soft stout cookies

I have been trying to find a way to put beer in a cookie for a very long time. Probably much longer than I’d like to admit.

Other people learn foreign languages in their spare time. Or take up golf! But after mastering French my sophomore year of college, I spent my free time dreaming about getting beer into cookies.

This cookie is the ultimate recipe hack and cobbled together from across the interwebs. Most recipes I found that called for beer in cookies started off by cooking down the beer with a bit of sugar to make a beer syrup. Who has time for that? I would take my time when making something like, oh I don’t know, a wedding cake, but we are making beer cookies. This is a open the can and pour in to the cookies type of situation.

After hours of research – an amount that rivaled my art history thesis – I came across a recipe for drunken pumpkin cookies. No beer syrup, dudes. I found a winner!

I added cocoa powder to make a rich chocolate cookie, a tablespoon of molasses for a hit of flavor, and took out everything related to the pumpkin part of the recipe. Success!

These soft stout cookies are screaming to be used as an ice cream sandwich. It is practically holding up a little sign and yelling at you. They are just barely sweet, perfectly soft, studded with bits of chocolate and would be sublime as the “bread” in an espresso ice cream sandwich.

But if you make those then you must invite me over to share with you.

Soft Stout Cookies

Makes about 3 dozen

Inspired by several sources, but mostly by this recipe in Draft Magazine

6 ounces stout beer, such as Guinness

1 stick butter, softened

1 1/2 cups flour

1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa

1 tablespoon black cocoa (or unsweetened cocoa)

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1 teaspoon baking powder

1 1/2 cups chocolate chips

1/2 cup brown sugar

1/4 cup sugar

1 tablespoon molasses

1/2 teaspoon vanilla

1 egg

Preheat the oven to 350 and line a baking sheet with parchment. In a medium bowl whisk together the flour, cocoa powders, salt, baking soda, baking powder and chocolate chips. In a larger bowl beat the butter with the sugars until light and fluffy. Add the molasses, vanilla and egg and beat well. Alternate the flour and the beer with the egg mixture until combined.

Chill the dough for about 30 minutes, or until it has firmed up enough to scoop out cookies. Scoop on the prepared baking sheet and bake for 15-17 minutes or until the top springs back lightly when touched. Cool completely.