Brownies revisited - Katherine Hepburn's recipe

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Janet H

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I love brownies but am so often disappointed by terrific looking bars with fancy ingredients. After trying yet another lame recipe I dug out this old version and wanted to share - they are perfect - no fancy stuff needed.

The internet claims these are Katherine Hepburns recipe but I found very similar recipes in very old cookbooks. Here's my take - tested and guaranteed wonderful. There is a little dark brown sugar added to deepen flavor but no marshmallows, nibs or colored candies adulterate this wonderful dessert.

Make them in a large sauce pan and bake in a 9 x 9 square pan - no extra dishes or bowls to clean and I can promise no leftovers.

Preheat oven: 325 degrees.
Pan Prep: 9 inch square pan, fully lined with parchment or foil and then buttered/oiled.

1 C cocoa powder*
1 C butter
1 1/2 C sugar
1/2 C brown sugar
2 tsp vanilla
Pinch of salt
4 eggs
1/2 C flour
1 1/2 C chopped walnuts

* use undutched cocoa powder or 4 oz bakers (unsweetened) chocolate


  1. Melt butter in large saucepan with cocoa and stir until smooth. Remove from heat and cool for a few minutes
  2. Stir in sugars, vanilla and salt
  3. Whisk in eggs and then whip to add air to mixture.
  4. Stir in flour and nuts
Pour into a prepared 9 x 9 inch -square pan. Bake ~ 35 minutes. Do not over-bake; the brownies should be soft. Let cool in pan then invert and cut into bars.

Top with a little powdered sugar if you need them pretty. Best eaten in comfortable, impeccably tailored pants.
 

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That looks really good, though it looks like a lot for that sized pan, like it would pretty much fill it. If sure it would still be delicious. I'll have to make it in the 9x9 pan the first time, and if I'm right, increase the size next time.
 
I used a doughmakers square pan (9 x 9) which has fairly straight sides. The brownies are an inch high.

Square Cake Pan

I ate the last one for breakfast this morning ;)
 
I'm surprised they only got an inch thick, with all those ingredients! But that's why I was going to do the way it called for, first. And I always use the straight sided pans, for things like this, lined with foil.

I'm getting a craving for brownies now...and I always have the ingredients!
 
I'm surprised they only got an inch thick, with all those ingredients! But that's why I was going to do the way it called for, first. And I always use the straight sided pans, for things like this, lined with foil.

I'm getting a craving for brownies now...and I always have the ingredients!

Give it a try - see how you like it :)

I mixed these up in a 4 quart sauce pan using a stiff wire whip - no mixing bowls to wash; just the one pan. The 4 quart pan gives the space needed to mix without splatter.

There isn't much flour in these - the recipe should fit in your pan. I used plain old Hershey cocoa powder (not the extra dark which is dutched).
 
Hersheys regular cocoa has never been a favorite of mine, but years ago they had a Silver can, that tested first, when I compared it to 4 other cocoas, including Bensdorp and Droste. Naturally, as with things that good, they stopped selling it! The dark cocoa Hershey's sells now is not the same - reminds me of that extra dark cocoa that KAF sells, that is for color, but not flavor.

I was already going through the cocoas I will be using in my head! Half Bensdorp, and half of one of the other many types I have - Saco, Guittard, Penzey's, and a couple of others. Amazingly, when I did a more recent test, with just cocoa, sugar, and water, making hot cocoa, the Saco tested best, even though it was the lightest colored, and was definitely not dutched!
 
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They were good, and didn't seem overdone, even around the sides, though it did look that way. They were very gooey - actually, the way I like them, rather that dry and cakey type. I did add some expresso powder - 2 tsp - which is always a favorite addition of mine to brownies.
 
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