Ever since I was a kid, I’ve always loved pretzels. They’re still a snack of choice at my house. From time-to-time, I’ll even work them into a dessert recipe like these Salted Pretzel and Stout Brownies, sponsored by Frito-Lay.
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This recipe starts with rich, creamy stout beer bubbling away over high heat. The beer is reduced to concentrate flavor while removing water. Eventually the stout reduction is swirled into a dark chocolate brownie batter infused with vanilla and molassesy brown sugar. A clattering cup of semisweet chocolate chips are a final addition before rows of ROLD GOLD® Original Tiny Twists Pretzels get arranged on top.
Fudgy in texture, the finished brownies are deep and dark with just the right amount of sweetness. The stout reduction provides depth of flavor without making them taste too much like beer, and the pretzels on top add a salty and crunchy contrast. These brownies are so good you guys. You really need to make them, especially for your upcoming Super Bowl LII party. Continue reading for the recipe.
These Salted Pretzel and Stout Brownies would be a perfect addition to a game day dessert spread. You can cut the brownies into various sizes (see picture above) as needed. Throwing a large party? Cut the brownies up into 35 1 x 1 squares, so everyone can have a taste or two. For a mid-sized bash, you may want to cut them into 2 x 1 rectangles. This size is also good for dunking into cold milk. For a smaller gathering, you may want to cut into larger 4 x 4 squares. These bigger brownies are delicious when topped with a scoop of vanilla ice cream.
I just love the contrast of the crunchy pretzels and the fudgy brownie. The pretzels on top will soften a bit as the brownies sit, so it’s best to make these the day you are going to serve them. They’re still tasty even with the softer topping. You just won’t get that texture contrast on top.
Although these brownies would be a tasty treat at Super Bowl LII party, the addition of stout beer here also makes them perfect for St. Patrick’s Day, so bookmark this recipe now for March!
Salted Pretzel and Stout Brownies Recipe
Ingredients
- 1 cup stout beer
- 1 cup all purpose flour, plus more for the pan
- 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
- 3/4 teaspoon fine sea salt
- 3/4 cup (1 1/2 sticks) unsalted butter, plus more to butter the pan
- 6 ounces bittersweet chocolate, chopped
- 1 cup sugar
- 1 cup firmly packed light brown sugar
- 4 large eggs, at room temperature
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 1 cup semisweet chocolate chips
- 35 ROLD GOLD® Original Tiny Twists Pretzels
Instructions
- Bring stout to a boil in a medium saucepan over medium-high heat. Cook until the stout reduces to 1/3 cup (about 15 minutes). Watch the pot during the first couple of minutes to make sure it doesn’t boil over, and adjust heat as needed. Set aside.
- Preheat an oven to 350°F. Lightly butter a 9" x 13" baking pan, line with parchment, then lightly butter and flour the parchment. Tap out excess flour. Leave some parchment overhang (see photo above), so you can easily pull the brownies out of the pan.
- Add flour, baking soda and fine grain sea salt to a medium bowl, whisking to combine. Set aside.
- Bring a large pot filled with 2 inches of water to a simmer. Set a heatproof bowl on top of the pot, but make sure the bottom of the bowl is not touching the simmering water. Add butter and chocolate to the bowl, stirring until melted and combined. Turn off the heat, but keep the bowl on the pot. Whisk white sugar and light brown sugar into the chocolate mixture. Remove the bowl from the pot and whisk in the eggs 1 at a time. Switch to a spatula, then stir in vanilla and reduced stout. Gently fold flour mixture into the chocolate mixture until just incorporated. Then fold in chocolate chips. Do not overmix here. Pour brownie batter into the prepared baking dish. Arrange pretzels in even rows on top of the batter.
- Cook for 25 - 30 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center of the brownies comes out with just a few moist crumbs. You may want to test in a few spots, because hitting a chocolate chip with the toothpick will make the brownies seem wetter than they actually are. Transfer the baking pan to a cooling rack, and let cool.
- Using the parchment overhang, lift the brownies from the pan, and cut into squares or rectangles, leaving the pretzels on top in tact.
This post was written in partnership with Frito-Lay. All thoughts, opinions and recipes are my own. Find more game day recipes with Frito-Lay on their Pinterest page!
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I’m Brandon: food explorer, recipe curator, cocktail shaker, dessert lover. Kitchen Konfidence is how I document my time spent in my favorite space, the kitchen. Did you make a recipe? Tag @brandiego on Instagram so I can see the how it went!
averie @ averie cooks says
I love how the pretzels fit PERFECTLY in a 9×13 pan and you didn’t have to trim or break any of them to get complete coverage. These are things another blogger notices 🙂
I have made brownies with pretzels and you’re so right – the taste/texture contrast is fabulous!
Brandon Matzek says
Haha I was so happy that they fit perfectly without breakage 😉 Thanks Averie!
Brian @ A Thought For Food says
I love salty desserts, so there’s no doubt I’d love these.
Brandon Matzek says
Mmmm, me too. Thanks Brian!
julie says
i am a huge fan of salty sweet and my mother is retired from Frito Lay, so needless to say i was excited to try these. wondering if i did something wrong, but i was so disappointed these didn’t turn out well. i bake often so i’m confident in the kitchen and with my oven. i did the full 30 minutes b/c i use baking stones. i ended up needing to bake a total of 53 minutes. also, the pretzels now have that chewy, stale texture as opposed to crispy. this is not due to the extended baking time, b/c i tried a brownie at the 30 minute mark also. my last disappointment is the fact that the stout flavor isn’t noticeable at all. please don’t allow this to be a deterrent if you are considering making these. it simply didn’t work for me, but your stout brownie treat may be just what your taste buds desire.
Jenny Rubottom says
That salty/sweet combo looks like pure PERFECTION!!!
Lexi says
I made this recipe and wanted to add my voice to the comment above– they definitely needed more time. All in all, they needed baking for 50 minutes and you can’t taste the stout. They taste like regular brownies with a bit more salt. That said, they were really good, fudgy brownies and I really liked the pretzels on top; the pretzels added a bit of crunch, visual interest and complemented the sweetness. I would make them again, but not sure the stout is needed.
Brandon Matzek says
Hey Lexi!! Thanks so much for the feedback. I’ll have to make these again and double check the timing. I did mention above that the stout is there to provide some depth of flavor without making them taste too much like beer. You’ll notice a difference if you don’t add the stout, but I’m sure they would still be tasty without it. If you try that variation, please let me know!