Last month, I made some root beer float cookies, and I reopened the can of worms that is root beer baking. Root beer and chocolate are just such a good flavor combination… And what do I have root beer extract in my pantry for if not to use it?? So, I had to make some Root Beer Brownies next.
I used the Baked Brownie recipe for these, since it had been a while since I made them. I added root beer extract, and then frosted them with a swirl of vanilla and root beer frostings, because I couldn’t decide which would be best.
The swirling did not turn out as fancy as I thought it would, but… who cares, they’re just getting eaten anyways!
As these are such a classic recipe and flavor combo, I find it hard to say much about them.
My brother brought up that these are sort of like the baked version of the “dirty soda” trend that’s going around. Like all trends these days, it’s a TikTok one. To my understanding, “dirty sodas” are sodas with various syrups, creams, and flavorings mixed in to make different flavors of drinks. There’s now products specifically for dirty sodas
When I was in Indy, my dad and I drove past a soda shop that had just opened and had thirty cars wrapped around the drive through, and I found myself trying to explain the trend. And then the other day, Molly saw pina colada creamer at the store (that gets used for dirty soda… I hope), so I had to explain it again.
But it’s hard to even begin. Dirty sodas are very popular in Utah, because Mormon’s don’t drink alcohol or caffeine. So when Netflix made a show called “The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives,” and they all were drinking dirty sodas in that show, it started taking off across the country. So either that show came out first, or that show boosted the trend that already existed of putting cream and lime in Dr. Pepper and Coke. And then a whole devoted product was released for the purpose of dirty soda.
In Indy, the soda show was called Swig. In Minnesota, there’s a shop called Sota. (CLEVER!) I spent too long reading the reviews for the Swig shop in Indy, because some of them were just comically bad. Everyone getting these sodas is waiting 45+ minutes in their car to get them! I think it’s a case of a trend that has grown too fast.
Like all trends these days, I feel… incredibly disconnected from it. Even if I know what it is and can explain it to my even more disconnected family members… I really am just not part of the culture!
Anyways, all of this to say… this is like a Dirty Root Beer Brownie recipe, if your dirty root beer had chocolate syrup and cream in it. Which is probably a drink you can get at one of these soda shops. But in the meantime…. I’ll just enjoy my “dirty sodas” as brownies, thank you very much.
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PinIngredients
- 1/2 cup + 2 tbsp all-purpose flour
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1 tablespoons dark unsweetened cocoa powder
- 5.5 ounces dark chocolate, coarsely chopped
- 1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, cut into 1-inch pieces
- 1 tablespoon root beer extract
- 3/4 cups granulated sugar
- 1/4 cup packed light brown sugar
- 2 eggs, at room temperature
For the frosting:
- 1 stick unsalted butter
- 3 cups powdered sugar
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon vanilla powder
- 1 teaspoon root beer extract
Instructions
Preheat oven to 350°F. Butter the sides and bottom of a 9×13-inch glass baking pan. Line the pan with parchment paper.
In a medium bowl, whisk the flour, salt, and cocoa powder together. Place the chocolate and butter in a saucepan (or using a double broiler) over medium-low heat, stirring occasionally, until the chocolate and butter are completely melted and smooth. Turn off the heat, but keep the and add the sugar and brown sugar. Whisk until completely combined, then remove pan from stovetop and allow to come to room temperature.
Add 2 eggs to the chocolate mixture and whisk until combined. Add the root beer extract and stir until combined. Do not overbeat the batter at this stage or your brownies will be cakey.
Sprinkle the flour mixture over the chocolate mixture. Using a rubber spatula (not a whisk), fold the flour mixture into the chocolate until just a bit of the flour mixture is still visible.
Pour the batter into the prepared pan and smooth the top. Bake in the center of the oven for 30 minutes, rotating the pan halfway through the baking time, until a toothpick inserted into the center of the brownies comes out with a few moist crumbs sticking to it.
Let the brownies cool completely, then lift them out of the pan using the parchment paper.
While they’re cooling, prepare the frosting: in a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, beat the butter until creamy. Slowly add in powdered sugar and salt, and beat until light and fluffy. Take out half of the frosting, and set aside in a bowl. Mix in vanilla powder to one half of the frosting (by hand is fine) and root beer extract to the other half.
Frost cool brownies by swirling the frostings together and spreading over the top. I thought I would do this very elegantly and make a cool pattern, but I did not. I think it would be possible to if you have more skill than me!
Cut into squares and serve. Store at room temperature in an airtight container or wrap with plastic wrap for up to 3 days.