The Holiday Season is here. That means time for lots of shopping, before and after Christmas (because taking advantage of the end-of-year sales is a must), and lots of parties. There are all the Christmas parties, New Year’s Eve parties, football watching parties—at this time of year it is not hard to find a reason for a party.

Whether you are hosting or attending, there are two things you are going to need a lot of—food (preferably in the form of sinful, naughty treats) and beer (preferably NoCoast).

Why NoCoast? Easy—because you want your guests to say they loved your party and especially the beer you served. If you are a guest, bringing a six-pack or two of some of the great beers produced by NoCoast is a surefire way to get invited again next year.

But there is just one problem—which one(s) do you bring?

You can’t go wrong with any of the beers in the NoCoast family, of course. That just makes it harder to decide. But what if you could include one with the festivities without excluding the others-- as a sinfully delicious dessert treat?

Check out this recipe for salted caramel stuffed Low Brow brown ale brownies:

Ingredients:

1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter
1 1/4 cup sugar
1 1/4 cups chopped dark chocolate
1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
3 large eggs, cold
3/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour, sifted
3/4 cup Low Brow Brown Ale, divided

salted caramel sauce:
1 cup sugar
3 tablespoons water
3/4 cup heavy cream
3 tablespoons unsalted butter
1 teaspoon crushed sea salt flakes (kosher salt is fine)

Directions:

Stage 1: Prepare
Preheat the oven to 275˚F. Then line a baking dish with parchment paper and set it aside.

Stage 2: Mixing
Put the butter, sugar, chocolate, and cocoa powder into a double boiler and place over medium-high heat. Stir the ingredients as the melt to create a thick, but smooth texture. Remove the mixture from the heat, and then stir in the vanilla extract and salt. Allow the mixture to cool (approximately ten minutes).

Once it has cooled, add the eggs one at a time, quickly whisking after each addition, to prevent scrambling. Stir in the flour and 1/2 cup Newcastle Brown Ale and stir until mixture has just come together and is smooth. Pour half of the batter into the pan and evenly spread.

Stage 3: Baking
Bake for about 25 minutes at 275 degrees.

Stage 4: The Sauce
While the first layer of brownies bake is a perfect time to make the salted caramel sauce. Place sugar and water into a saucepan with tall sides and bring to a boil. Do not stir while the sugar melts to keep the mixture from crystallizing. Boil until the mixture becomes a lovely shade of amber. Remove it from the heat and add the cream while swirling the saucepan and stirring.

Continue to stir as you add the butter and salt. Stir until the butter melts, and salted caramel sauce is thoroughly blended. Set aside until ready to use.

Stage 5: Baking Part 2
Once the first layer of brownies has cooked, remove them from the oven. Pour caramel sauce evenly over the surface. Stir remaining beer into the remaining half of the batter and pour over the salted caramel sauce. Spread the batter so that it covers as much of the caramel sauce as possible.

Put your brownies back in the oven and bake for another 25 to 30 minutes or until brownie batter has set and the top has cracked slightly. Remove your brownies from the oven and allow them to cool (for about 30 minutes)

Stage 6: Decorate and Serve
Top your brownies with pan powdered sugar (if you want), cut into squares, and serve...maybe with an ice-cold Low Brow Brown Ale. That way Beauty Is Not Just In The Eye Of The Beer Holder But The Brownie Holder as well!

Make your festivities— well, festive – and get cooking with NoCoast today. Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!