This article was written by Breweries In PA Contributor Paired Pints.

With so many Iron Hill’s around me growing up, I can confidently say that I’ve made a lot of good memories in them. Iron Hill has been around for a lot longer than I thought. It all started in 1990 when one of the three owners won a home brewing competition, sparking the interest to start a brewery. From then they branched out to 21 locations along the east coast, expanding to South Carolina. They give you that pub vibe but also deliver some seriously delicious food and good beer.

During the pandemic the Phoenixville Iron Hill has helped the community enjoy good beer and bring a slice of the Iron Hill experience into our home. They had deals on growls and make-you-own-pizza kits that grabbed my attention a time or three. I also enjoyed how they dedicated a beer to the street it’s located on. If you ever see it on tap, try the Bridge Street Bock but in the meantime, get you hands on this beer and try this recipe.

The Beer:

This Russian Imperial stout is complex and full-bodied with malty sweet and roasted characters. I was pleasantly surprised with a good level of carbonation, helping the pairing cut through the rich chocolatey indulgence from the cookies. This bold beer comes in at 9.5% abv.

Cookies:

1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1 cup white granulated sugar
1/2 cup melted butter
3 tablespoons vegetable oil
1 egg and 1 yolk
2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
1 1/2 cups all purpose flour (or plain flour)
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1 tablespoon kosher salt
1/3 cup dark chocolate chips, (add more if desired)
1 cup of dark chocolate chips for melting

• Make sure your ingredients are at room temperature.
• Preheat oven to 350°F (175°C). Line 2 cookie sheets or baking trays with parchment paper (baking paper).
• In your mixing bowl, add the sugar and the softened butter. Mix on low for about 5 minutes. It is very important to cream your butter – it will help give structure to your cookies.
• On medium low, slowly add in the cocoa powder and vegetable oil, egg, extra yolk and vanilla paste until fully incorporated.

Melting the Chocolate – Double boiler method:

• In a large pot fill it up about half way
• Add chocolate to a large pyrex bowl.
• Boil the water and stir the chocolate as it melts.
• Set aside when it is completely melted.

You need to pour the melted chocolate in slowly. Like really slowly. Roy Choi from The Chef Show says “its like splashing yourself with water before you go into the pool. So you’re not cold.” Basically what this means is that you allowed the eggs to accept the temperature without cooking them.

• Using a towel and silicon spatula, grab the bowl slowly pour the melted chocolate into the running mixing bowl, using the spatula to guide any remaining chocolate left in the bowl.
• Add the flour, baking powder, and salt; stir the dry ingredients first before mixing them through the wet ingredients until a dough forms (do not over beat).
• Fold in the chocolate chips.
• Using an ice cream scooper, scoop and place onto prepared baking sheets. You can press down on them if you like, but I like taller cookies.
• Bake in preheated oven for 8-10 minutes. The cookies will come out soft from the oven but will harden up as they cool.

Optional: Add a little bit of flaky salt.

Allow to cool for 15 minutes then transfer to a wire rack or just eat them all.