Hop Brownies

Hop Brownies

Hop Brownies - a fun way to use hops in the kitchen! The slight bitterness balances the richness of the brownies, for a unique and complex dessert offering!

Somewhat recently, I updated my old “Double Chocolate Walnut Brownies” post to add a lot more information - and side recipes - for all of the ways we tend to mess with the recipe, depending on our mood.

... but I didn’t cover one flavour variation that we love: Hopped Brownies!

I figure these deserve their own post!

Why Hop Brownies

Hops are a unique herb to use in the kitchen, as they can impart a variety of different flavours in your food, depending on the variety chosen.

As I discussed in my Hop Lemonade post, the aromas and flavours from hops come from the acids in lupulin - a sticky substance that grows in the hop cones.

The slightly bitter finish from the hops works really well with the rich chocolate taste, especially with the addition of the brown sugar. The hops brighten and balance it up, so the heaviness of the brownie isn't cloying.

As a note, We used “Special Dark” cocoa, and extract made from Citra® hops for this. You can use regular cocoa powder if you’d like - it’ll just make a slightly lighter coloured brownie.

Hop Format

In my Homemade Hop Extracts post, I talked about how hops come in 3 main formats - pellets, loose leaf, and fresh.

This recipe, however, was written to use hop extract. Honestly, any excuse for me to use Citra hops - which work best, in cooking, as an extract.

If you’d like to use a different form of hops for this brownie recipe, I recommend using pelletized hops. I’m just not a fan of visible green material in brownies!

Be sure to finely crush/powder your pelletized hops, and ideally work it into the sugar to make sure it’s well distributed, before adding it to the mix.

While hops can bring a nice flavour to brownies, I wouldn’t want to bite down into a concentrated glob of it!

I would start with ¼-1/2 teaspoon of powder, depending on the variety of hop used, and how hoppy you want it to be.

Low acid hops (more on that in a minute) can be added in greater quantities than you’d want for a high acid hop.

A batch of brownies made for hopheads/hop enthusiasts can handle more hops than a batch you’d make for a general audience.

Hop Variety

As I mentioned earlier, the hop variety you choose will affect the flavour it imparts on the finished brownie.

As a big fan of the chocolate/citrus combination, I LOVE using Citra hops in this.

They don’t taste exactly like orange, or lemon, or any identifiable citrus fruit... but are definitely citrussy, and just taste ... fancy and exotic, I guess?

Love it. Also: Citra hops make one of the best cheesecakes ever: Hopped Cheesecake with Citrus Glaze.

Anyway, citrus isn’t the only flavour that works well with brownies, it all depends on your tastes. Herbal/piney and floral varieties also work really well with chocolate.

I went over a bunch of varieties that are good for cooking in my Hop Marinated Chicken Skewers post, so have a look at that info and see what speaks to you!

How to Make Hop Brownies

Like my main brownies recipe, this is a very simple and straightforward brownie recipe:

- Preheat oven, prepare a pan with pan spray or shortening.

- In a large mixing bowl, combine dry ingredients.

- Add beaten eggs, melted butter, and hop extract, stir until dry ingredients are well incorporated and wet.

- Add chocolate chips, stir until evenly distributed in the batter.

- Spread batter into prepared pan, bae.

- brownies are done when a knife inserted into the center comes out clean. Let cool completely.

... One bowl, no melting chocolate, just stir it together and dump it in a pan!

Fan of hops? You'll LOVE my cookbook, Hedonistic Hops: A Hop Head's Guide to Kitchen Badassery"!

Hops are prized for their ability to impart varied, complex flavours to beer… but did you know they can also be used culinarily? While hops may seem like a bizarre or exotic item to cook with, it’s the same as using other herbs and spices in your kitchen… you just have to know what to do with them. Appetizers, main dishes, beverages.. even desserts can be uplifted with hops! Even those who are not fans of beer will love the unique flavours that various types of hops can bring to their plate. Floral, earthy, peppery, citrusy… Cooking with hops is a great way to expand your seasoning arsenal!

Order your copy directly through this website, through Amazon, or through any major bookseller!

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Hop Brownies

Hop Brownies - a fun way to use hops in the kitchen! The slight bitterness balances the richness of the brownies, for a unique and complex dessert offering!

Prep Time15 mins

Cook Time25 mins

Total Time40 mins

Course: Dessert

Cuisine: American

Servings: 12 People

Calories: 455kcal

Author: Marie Porter

Equipment

9 x 13 Baking Dish

Ingredients

Brownies:

• 1 cup Cocoa powder
• 1 cup Granulated sugar
• 1 cup Light brown sugar packed
• 1 cup All purpose flour*
• ½ teaspoon Salt
• 4 Large eggs
• 1 cup Butter melted
• 2 teaspoon Hop extract
• 2 cups Milk Chocolate chips

Frosting:

• 2 cups Powdered confectioners / icing sugar
• 2 tablespoon Cocoa powder
• Pinch Salt
• 3 tablespoon Milk
• 2 teaspoon Hop extract

Instructions

Brownies

• Preheat oven to 350F (180 C). Prepare 9 x 13 pan ( or two 8 x 8” pans) with pan spray or shortening.
• In large mixing bowl, combine first five ingredients.
• Add beaten eggs, melted butter, and hop extract, stir until dry ingredients are well incorporated and wet.
• Add chocolate chips, stir until evenly distributed in the batter.
• Spread batter into prepared pan(s), Bake for 20 – 25 minutes for 8 x 8” pans, or 30-35 minutes for 9 x 13” pan.
• Brownies are done when knife inserted into center comes out clean. Let cool completely.

Frosting:

• Whisk together powdered sugar, cocoa powder, and salt.
• Add milk and hop extract, whisk to form a thick, smooth frosting.
• Heat in microwave for 15 seconds, pour/spread on cooled brownies.
• Allow to set before cutting and serving.

Notes

*For gluten free:

Swap out the all purpose flour for:
Light buckwheat flour ½ cup 125 ml
Sorghum flour ¼ cup 50 ml
Coconut flour ¼ cup 50 ml

Nutrition

Calories: 455kcal | Carbohydrates: 56g | Protein: 10g | Fat: 24g | Saturated Fat: 14g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 116mg | Sodium: 341mg | Potassium: 471mg | Fiber: 3g | Sugar: 43g | Vitamin A: 757IU | Vitamin C: 2mg | Calcium: 239mg | Iron: 2mg

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