Irish Cookie Bars

Irish Cookie Bars

A beer infused cookie bar is layered with an Irish whiskey caramel and a fluffy malty layer of Guinness marshmallow topping. Dark chocolate and gold splatter bring this iconic dessert together for a bangin’ St. Paddy’s Day treat.

I won’t beat around the bush, this Irish cookie bar recipe is quite involved. It is worth every ounce of effort in the end though so if you love malty, creamy, sweet treats this recipe will blow you away. Quite literally. There is beer and whiskey flavor cooked into every layer of these cookie bars. Though these won’t get you drunk, (the alcohol more than likely has been cooked off. Hopefully.) they will please any person who is a fan of beer.

I made these Irish cookie bars with a couple of popular drinks in mind. The first is a black & tan, usually poured with an Irish Pale Ale and Guinness. The Guinness is lighter than the beer giving it a divided look in a pint glass with delicious Guinness floating on top of the lighter beer. One of many ways I love enjoying an ice cold Guinness. This dark beer has been a long time favorite of mine since the first time I drank a frothy cold pint. Bitter but smooth at the same time and so easy drink when eating delicious Irish food.

My second most favorite way to enjoy Guinness is in a milkshake believe it or not. The Alamo Drafthouse in Austin used to serve (I’m unsure if they still do) a Guinness milkshake with vanilla ice cream and a healthy dollop of whipped cream on top. My goodness, what a delicious dessert to have while watching the big screen. It didn’t even matter what movie we were seeing, I just had to get my hands on one of those milkshakes again. I couldn’t get enough of the sweet and malty play on flavors.

I took my love for Guinness and Jameson and combined them into a cookie that resembles a little bit of that milkshake with the creamy marshmallow topping and also nods to a black & tan with the pale ale flavor in a buttery cookie base. The Irish whiskey caramel just had to go along with the recipe as St. Paddy’s Day is quickly approaching and it’s a staple in our house to celebrate. My husband is indeed part Irish and I would have never known my love for loud punk Irish songs if it wasn’t for him. True love I tell you. So, the Jameson became the middle caramel layer baked onto the beer cookie bar tying both beers together. Delicious.

Why I Love This Recipe

Flavor-Let’s start with the beer cookie. I reduced down Real Ale’s Firemans 4 (one of the best beers ever, and brewed right in my hometown of Blanco, TX) into a thick syrup with sugar. This thick and prominently beer flavored syrup is added to a basic brown sugar cookie recipe and gives the cookie a malty and slightly earthy flavor. The Irish whisky caramel is sweet and has an extra tablespoon of Jameson to help the flavor of the whisky stand out even after baking the cookie. It mostly gets baked into the top of the cookie. Next, there is the Guinness marshmallow which is quite honestly my favorite part. A slight bitterness is met with an intense malt flavor within a creamy sweet marshmallow. These three layers together sing together in true symphony.

Texture-Fluffy, creamy marshmallow, with a chewy caramel layer, and a chewy soft cookie underneath. This cookie bar is wonderful in terms of soft and fluffy textures while the base of the cookie is chewy and sturdy enough to hold up to the soft marshmallow. The marshmallow is so soft and fluffy, like lovely clouds of malty Guinness floating on your tongue.

St. Paddy’s Day Treat-Of course this recipe is a great St. Paddy’s Day treat! Move over Lucky Charm cookies, mint flavored cookies, and green dyed cookies, these cookies will kick ass and take names like a true Irishman would.

Ingredients You Need:

There are a lot because there are three different components to making this cookie.

Irish Whiskey Caramel

• Sugar
• Butter
• Water
• Salt
• Irish Whisky-I used Jameson Whiskey.
• Apple Cider Vinegar
• Heavy Cream
• Vanilla Bean Paste-can omit or use vanilla extract as a substitute.

Beer Cookie Bars

• Butter-unsalted, melted.
• Sugar-will be used in beer syrup and the cookie dough.
• Brown Sugar
• Salt
• Eggs
• Vanilla
• 12 ounce bottle of Pale Ale- I used Fireman’s 4, you can use an Irish beer like Bass as well. I liked the Texas and Irish mashup here.
• Cornstarch
• Baking Soda
• Flour-I used Barton Springs Mill Butler’s Gold for this recipe.

