Katharine Hepburn Brownies

As a teenager I was fascinated by Katharine Hepburn. I still am. It must have something to do with our mutual distaste for wearing skirts and dresses. In 1993, Ladies’ Home Journal interviewed Kate-the-Great and subsequently published a special edition magazine all about her. The magazine included Katharine Hepburn’s brownie recipe. Naturally, I gave it a try and promptly fell in love with the rich, gooey bits of dark chocolate heaven. Tonight, with no Halloween candy in sight, I seized the moment to make a batch of these delicious treats. Still heavenly! This recipe has most definitely earned its place on my list of favorite things. So, without further ado, here is the recipe for Katharine Hepburn’s brownies (in her own words).

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Kate’s Super-Fudge Brownies

First, melt two squares of unsweetened chocolate and ¼ pound sweet butter (1stick) in a heavy saucepan. Remove from heat and stir in 1 cup sugar. Add 2 eggs along with ½ teaspoon vanilla and beat like mad. Stir in ¼ cup flour, ¼ teaspoon salt and a cup of chopped walnuts—not smashed up, you know, just chopped into fairly good-size pieces.

Now mix all that up. Then you butter a square tin (8x8 inches) and dump the whole thing quickly into the pan. Stuff this pan into a preheated 325F. oven for 40 minutes. After that, take out the pan and let it cool for a while. Then cut into 1 ½-inch squares and dive right in.

Editor’s Note: This recipe was tested in the Ladies’ Home Journal kitchens, and it received accolades all around. Since you use only ¼ cup flour (rather than ½ cup or ¾ cup ordinarily called for), the brownies have a wonderful puddinglike texture. In fact, if they’re cut warm, you could almost eat them with a fork (which is no draw-back, we assure you).

Ladies' Home Journal, Katharine Hepburn: American Classic, Nov. 1993, p. 87