Katharine Hepburn's Brownies Recipe With Picture

Brownie recipes are divided into two categories; "cakey" and "fudgy" with both having their advocates. No matter which type you prefer, all brownies have that wonderful deep chocolate flavor that few can resist. I would place these brownies in the "fudgy" category as they contain very little flour and that is what makes them moist and chocolately with a nice dry cracked crust. You can eat them warm, at room temperature, or even cold. I have also been known to have one with a scoop of vanilla ice cream on top.

If you are wondering why this recipe is called 'Katharine Hepburn Brownies', Molly O'Neill in her cookbook 'The New York Cookbook' tells us that gossip columnist Liz Smith got the recipe from the actress about 25 years ago to publish in her column. Since then these brownies have only grown in popularity and this recipe has been republished many times in countless cookbooks.

We are using unsweetened chocolate in these brownies. Unsweetened chocolate is also known as baking, plain or bitter chocolate. It is chocolate in its rawest form and this means that unsweetened chocolate is just ground cocoa nibs that have been refined and contain between 50-55% cocoa butter (cocao fat). It contains no sugar so it has a strong, bitter taste that is used in cooking and baking but is never eaten out of hand. You can use the unsweetened chocolate from your local grocery store that is sold in a box of individually wrapped one-ounce squares or Scharffen Berger has a very nice unsweetened chocolate that contains 99% cacao that you can find it in most specialty food stores. Finally, there is always the debate of whether brownies should contain nuts. It is really a personal choice so you can add them or leave them out as you choose.

Preheat oven to 325 degrees F (165 degrees C) and place rack in center of oven. Butter and flour an 8 inch (20 cm) square baking pan.

Melt the chocolate and butter in a stainless steel bowl placed over a saucepan of simmering water. Remove from heat and stir in the sugar. Next, stir in the vanilla extract and eggs. Finally, stir in the flour, salt and chopped nuts (if using).

Pour into the prepared pan and bake for about 30 - 35 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Remove from oven and let cool on a wire rack. Serve at room temperature or chilled. These freeze very well.

Makes 16 brownies.

Sources:

Colwin, Laurie. 'More Home Cooking'. Harper Collins Publishers. New York: 1993.

Lebovitz, David. 'The Great Book of Chocolate'. Ten Speed Press. Berkeley: 2004.

O'Neill, Molly. 'New York Cookbook'. Workman Publishing. New York: 1992.

2 ounces (60 grams) unsweetened chocolate, coarsely chopped

1/2 cup (113 grams) unsalted butter, cut into pieces

1 cup (200 grams) granulated white sugar

2 large eggs

1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

1/4 cup (35 grams) all-purpose flour

1/4 teaspoon salt

1 cup (100 grams) chopped walnuts or pecans (optional)

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