Guinness Marshmallow

• Guinness-one bottle, 11.2 ounces.
• Gelatin-I used Knox brand.
• Sugar
• Light Corn Syrup
• Egg whites
• Salt
• Vanilla Extract
• Cornstarch
• Powdered Sugar

Let’s Get This Party Started

There are three components needed for this recipe, Irish whiskey caramel, beer cookie bar, Guinness marshmallow. I start with the caramel first so it can cool, followed by the beer cookie, followed by the marshmallow once the beer cookie is chilled. You can make the caramel well in advance and can also make the cookie bar the day before if you want to break up the recipe into easier portions.

I have made this caramel before and have outlined all of my tips and tricks on how to make a simple caramel sauce at this link here: https://sunshinetxcookies.com/vanilla-bean-caramel-sauce/

Basically, I want to heat up the sugar, water, and apple cider vinegar until it reaches an amber color. Once the color has been reached the butter is whisked in followed by the cream then the caramel is brought up to a boil for a minute.

I add the Jameson and vanilla bean paste at the end after the caramel has been taken off the heat. I pour the hot caramel very carefully into a glass jar and allow it to cool completely before using on the cookie bar. Placing in the fridge will speed the cooling time up.

Beer Cookie Bar-Oh yeah, my kind of party.

First, I make a beer syrup. I pour a 12 ounce bottle of beer into a sauce pan along with a 1/3 cup of sugar and bring to a boil over medium heat.

I stir quite a bit during this process as the beer will foam and bubble quite a bit. Remove from heat if it is getting to aggressive while cooking.

Reduce the beer into a thick syrup for 15 minutes on the stove. What I am left with is about 1/3 of a cup of concentrated beer flavor in a thick honey colored syrup.

I pour the syrup into a glass container and allow to cool before adding to the cookie dough. I let the syrup sit in the fridge for 30 minutes to speed up the cooling process.

The cookie dough is quite simple (thank goodness). Melt two sticks of butter in a bowl, then add the sugars, eggs, cooled beer syrup, vanilla, and salt until smooth and glossy.

Sift the dry ingredients over the wet ingredients then fold into a soft dough.

I line a 9×13 pan with parchment paper, making sure the parchment goes up on the sides for the marshmallow topping.

The dough is pressed into the bottom of the 9×13 pan and smoothed out. I spread about ½ cup of caramel over the top of the dough, keeping it mostly concentrated in the center since I didn’t want it touching the sides of the pan and potentially burning. You will have caramel leftover you can use on other desserts.

Preheat the oven to 350*F and bake the cookie bar for 25 minutes or until the top and edges of the pan are golden.

The cookie bar will need to cool completely before topping with the marshmallow topping. I left the cookie bar on the counter for an hour then popped it in the fridge while I made the marshmallow topping. The Guinness marshmallow will take around 30 minutes to prepare.

Guinness Marshmallow-STILL PARTYING (almost there folks!)

You want to use flat Guinness beer for this recipe, so I opened up a bottle the night before and let it go flat until ready to use. Also, the recipe doesn’t use the whole bottle of Guinness so go ahead and take a sip or two. You’re welcome.

Prepare cornstarch and powdered sugar combo in a bowl. Set aside with a fine mesh sieve to use for later.

In the bowl of a stand mixer combine gelatin and ½ cup of flat Guinness beer. Allow to bloom while making the syrup. Fit the stand mixer with the whisk attachment.

In a saucepan combine sugar, ½ cup of flat Guinness beer, and corn syrup and bring to a boil. This will bubble up quite a bit so it’s important you stay close to keep an eye on it and to stir if it gets too bubbly.

You will need a candy thermometer for this syrup to reach the right temperature. It took around 14 minutes for the syrup to reach 240*F. When it hits 240* take off heat and slowly drizzle into the bowl of bloomed gelatin with the mixer on the lowest setting.

I drizzled the hot syrup down the side a of the bowl in a steady stream until it was all added, and the gelatin was mixed in the bowl. Add the salt.

