Published: Feb 9, 2012 · Modified: May 24, 2024

Katherine Hepburn’s Brownies

Name: Katherine Hepburn’s Brownies
Prep time: 8 min
Cook time: 42 min
Ingredients: 8 Tablespoons unsalted butter; 2 oz. unsweetened chocolate; 2 Tablespoons brewed espresso; 1 cup sugar; 2 eggs (beaten); ½ tsp vanilla extract; ¼ cup flour; ½ tsp sea salt

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Katherine Hepburn’s Brownies recipe-Katharine Hepburn was known for her sophisticated and strong persona, but also for her love of chocolate. Made with chocolate, butter, and just a touch of flour, these brownies are decadent!

When I found out that her brownies only required 1/4 cup of flour, I knew I had to put them to the test!

Could I possibly find another brownie recipe that I desperately need to try? I have a whole file with brownie recipes dating back to when I was first clipping recipes back when I was in middle school.

The pages are yellowed and frayed. But I save every one of those recipes because I’m sentimental like that. Here is a brownie recipe I’ve had my eye on for quite a few years.

I’m not sure why I didn’t make them, but I’m pretty happy I finally did! It’s a recipe that accompanied a 1975 Ladies Home Journal interview with the amazing actress Katherine Hepburn and it was republished by Saveur. It was apparently a family recipe of the iconic Ms. Hepburn.

I was intrigued by the minimal amount of flour in the recipe and by the ease of the recipe. Intrigued for years, it was about time I made these brownies. What took me so long?

These are melt in your mouth kind of brownies.

The sort of brownies that you sneak another one of while the kids aren’t looking.

These brownies are dangerous. Very dangerous.

Tips for Making Katharine Hepburn’s Favorite Brownie Recipe

1. It's imperative to line the brownie pan with parchment paper. I always have longer edges hanging over the sides that will help when it's time to lift the brownies out of the pan.
2. The original recipe ask for a pinch of salt. If you add a bit more (1/2-3/4 teaspoon of salt), you'll get that perfect balance of sweet and salty, since the brownies are so rich in chocolate flavor.
3. Add in nuts if you like! I'm not a huge brownie with nuts fan. But you could also add in peanut butter chips, chocolate chips (dark or milk chocolate).
4. Let them cool for several hours before cutting. Because these brownies have such little flour in them, they are pretty gooey and difficult to cut. I let mine cool for about 4 hours at room temperature before cutting them, and sprayed my knife with a bit of nonstick cooking spray to make things easier.

Super easy to make brownies that are moist, crumbly and fudgy. The batter is put together in a flash: less than 10 minutes! I added just a little bit of espresso to give it a kick.

Ingredients to make Katherine Hepburn's Brownies

unsalted butter
unsweetened chocolate
brewed espresso
sugar
eggs
vanilla extract
flour
sea salt

How to Make Katharine Hepburn’s Favorite Brownie Recipe

The first step is to preheat the oven to 325°F . Butter an 8-inch square baking pan. Line the pan with parchment paper; set aside.

Melt the butter and chocolate together in a 2-quart saucepan over low heat, stirring constantly. Stir in the espresso (or coffee). Remove the pan from the heat and stir in the sugar. Add the eggs and vanilla and stir to make a smooth batter. Add the flour, salt, and stir until incorporated.

Pour the batter into the prepared baking pan and spread evenly. Bake until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean, 40 to 45 minutes (i checked mine at about 38 minutes and they were done. Every oven is different so you may want to check yours at around 35 minutes).

Let cool on a rack. Cut into squares and serve.

brownie perfection:)

Some other brownie recipes to enjoy:

recipe found in Saveur

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