About These Small Batch Baileys Brownies
These small batch Baileys brownies are thick, fudgy, and slathered with a decadent layer of Baileys scented dark chocolate ganache in honor of St. Patrick’s Day! The recipe is small batch, and instructs you to make the brownies in a 9 x 5-inch loaf pan. Doing so results in just 8 brownies, perfect for 2 to 4 people.
For more small batch baking recipes that yield goods for 2 to 4 people, check out Hummingbird High‘s Small Batch Baking recipe collection! Popular recipes include these Small Batch Pumpkin Muffins and this Texas Sheet Cake Recipe for 9 x 13 Inch Pan.
Ingredients and Substitutions
Now that I’ve convinced you to make these small batch Baileys brownies, here’s everything you need to make the recipe:
Shopping List For Small Batch Baileys Brownies Recipe
- unsalted butter
- dark (between 60% to 70% cacao) chocolate
- cocoa powder
- all-purpose flour
- espresso powder/instant coffee granules
- kosher salt
- brown sugar
- granulated sugar
- large eggs
- pure vanilla extract
- Baileys Irish Cream
- heavy cream
And let’s talk about some key ingredients and potential substitutions:
Ingredient Sources and Substitutions
- Unsalted Butter. You can substitute the unsalted butter with salted butter without any noticeable difference in taste.
- Dark Chocolate. Check out this post to learn about the chocolate I recommend for baking, and why you should avoid bittersweet and semisweet chocolate varieties!
- All-Purpose Flour. Substitute the all-purpose flour with your favorite 1-1 Gluten Free All Purpose Flour (I like the ones by Bob’s Red Mill and King Arthur Baking Company) to make the brownies gluten-free!
- Espresso Powder/Instant Coffee Granules. Pairing coffee and chocolate together leads to more intense chocolate flavors. You can use either espresso powder (which bakers tend to have on hand), or, in a pinch, the same amount of instant coffee granules. Don’t have either? Don’t stress! You can skip it completely—the brownies will still be plenty delicious.
- Kosher Salt. Kosher salt is the best salt for baking recipes. But you can replace the kosher salt in the recipe with table salt. Just use half the amount listed in the recipe when you do!
- Brown Sugar. Brown sugar is available in two varieties: light or dark. Dark brown sugar is my personal preference; because it contains more molasses, I find it to be more flavorful. However, you can use either in this recipe.
How To Make Small Batch Baileys Brownies
Here are the basic steps to make the Baileys brownies from scratch:
- Prep the ingredients. (Prep Time: 10 minutes)
- Make the fudge brownie batter. (Work Time: 15 minutes)
- Bake the brownies. (Bake Time: 40 minutes)
- Wait for the brownies to cool completely, then make the Baileys ganache. (Work Time: 10 minutes)
- Assemble the Baileys brownies. (Work Time: 5 minutes)
Best Recipe Tips
About Baking The Brownies
- It’s better to pull the brownies out of the oven early than leave them in too long—if you over bake the brownies, they’ll be tough. They might appear underbaked, but I promise that when they’ve cooled, they will be perfect.
About Making Ganache
- It can be tricky to get ganache right if you’ve never made it before. Make sure to follow the ingredient instructions and chop the chocolate super finely, into ¼- and ½-inch pieces. If you go bigger than that, the chocolate won’t melt properly and you’ll end up with lumpy ganache! Stir the chocolate slowly, but steadily. If you go too quickly, the ganache will split, and if you go too slowly, the chocolate won’t melt.
Get the Recipe: Small Batch Baileys Brownie Recipe
These small batch Baileys brownies are thick and fudgy, with a decadent layer of Baileys dark chocolate ganache. The recipe makes 8 decadent brownies.
