The world of beer is an exciting one. Just when you think you’ve tried it all, there’s a new flavour, an innovative brewing technique and exciting recipes using beer! At the 1000 Hills Brewing Company, we love pioneering fresh ideas combining the love of beer, food and fun. We’re bottled up with excitement to share great baking recipes to create mouth-watering brewsserts. Roll up your sleeves, crack a cold one and get ready to serve up some sweet treats.
Get craft(y) in the kitchen
Adding beer to our baking bowls is another exploration we’re adding to our ale fueled adventures. We love tapping into our inner mixologist with our guide to beer cocktails. And if you are more into savoury scrumptiousness, head on over to our beer cookbook ideas. To make the whole dining experience complete, put some mead in your knead for special days with these ‘ale’some baking recipes.
Brew crew rules
To start on your quest for boozy baking, there are a few ground rules to keep your creations fresh and flavourful.
Understanding Ales and Lagers
When choosing your baking beverage, it’s key to know your chosen recipe’s base flavour and what will pair and substitute well. Beers separate into two main groups: ales and lagers.
Lagers are cold fermented and typically have a crisp, light and dry sensation. Ales, however, ferment at warmer temperatures and tend to be a heavier, more complex set of flavours. Of these, individual craft beers have unique palettes and notes.
Porters present chocolatey, malted flavours and less bitter than most beer groups. On the other hand, stouts have a distinct bitter coffee flavour, have a higher alcohol level and reduces well in caramels with cream.
As for paler ales (like lagers and witbiers), they do well in cakes with similar palettes like citrus. India Pale Ales (IPA’s) lean more towards a hoppy, bitter flavour which intensifies during cooking. We suggest avoiding them in baking — but just to throw a wildcard into the mix, we have one recipe exception we could not leave out.
Treat ‘tip’ples
When making your beer-filled delights, there are expert tricks to keep in mind.
- Make sure to only use freshly opened room temperature beers — pour and let them sit for about five minutes.
- When baking try to stick with full-fat beer as beer’s acidity curdles with low-fat dairy.
- Serve and enjoy your dessert on the same day, as the flavour of your dish will change with time.
Recipes
Ginger Molasses Amber Ale cookies (with ice cream)
When we think of an Amber Ale, like The Cheerleader, we can’t help but picture the spirited, sweet caramelised toffee notes. These flavours cartwheel over into crisp-on-the-outside and chewy-on-the-inside cookies. And reason we love this recipe from King Arthur baking? Amber Ale reduces to a concentrated liquid which balances perfectly with a pleasantly spicy high kick of ginger. We’ll shimmy our pom-poms to that.
Ingredients:
- The Cheerleader (one bottle)
- 16 tablespoons (227g) unsalted butter, cold
- ¼ cup (85g) molasses
- 2 ¾ cups (546g) sugar, divided
- 1 teaspoon fine sea salt
- 2 teaspoons ginger powder
- 1 teaspoon allspice
- 1 teaspoon black pepper
- 3 cups (361g) unbleached all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 large egg
- ¾ cup (113g) golden raisins (lightly packed)
- ½ cup (92g) finely diced crystallized ginger
Method:
- Bring The Cheerleader to a simmer in a saucepan set over medium heat, stirring occasionally to avoid foaming over the sides — reduce the heat if necessary.
- Set The Cheerleader to a low boil, stir it often for about 15 minutes until it thickens and reduces to 3 tablespoons. Set pan aside to cool.
- In another medium saucepan set over low heat, heat the butter, molasses, 2 ¼ cups of sugar, and salt. Stir often for about 10 minutes until the butter melts, and the sugar and salt dissolve. Remove from heat.
- Next, stir in spices and The Cheerleader reduction. Cool for about 10 minutes.
- Whisk the flour and baking soda together in a large mixing bowl, slowly pouring in the liquid ingredients.
- Add the egg and mix until well blended to create a thick batter. Stir in the raisins and ginger.
- Cover the dough and refrigerate for 1 hour until firm.
- Preheat the oven to 180°C. Line two baking sheets with parchment and pour ½ cup sugar into a small bowl.
- Scoop the dough with a tablespoon and mould into balls. Roll the dough balls in the sugar to coat, and then on to baking sheets, leaving a 5cm gap in between.
- Bake for 14 minutes. When the edges just begin to brown, remove them from the oven.
- Rest the cookies for 5 minutes on the pan before transferring them on a rack to cool and crispen.
- Store your Cheerleader cookies in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 10 days or freeze for longer storage. Enjoy with ice cream or hot chocolate.
IPA Lemon Bars
Uncapping the right India Pale Ale feels like throwing a cap at graduation. Celebrate a sweet, fruity victory with The Graduate to ace these delicious lemon bars. They showcase a great crust with a touch of flakey crispness, cleverly pairing lemon with this IPA. Tap into this baking experience from The Beeroness to create about 10 to 12 blissful bars.
Ingredients:
Crust:
- 1 cup flour
- ⅓ cup powdered sugar
- 6 tablespoons unsalted butter
- Pinch of salt
Filling:
- 3 large eggs
- 1 ½ cups sugar
- ¼ cup flour
- 2 tablespoons corn starch
- ⅓ cup freshly squeezed lemon juice
- ¼ cup The Graduate
- Powdered sugar for dusting
Method:
- Mix flour, powdered sugar, butter and salt until well combined.
- Press the mixture into the bottom of a greased 20cm x 20cm pan (you can double the recipe for bigger tray sizes). Chill for 15 minutes.
- Preheat oven to 180°C.
- Bake at 180°C for 20 to 25 minutes or until golden brown. Remove from oven and allow to cool at room temperature for 15 minutes.
- In a large bowl, whisk the eggs, sugar, flour and corn starch together. Then, add in lemon juice, The Graduate and stir until combined. Pour the filling over the cooled crust.
- Bake for 20 to 25 minutes, or until the centre is set. Cool and then place in the refrigerator to chill for 2 to 3 hours. Cut and dust with powdered sugar before serving.
Candied Bacon
For those who like a twist to their treats, we tip our berets to this sugary meaty match made in bacon lovers heaven. Try this recipe from Tide and Thyme using our Belgian ale, The Foreign Exchange Student (FES). Traditionally made with stout, we swopped up the itinerary and packed in this strong dark brew with its hints of caramel and toffee. Think appetisers or the perfect addition to an after-dinner cheese board.
Ingredients:
- ½ kg thick-cut, high-quality bacon
- ½ cup brown sugar
- ¼ cup + 2 tablespoon beer (use a stout, or, The FES)
Method:
- Preheat oven to 200°C. Combine brown sugar and The FES in a small bowl, whisking well to form a thin syrup, and then set aside.
- Line a rimmed baking sheet with aluminium foil and then place a wire cooling rack on top. Place pieces of bacon on top of the rack, slide into the oven and cook for 10 minutes.
- Remove from oven and brush one side of the bacon with The FES beer syrup. Flip and coat the other side. Return to oven and cook for a further 10 minutes.
- Repeat the process another two times, using all the glaze and ensuring the bacon is crisp and brown.
- Cool on wire rack for at least 1 hour before serving.
Salut to sweet treats and tipples
May you satisfy your sweet tooth and clink your beers to another project well done. To discover other ideas like these baking recipes using craft beer, explore our blog.
