Hershey Syrup & Hubbard's Cave Brownies

If there's anything I hold on to most around December and the holidays, it's the nostalgia of everything encompassing my godmother. Every ornament on my Christmas tree is from her and these brownies are my number one recipe from her collection. This Hubbard's Cave stout was waiting in my fridge for a cold day (which is finally here). It's thick, boozy, and pretty sweet. It's seamless that stouts mix well with chocolate so I had to pair it with the best brownie recipe.

People always ask how I came to love to bake or who taught me - and it's funny because my mom actually hates baking. My godmother and my grandma are the source! Family recipes are a great way to remember someone and what they meant to you or recreate memories with new people!

This recipe actually stems from an old Marshall Fields employee cookbook. It's spiral bound and definitely from a typewriter. There are some gems in this thing for sure, but these brownies are the golden ticket in my family because of how easy/delicious they are. I personally love them warmed up for about 20 seconds with a scoop of vanilla ice cream on top 🤤 - and a glass of beer! Enjoy!

Ingredients

Brownies

• 1 stick Margarine

• 4 Eggs

• 1 tsp. Vanilla

• 1 cup Sugar

• 1 cup All Purpose Flour

• 1/2 tsp. Salt

• 1 cup Chopped Nuts (optional)

• 1 large can Hershey's syrup (if you can't find the can, it's 1.5 cups of syrup)

Frosting

• 1.5 cups Sugar

• 1 stick Margarine

• 1/4 cup Hubbard's Cave Vanilla Imperial Stout (or whatever you choose! If opting for no beer, use 6 tbsp. of milk instead)

• 1 cup Chocolate Chips

• 1/2 cup Chopped Nuts (optional)

Instructions

• Preheat your oven to 350°F

• In a large mixing bowl, combine the margarine and sugar and cream together

• Once mixed, add the vanilla followed by the eggs.

• Pour in the hershey syrup followed by the flour and salt and nuts if you are adding them. Beat until fully combined. (The batter will look thin but it's fine!)

• Pour into a greased baking dish and bake for 25-30 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean from the center.

• Once you take the brownies out of the oven, it's time to start the frosting.

• In a small pot over medium heat, melt the remaining stick of margarine with sugar.

• Boil for ~3 minutes or until sugar has dissolved.

• Once boiling, add in chocolate chips, nuts, and beer. Stir until all chocolate has melted and then remove from heat.

• Pour on top of brownies and let sit overnight for the frosting to harden into a fudge like consistency.