Turn the mixer on high and let her go for 5-6 minutes at full speed.

While the mixer is on high, beat two egg whites in a separate bowl with a handheld mixer until stiff peaks form.

The marshmallow will be white and have doubled during this time. Turn mixer off and add the stiff egg whites, then beat on high for another minute then turn the mixer off.

Take the beer cookie bar out of the fridge and using a large spatula scoop out the marshmallow on top of the cookie bar smoothing it out as best you can.

This stuff will be incredibly sticky and fluffy, I was not able to scrape it all out of the mixing bowl as it was too messy to get the last bits. Do the best you can and scoop as much as you can out.

Smooth the top with the spatula and sprinkle with a mixture of half cornstarch and half powdered sugar.

Allow the marshmallow to set up. This will take several hours at the least. I left mine to set overnight on the counter covered.

Serving Tips

Once the marshmallow has set up, I cut the bars into 24 pieces with a very large sharp knife. I melted 1 cup of dark chocolate with a teaspoon of coconut oil in the microwave for 3, 30 second intervals, stirring after each interval.

Taking each slice between my thumb and forefinger, I dipped them  into the dark chocolate on one side only, putting them on a parchment lined baking sheet to set. I want the chocolate set before I add the gold splatter.

I then took The Sugar Art Golden Halo powder and mixed with vodka to make an edible gold paint to splatter on the chocolate covered edges. Using an  1/8 tspn, I measured out the gold dust with a teaspoon of vodka and mixed it together. Then I took a brush dipped into the paint and splattered it using my fingertips tapping on the brush.

I love the irregularities in the splatter of the gold and the contrast it has on the dark chocolate layer. I tried painting it on, but the color pay off was bolder with the splatter.

This is entirely optional and an extra step on Irish cookie bars that already have many steps. I wanted to include everything I did for anyone who was interested in adding more flair to these to have the information needed to do so. These can be served without the chocolate dip and still be just as delicious!

If you try this recipe and love it as much as I do, please tag, follow, and like @sunshinetxcookies on Instagram, Facebook, Pinterest, and TikTok. New posts every Thursday so be sure to follow me for more delicious cookie recipes. Happy Baking!

Irish Cookie Bars

Chrissy Grundy

Beer cookie bar with a Jameson Caramel swirl topped with a fluffy and malty Guinness marshmallow.

Print Recipe Pin Recipe

Prep Time 1 hour hr 15 minutes mins

Cook Time 45 minutes mins

Chill Time 1 day d

Course Breakfast, Dessert, Drinks, Snack

Cuisine American

Servings 24

Ingredients

  

• 3 envelopes Knox unflavored powdered gelatin
• 1 bottle Guinness Beer (11.2 ounces) opened and flat.
• 2 cups Granulated Sugar
• ½ cup Corn Syrup
• 2 Egg Whites from large eggs.
• 2 tspn Vanilla Extract
• ¼ cup Powdered Sugar
• ¼ cup Cornstarch

Irish Whisky Caramel

• 1 cup Granulated Sugar
• ¼ cup Water
• 1 tspn Vanilla Bean Paste
• 1 tspn Apple Cider Vinegar
• 5 tbsp Butter softened to room temperature.
• ½ cup Heavy Cream room temperature.
• ½ tspn Salt
• 3 tbsp Irish Whiskey I used Jameson, please use whatever brand you like. Can also omit if you don't care for whiskey.

Beer Cookie Bar

• 2 sticks Butter room temperature, unsalted.
• 1 cup Brown Sugar
• ½ cup Granulated Sugar for the cookie dough.
• 2 Eggs Room temperature.
• 1 tsp Vanilla Extract
• 1 bottle Beer I used Real Ale Brewery Fireman's Four. Use a pale ale if possible.
• ⅓ cup Granulated Sugar (no, this isn't a typo) Used to make a beer syrup.
• ½ tspn Baking Soda
• 2 tspn Cornstarch
• 3¼ cups Flour
• 1 tspn Salt

Instructions

 

