Katharine Hepburn Brownies from Todd

 

Our neighborhood friend, Todd, brought over these delicious brownies for dessert last night. Not just any brownies, he said, they are Katharine Hepburn’s recipe, in her famous accent. He said they are “Super easy to make.”  When I asked why this particular brownie recipe, he said his partner, Peter, grew up in Connecticut and his school librarian was Katharine Hepburn’s sister, so he loved all things Katharine Hepburn. So when he saw it in the NYTimes, he made them for Peter.  Todd says he first made them without the nuts but they benefit from the nuts. And, they are intended to be fudgie not cake-like brownies, so be sure to under bake.

Fun fact: Katherine Houghton Hepburn is related to our Corning Houghtons, the founding family of Corning Glass Works and philanthropists. Her mother and namesake was a Houghton and a suffragette, an early women’s rights activist. 

— Barbara 

Katharine Hepburn Brownies

(NYTimes)

Makes 12 brownies

1 cup cocoa

1/2 cup butter (1 stick)

2 eggs

1 cup sugar

1 cup flour

1 cup chopped or broken-up walnuts or pecans

1 teaspoon vanilla

Pinch of salt. 

Preheat oven to 325 degrees. 

Melt butter in saucepan with cocoa and stir until smooth. Remove from heat and allow to cool for a few minutes, then transfer to a large bowl. Whisk in eggs, one at a time. “Beat it all like mad.”  Stir in vanilla. 

In a separate bowl, combine sugar, flour, nuts and salt. Add to the cocoa-butter mixture. Stir until just combined.

Pour into a greased 8 x 8-inch-square pan. 

Bake 30 to 35 minutes. Do not overbake; the brownies should be gooey. Let cool, then cut into bars.