Guinness Chocolate Chunk Cookies

Holiday cookies at our house have beer in them, well this year anyway.  In case you think you didn't hear me right, yes I did say beer.  I can always count on recipes from Cuisine at Home to be terrific, so when I saw this one I knew I had to try it for Daryl.  Fortunately we had a few bottles of Guinness in the fridge so I gave them a try. 

Daryl was a bit concerned about me using 2 of his 3 remaining bottles of Guinness, but after his first bite he said, "this recipe is a keeper".  I must agree, they are very yummy!

These cookies bake up nice and fluffly, crispy on the outside and soft in the middle. They have a wonderful chocolatey flavor with a hint of the dark Guinness flavor.

It's a traditional cookie recipe, the only thing is adding some Guinness syrup.  You heat 2 bottles of beer with 1/2 cup of brown sugar until it's a bubbly syrup.  You don't want it to cool too much or it gets sticky. 

REDUCE
2 bottles Guinness extra stout (12 oz each)
1/2 cup packed brown sugar

WHISK
2 3/4 cups whole wheat pastry flour (or all purpose white)
1/3 cup dutch process cocoa powder (or regular unsweetened)
1 tsp. instant espresso powder
3/4 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. salt

CREAM
1 stick unsalted butter, room temperature
1/2 cup shortening
1 cup granulated sugar
1/2 cup packed brown sugar

ADD
2 eggs, room temperature
1 tsp. vanilla

STIR
2 cups white chocolate chunks/chips
1 cup dark chocolate (or semi-sweet) chunks/chips

Preheat oven to 350.  Line baking sheets with parchment paper.
Reduce beer with 1/2 cup brown sugar in a medium saucepan over medium-high heat until syrupy and measures 1/3 cup, 30-45 minutes.  Remove syrup from heat; set aside to cool slightly.
Whisk together flour, cocoa, espresso powder, baking soda, and salt in a bowl.
Cream butter, shortening, granulated sugar, and 1/2 cup brown sugar in a large bowl with a mixer on medium speed until fluffy, about 3 minutes.  Add beer syrup, eggs, and vanilla; mix to combine.
Stir flour-cocoa mixture into creamed mixture until flour is incorporated.  Fold in white and chocolate chunks/chips until distributed.
Drop dough by 2 or 3 Tbls scooper onto prepared baking sheets.  Bake cookies until edges are set, 12-14 minutes.  Let cookies cool 2 minutes on baking sheets, then transfer to a rack to cool completely.