Irish Whisky Caramel

• In a medium saucepan mix the sugar, water, and apple cider vinegar together. Bring to a boil over medium heat with the lid on. Do not stir after it comes to a boil.
• Allow to simmer for 5 minutes then remove the lid and continue to simmer until the caramel reaches a golden amber color.
• Once the amber color is achieved, take the caramel off of the heat and whisk in the room temperature butter one tablespoon at a time. Whisk quickly and be safe, the caramelized sugar is very hot and can burn you.
• Once the butter is added and the caramel is smooth, add the heavy cream and continue to whisk.
• Place the caramel back on medium heat to allow to boil for another minute or two.
• Take the caramel off of the heat and add the vanilla bean paste and whisky. Stir to combine.
• Carefully pour the hot caramel into a glass jar and allow to cool at room temperature for an hour. Place in fridge to firm up until ready to use in marshmallows.

Beer Infused Cookie Bars

• In a sauce pan over medium heat reduce bottle of beer and sugar until for 10-15 minutes.
• You will need to stir regularly as the mixture is will be quite bubbly.
• The beer syrup will reduce down to 1/3 cup. It will be thick and look like honey.
• Allow syrup to cool for 30-45 minutes before using in the cookie bars.
• Melt 2 sticks of butter in the microwave. Cool if it's hot before adding 1 cup of brown sugar and ½ cup of granulated sugar. Mix to combine.
• Add both eggs, vanilla extract, cooled beer syrup, and salt and mix until glossy and no traces of egg remain.
• Sift flour, baking soda, salt, and cornstarch into the wet ingredients. Stir until a soft dough forms.
• Line a 9x13 pan with parchment paper making sure the parchment covers up the sides of the pan for the marshmallow topping.
• Press dough into the pan as evenly as possible.
• Spoon ½ cup of the whisky caramel sauce on top of the cookie, spread evenly.
• Bake at 350*F for 25 minutes. The cookie will be golden brown.

Guinness Marshmallow Topping

• Open beer to allow the bubbles to go flat. I left mine out overnight to make sure it was entirely flat before using.
• Mix together powdered sugar and cornstarch in a bowl. Cover an 8x8 baking dish with parchment paper, grease, then dust liberally with the powdered sugar/cornstarch combo. Set aside.
• In a stand mixer bowl fitted with the whisk attachment, pour one half cup of flat beer and mix together with the gelatin. Leave to absorb while preparing sugar mixture.
• In a deep sauce pan, combine half cup of Guinness beer with sugar, corn syrup, and salt.
• Mix to combine then turn the stove on medium heat. The mixture will come to a boil and foam up. Keep an eye on it so it doesn't boil over. Stir and remove from heat if the bubbles are too aggressive then place back on heat to continue cooking.
• Once it reaches a boil, allow it to simmer for 10-12 minutes. With a candy thermometer test the temperature, you want the sugar syrup to reach 240*F.
• Once it hits 240*F turn off the stove and remove syrup from heat. Turn the stand mixer on low and slowly drizzle the syrup mixture into the bowl. Let the syrup run down the side of bowl and not on the mixer wires. .
• Once the syrup is all added, turn the mixer on high and continue whipping. You want this to whip on high until it has doubled in volume and is very fluffy and creamy before adding the stiff egg whites.
• In a separate bowl with a hand held mixer, beat the two egg whites on high speed until stiff peaks form. This took me 5 minutes.
• Turn the stand mixer off and add the stiff egg whites and vanilla extract. Mix on high for a minute.
• Scoop this fluffy cloud of malty goodness on top of the cooled cookie.
• Allow to rest for several hours for the marshmallow to set and firm up. I left mine overnight.
• Using a large knife, slice the marshmallow cookie bars into 24 pieces.
• These can be dunked or drizzled with melted chocolate of your choice. I used dark chocolate and dipped just one side. You can also serve without.
• Store tightly covered in a cool dry place.
• Enjoy, and Happy St. Paddy's Day!!

Notes

Three recipes in one! These cookie bars are for the beer, whisky, and dessert enthusiast and boy do they deliver. Full of malt flavor along with creamy marshmallow and chewy warm cookie bar makes these a great celebration cookie for St. Paddy's Day.

Keyword Boozy desserts, Guinness Beer, Irish Whisky, Marshmallows