Katharine Hepburn's Brownies

[Tomconroy]

Enjoy this simple and sweet treat in honor of Katharine Hepburn and her impressive Oscar legacy. Get Katherine's essential baking tip in a full post on The History Kitchen blog. The recipe comes from a letter to the editor of the New York Times on July 6, 2003.





Ingredients
½ cup cocoa or 2 squares (2 oz.) unsweetened baker's chocolate
1 stick (1/2 cup) unsalted butter
1 cup sugar
2 eggs
1/4 cup flour
1 teaspoon vanilla
Pinch of salt
1 cup roughly chopped walnuts or pecans
Directions
Melt butter with the cocoa or chocolate together in a heavy saucepan over medium low, whisking constantly till blended. Remove from heat and stir in the sugar. Whisk in the eggs and vanilla. Stir in flour, salt and walnuts. Mix well. Pour into a well buttered 8-inch square baking pan. Bake at 325 degrees for about 40 minutes till a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Cool completely and cut into squares. These brownies are very fudgy and may be somewhat difficult to slice cleanly; use a sharp knife and a spatula to help them loosen from the baking dish.

[Frustratedlady]

1. Surely, 1/4 cup of flour can't be right. Just thinkin'.

[Tomconroy]

2. Here's the full story if you can avoid the paywall:

Straight Talk From Miss Hepburn; Plus the Actress's Own Brownie Recipe https://www.nytimes.com/2003/07/06/nyregion/l-straight-talk-from-miss-hepburn-plus-the-actress-s-own-brownie-recipe-400831.html

Basically a neighbor brought her some brownies and she said they had too much flour and gave him her recipe. someone who baked it said it was really good.

[Frustratedlady]

5. Well, I'll have to try it. I can't imagine that's enough flour.

However, it wouldn't be the first recipe that surprised me. Thanks!

[hippywife]

6. I've made a similar recipe...

and it also called for very little flour, only half a cup. It has 3/4 c of cocoa, which makes up a portion of the dry ingredients, so not as much flour needed. And it's delicious. Going to have to try this one. It sounds like it has a fudgier consistency.

[MagickMuffin]

7. I have a brownie recipe from childhood that has 3/4 C or reduce it to 1/4 C for fudgey brownies

Everything is the same recipe but the one with more flour makes a cake-like brownie and the less flour does make it more fudgey.


I also prefer to cream my butter and sugars which a lot of brownie recipes call for melted butter.

[QED]

3. I've made these.

They are delicious. My colleagues loved them.

[kozar]

4. We make these all the time,

And use coconut flour instead of all purpose. They are yummy!!!



Koz

[Vinca]

8. Since there is so little flour, I wonder if I could substitute almond flour.

I'm always looking for chocolate recipes to adapt for a diabetic. I would swap out the sugar for Splenda and reduce the butter a little to account for the fat in almond flour. Bet they'd be great with ice cream.

[PoindexterOglethorpe]

9. Here's my brownie recipe.

It's adapted from a cookbook published in the 1930s. Looking at it I realize this includes my high altitude adjustment, since I live at 7,000 feet. Sea level adjustment at the end.


Best Brownies Ever
Adapted from a Betty Crocker Cookbook

In a heavy pot melt together 4 ounces of unsweetened chocolate and 2/3 cup Crisco.

Stir in 2 cups sugar, 3 large eggs, and 1 teaspoon vanilla

Add 1 cup and one generous teaspoon of unbleached white flour. Now stir in ½ teaspoon baking powder, and ½ teaspoon salt. Mix thoroughly.

Next add 1 cup chopped walnuts, and spoon into a lightly greased glass baking dish, approximately 7x11. Bake at 350 degrees for 32 minutes.

These are best when still warm from the oven.
If you don’t like walnuts or are allergic to them, find another brownie recipe. This one does not bake up properly without the walnuts. I know. I tried it sans nuts one time and it just wasn’t good at all.

If you live below 5,000 feet, make the flour 1 1/4 cups, and the baking powder 1 teaspoon. You may need to fiddle with the baking time.