Ingredients
For The Fudge Brownies
- ½ cup (4 ounces or 113 grams) unsalted OR salted butter, cut into 1-inch cubes
- 4 ounces (or 113 grams) dark chocolate (between 60% to 70% cacao), from whole feves/baking discs or a bar chopped into 1- to 2-inch pieces
- 2 teaspoons natural unsweetened OR Dutch-processed cocoa powder
- ½ cup (2.25 ounces or 64 grams) all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon espresso powder OR instant coffee granules
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt
- ½ cup tightly packed (3.75 ounces or 106 grams) light OR dark brown sugar
- ½ cup (3.5 ounces or 99 grams) granulated sugar
- 2 large eggs, at room temperature
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
For The Baileys Ganache
- 3 ounces (or 85 grams) dark chocolate (between 60% to 70% cacao), from whole feves/baking discs or a bar chopped into ¼- and ½-inch pieces
- 3 Tablespoons (1.5 ounces or 43 grams) Baileys Irish Cream
- 3 Tablespoons (1.5 ounces or 43 grams) heavy cream
Equipment
- 9 x 5-inch loaf pan
- offset spatula
Instructions
For The Small Batch Baileys Brownies
- First, make the brownies. Position a rack in the center of the oven and preheat the oven to 350°F. Spray a 9 x 5-inch loaf pan with cooking spray and line it with parchment paper, leaving a 2-inch overhang on the long sides. Spray the parchment, too.
- Melt the butter and chocolate. Place the butter, chocolate, and cocoa powder in the top of a double boiler or in a heatproof bowl set over a medium, heavy-bottomed saucepan filled with a few inches of simmering water (be sure the bottom of the bowl does not touch the water). Cook over medium heat, using a heatproof rubber spatula to stir the mixture and scrape the sides of the bowl occasionally, until the butter and chocolate have melted and combined, 5 to 10 minutes. Set the double boiler or bowl on a wire rack and let the chocolate mixture cool while you prep the other ingredients.
- Mix the dry ingredients. In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, espresso powder or instant coffee granules, and salt.
- Mix the sugars, eggs, and vanilla, then add the chocolate and dry ingredients. In a large bowl, whisk together the sugars, eggs, and vanilla until just combined. Slowly pour in the chocolate mixture while whisking. Continue whisking until smooth, about 1 minute. Sprinkle the dry ingredients over the batter all at once and use a rubber spatula to mix until just combined.
- Bake the brownies. Pour the batter into the prepared pan and use an offset spatula to smooth the top. Bake for 40 to 45 minutes, or until a skewer inserted into the center of the brownies comes out with a few crumbs attached. Cool completely on a wire rack before topping with the ganache.
- Make the Baileys ganache. Once the brownies are cool, make the ganache. Place the chocolate for the ganache in a small, heatproof bowl. In a small, heavy-bottomed saucepan, cook the Baileys and the cream over medium-high heat to just under a boil. Immediately pour over the chocolate, then place a dinner plate over the bowl to create a makeshift lid. Let sit, undisturbed, for 5 minutes. After 5 minutes, remove the plate. Whisk slowly but steadily until the ganache is thick, smooth, and shiny.
- Top the brownies with the ganache. Immediately pour the ganache over the unsliced brownies, using an offset spatula to spread it evenly to the edges. Refrigerate the bars, uncovered, for 30 minutes to 1 hour, to allow the ganache to set and cool.
- Serve and store. Run a butter knife or offset spatula along the edges of the pan and use the overhanging parchment as handles to lift the brownies out of the pan and onto a cutting board. To make 8 brownies, unmold the brownies from the pan and slice them lengthwise. Hold the two long slices together, and slice them into quarters crosswise. This will create 8 brownie squares. The brownies can be stored in an airtight container or zip-top bag at room temperature for up to 3 days
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Weeknight Baking:
Recipes to Fit your Schedule
Over the past several years of running Hummingbird High, I kept a crucial aspect of my life hidden from my readers: I had a full-time, extremely demanding job in the tech world. In my debut cookbook, Weeknight Baking, I finally reveal the secrets to baking delicious desserts on a tight schedule.
