Drink your beer…

…and eat it, too

Miles Sanguinetti

Beer me: Incorporating your favorite brew into a recipe can breathe new life into a home-cooked meal.

Cooking with beer is a venerable tradition that is finding new life among culinary craftsmen.
Thanks to the delicious effects of the craft beer movement, using beer as an ingredient has progressed far beyond the basic beer-battered fish and chips we are used to seeing on happy hour menus.

Now, I know what you’re thinking—cooking with beer seems like a waste—but hear me out. The malty and hoppy flavors will not only perk up your meal, it will make your food taste like beer. And nothing goes better with beer than more beer.

Add a cup of citrusy IPA to a teriyaki stir fry, flavor your next hearty soup with a nut brown ale or get creative and add a little smoked vanilla porter to your French toast egg batter.

The possibilities are endless, but to get you started, here’s my favorite recipe using an old favorite—Guinness.

GUINNESS CHOCOLATE CUPCAKES
Perfect for the upcoming holiday season, these little Irish gems will have you jigging around the potluck table. If Guinness isn’t adventurous enough for you, try this recipe with Rogue’s Double Chocolate Stout, Maui Brewing Company’s Coconut Porter or Captured by Porches’ Halloween offering, Punctured by Corpses Undead Porter.

INGREDIENTS

3/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
2 cups sugar
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 tsp baking soda
1/8 tsp salt
1 bottle (12 oz) Guinness
1 stick unsalted butter, melted
1 tbsp vanilla extract
3 eggs
3/4 cup sour cream

Frosting
2 packages cream cheese (8 oz each), softened at room temperature
1/2 cup butter, softened
2 cups confectioners’ sugar
1 tsp vanilla extract
(Add 4 tbsp of Baileys in lieu of vanilla extract) for an extra kick

DIRECTIONS

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

In a medium mixing bowl, sift together the cocoa, sugar, flour, baking soda and salt.
In a large mixing bowl, mix the stout, melted butter and vanilla extract. Add eggs, beating one at a time. Add the sour cream and mix until smooth. Add the dry ingredients slowly in three parts, mixing after each addition until combined.

Place cupcake liners in a muffin tin. Scoop the batter equally into the muffin liners, filling each one 3/4 full. Bake for 12 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Cool before removing and frosting. Makes 24 cupcakes.

Frosting

Mix softened cream cheese, melted butter and vanilla (or Irish cream) until smooth. Sift in confectioners’ sugar, mixing after each addition until combined. For sweeter frosting, add more confectioners’ sugar to taste.

Store any leftover frosting in the refrigerator.

Another option is to buy ready-made chocolate frosting and mix in 4–5 tablespoons of Guinness or espresso powder using an electric mixer.