack.
9. Cut the cooled brownies into squares and serve with a scoop of the maple ice cream on top.