Katharine Hepburn's Brownies

Brownies are usually classified into two different categories. There are the cake-like brownies on one side and then the fudgy, gooey brownies on the other. Everyone has his or her own preferences, but for me, the gooey brownies take the cake... err brownie!

The recipe for these brownies comes from Katharine Hepburn's family. I've read that gossip columnist Liz Smith got the recipe from Hepburn about 25 years ago to publish in her column and since then this popular recipe has been republished numerous times in many cookbooks. I've seen this recipe with rave reviews on a lot of sites, and I can definitely agree that these brownies are superb.

In my mind the perfect brownie is slightly crispy on the outside and soft and gooey on the inside. These little beauties come so very close to achieving that ultimate glory for me. They have a nice little, crisp crust and a moist, gooey center. I think if I were to only swap out the nuts for chocolate chunks, I'd be in blissful brownie heaven.

Katharine Hepburn's Brownies

2 squares (ounces) unsweetened chocolate
1 stick (1/4 pound) butter
1 cup sugar
2 eggs
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
1/4 teaspoon salt
                      

Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F.
Butter an 8-inch square baking pan.
Melt the chocolate with the butter over low heat in a large saucepan; stir until completely melted.
Remove from the heat and stir in the sugar; add eggs and vanilla extract and beat mixture well.
Stir in the flour, salt and nuts and mix well.
Pour the batter into the 8-inch square pan.
Bake for 35-40 minutes at 325 degrees F until an inserted toothpick comes out clean.
Cool on a wire rack.

Comments

[Lewis]

These brownies look great! I am so hungry for one right now and I can't believe that they were Katharine Hepburn's!

[steph (whisk/spoon)]

i love gooey brownies too! these look great!

[Amy]

I only problem with the recipe is that it doesn't make enough brownies! I could eat the whole pan in one sitting. I'm going to double the recipe.

[Mike]

Holy crud, these brownies are effing incredible. My only complaint is that it is virtually impossible to eat just one or two.

BTW, I used 1/2 cup chocolate chips (no walnuts), then replaced half the butter with smart balance and used white whole wheat flour to make them (slightly) healthier, and they still came out great.

[Jasmine31]

I need to try these soon. Thanks for letting us know about the ww. I try to do some recipes like that as well. Sometimes I have to settle for half and half.