What is an Easy Dessert to Make With Unsweetened Chocolate Bar

Katharine Hepburn's Brownies

August 20, 2004

The best recipe I have for brownies comes from a friend who got it from a magazine article about Katharine Hepburn. It is, apparently, her family's.

Ingredients

1 stick (8 tablespoons) butter

2 squares unsweetened chocolate

1 cup sugar

2 eggs

1/2 teaspoon vanilla

1/4 cup all-purpose flour

1/4 teaspoon salt

1 cup chopped walnuts (optional)

Step 1

1. Melt together 1 stick butter and 2 squares unsweetened chocolate and take the saucepan off the heat.

Step 2

2. Stir in 1 cup sugar, add 2 eggs and 1/2 teaspoon vanilla, and beat the mixture well.

Step 3

3. Stir in 1/4 cup all-purpose flour and 1/4 teaspoon salt. (In the original recipe, 1 cup chopped walnuts is added here as well.)

Step 4

4. Bake the brownies in a buttered and floured 8-inch-square pan at 325°F for about 40 minutes.

Step 5

You can cut these brownies into squares, once they have cooled, and eat them out of the pan, but it is so much nicer to pile them on a fancy plate, from which people are going to eat them with their hands anyway. If you want to smarten up your act you can put a square of brownie on a plate with a little blob of créme fraîche and a scattering of shaved chocolate.

"A Harried Cook's Guide to Some Fast Food" by Laurie Colwin from Endless Feasts Modern Library

How would you rate Katharine Hepburn's Brownies?

Reviews (98)

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• I've made this recipe a few times and it always makes a sweet, chocolatey, fudgy brownie. They're very rich and I wouldn't advise eating more than one or two small squares, but they're awesome. My only complaint is that they're too delicate. I line the baking tin with parchment paper and the whole thing lifts out easily enough, but cutting these up and getting them off the paper without them falling apart is a challenge. I tried with a tray that had cooled to room temperature tonight and I had a terrible mess. I ended up re-shaping one square by hand because it fell apart so badly. I would recommend baking these at least a few minutes longer than the recipe calls for and chill them before trying to cut them up.

• These brownies were the best! She was right. These brownies are very fudgy.

• I doubled the recipe so I could use a whole bar of chocolate and get thick brownies. But I substituted the extra stick of butter for 3/8 cup of oil, and they still tasted amazing! I baked it for about 60 minutes in an 8x8 pan, and checked with a toothpick to make sure they were done. I'm definitely keeping and sharing this recipe!

• These brownies were a hit with my family. Easy to make!

• This is a great recipe for a quick and easy brownie. Delicious even with cutting the sugar by about 1/4 cup. My mother-in-law who lives with us, is of the era where they have a little dessert after a meal and this hit's the spot for her. 4 forks.

• I have been making this brownie for a long time from the New York Times recipe. I consider it a fantastic brownie. However, the recipe I use differs. You use a 1/2 cup of cocoa rather than the 2 oz. square. I use natural high fat cocoa ...it also differs in using 1 teaspoon vanilla and a pinch of salt...30-35 minutes. Don't overbake. Try it with this variation. It always gets raves reviews

• Can I rate this 0 forks? I've been looking for a really good brownie recipe for a while, and needless to say... this isn't it. I didn't have any baking coca so thought I'd use baking chocolate instead. There is WAY too much butter and sugar in these brownies. The ratio is just off. Even my mom thought that the brownies were way too rich. Not to mention, after eating a few the night before, I did not feel well the next morning. Will not be making again.

• 2 oz Bakers unsweetened chocolate, watch, Bakers has changed the packaging. These are always perfect brownies. Enjoy!

• Like Chris493 said: Bakers has changed their packaging, so using two of their squares resulted in a blondie not a brownie. Tasty, chewy, but not chocolatey. I'll try them again, but with the proper amount of chocolate!

• Pour the batter into an 8" cast iron skillet which has been rubbed with butter. That makes the perfect brownie for this recipe.

• Too sweet, not chocolate-ey enough. Wonder if 2 squares bakers chocolate differs depending on brand.

• Fantastic! No real 'tweaks' except I always double the recipe when making in an 8 x 8 pan for traditionally thick brownies.

• Question. Whenever you double the recipe, in an 8 by 8 pan, how long do you bake it?

• These brownies were easy to make, but not very sweet, dry, and not very flavorful. I've had much better brownies from mixes.

• Love love love this recipe. Zero tweaks but I do double the recipe for an 8 x 8 pan to get a traditional thicker brownie.

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Source: https://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/katharine-hepburns-brownies-106559

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