If you’re ready to make these for yourself, head to Jackie’s site for the recipe. But if you’re an insecure baker like me (is that what it’s supposed to look like?), here are some tips to let you know you’re doing things right… or at least to make you feel better about your own abilities in the kitchen!

First things first, gather your ingredients. If you’re like me, that means at the grocery store… so here’s your shopping list.

• 1 cup all-purpose flour
• ¼ cup cocoa powder
• 1 tablespoon baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon espresso powder
• ¼ cup granulated sugar
• 12 ounces good quality dark chocolate (60% cocao)
• 1/2 stick unsalted butter
• 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
• 1/2 cup Chocolate Stout
• 2 large eggs
• 1 cup powdered sugar

Now that you’re back from your second trip to the store (because you thought you had eggs but you didn’t), you’re ready to make cookies! Get a bowl and throw in your dry ingredients (flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, salt, espresso, and granulated sugar), mix it up and set it aside for later.

Next, chop up your chocolate and put it in a microwave safe bowl, along with your eggs and 2 tablespoons of vegetable oil. You’re gonna melt this in the microwave, 20 seconds at a time, so the smaller your chop your chocolate, the quicker the melting will happen. But don’t take it to extremes—I see you over there mincing your chocolate into tiny crumbs… no one like a smart ass.

When your chocolate’s all melted and looking good, add the beer. Now, you’re probably noticing about now that the recipe calls for only 1/2 cup of delicious velvety smooth chocolate stout, which means you’re left with 2/3 of a 12 oz. beer or, in my case, a solid 14.5 ounces of Samuel Smith’s Organic Chocolate Stout… Well done, my friend. I trust that you’ll find a suitable use for that leftover beer. (Cheers!)

Now that you’ve got a beer in your hand, you might not care that much about the rest of the recipe, but we’re about to take a break so stay with me for a few more minutes. Next, add the eggs, stir, then add the dry ingredients, and stir again until it’s all mixed together. Mine was the consistency of brownie batter at this point… I have no idea if that’s how it’s supposed to look or not. For now, cover the bowl with saran wrap, put it in the fridge, and enjoy your beer.

…1 million hours later…

Ok, now that the dough is set, we’re ready to finish these damn things. Preheat your oven to 350°. My stove is so old that the numbers have worn off the temperature knob, so if that goes for you too, just eyeball it. Next, pour some powdered sugar in a bowl. Then, using a cookie dough scoop or whatever ya got (in my case, a spoon worked just fine), make balls and roll into shape with your hands. (This part got a little messy… I found that dipping my fingers in water periodically helped keep the dough from sticking to my hands.) Drop the dough balls into the powdered sugar and roll ’em around until they’re well coated. Now, line a baking sheet with parchment paper, and place cookie balls a few inches apart. Bake cookies at 350° for 10 minutes or so—until the edges have set but the center is still a bit soft. Jackie’s recipe warns not to over-bake or the cookies will be dry and crumbly.

Now, the moment of truth. I pulled my cookies out, questioning whether or not they were done enough… as I do every time I bake anything. After letting them cool on the baking sheet for a couple minutes I transferred them to a wire rack to cool completely. After an hour or so, the cookies were still so soft that they were practically melting as soon as you put one in your mouth. I thought for sure that I had done something wrong… forgotten an ingredient, under-cooked them, they just didn’t seem right. I went to bed feeling like a failure, racks of cookies still on the kitchen counter.

Amazingly, when I awoke the next morning, they had set! They were firm but not too hard or crunchy… similar to the consistency of a brownie… and they were delicious! It was a success!! I baked cookies, using craft beer, and they were edible!

So there you have it, the tale of how I baked with beer and came out victorious.

The post Channeling The Beeroness: Chocolate Stout Crinkle Cookies first appeared on The Craft Beer Blog.

For your Sweetheart

I know.  This first gift is making some pretty bold claims, but what’s a little white lie on Valentine’s Day?  Really though, we know you love beer, but one of the best parts of drinking beer is the people we drink it with right!?  Let em know how much you really care with this hand stamped copper keychain from White Lilie Designs on Etsy.com.  The copper word cloud charm can also be made into a necklace so your loving sentiments rest close to the heart.  This is perfect for those beer loving couples that know how to have fun together.

For the Craft Beer Geek

Nothing makes you more of a geek than reading, right?  For the suds lover in your life that loves to learn about craft beer, this book by Joshua M. Bernstein is a great resource.  Brewed Awakening: Behind the Beers and Brewers Leading the World’s Craft Brewing Revolution is perfect for craft brew nerds at every level.  Published by Sterling Epicure in 2011, Brewed Awakening covers everything from basic brewing processes to the latest trends in the craft beer industry.  Learn more about the beer that put craft brewing on the map and the brewers behind your favorite craft brands.  Gain insight into food & beer pairing, and even get tips on aging beer.  You can find this book online and at local bookstores everywhere, but if you want to step it up a notch this Valentine’s Day, head over to Joshua’s website where you can buy an autographed copy and gift pack for even less than the books list price!

For the Homebrewer

Love the smell of wort boiling in the morning?  If the beer lover in your life is also an aspiring brewer, try one of these Homebrew Kits from Rogue Ales in Newport, OR.   These Do-It-Yourself beer making kits come with top quality ingredients and easy to follow instructions that help make brewing at home a breeze!  Spend the day brewing together, then enjoy your special Valentine’s Brew when it’s finished fermenting!  I bought one of these for JD last Christmas and he loved it.  We had a blast brewing together and are anxiously waiting to see how close our batch comes to the real thing!   *Please note, due to shipping restrictions, these kits do not contain yeast.  To brew, you can buy the recommended yeast, or an acceptable substitute, at your local homebrew shop.

For Long Distance Beer Lovers

When you can’t be there in person, send your love with a Beer & Chocolate Gift Basket, like this one by Simply Classic Gourmet Gift Baskets.  An assortment of microbrews is the perfect match for the chocolate truffles, pretzel sticks, Valentine cookies and Ghirardelli chocolate squares.  To keep your love burning even though you’re far away, grab a bottle or two of one of the brews included in the basket and some chocolate of your own.  That way, you can call your sweetheart on Valentine’s Day and enjoy one of the pairings together over the phone.  Describe the aromas and flavors to one another as you indulge in the silky, rich character of beer & chocolate together.  Soon enough the distance will melt away and you won’t feel so far from one another after all.

The post Beer Mine, Valentine. first appeared on The Craft Beer Blog.