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.