We first happened upon the Katharine Hepburn brownie recipe—a charmingly old-fashioned brownie recipe—in the article “A Harried Cook’s Guide to Some Fast Food” by Laurie Colwin, which appeared in the February 1992 issue of Gourmet magazine. Rumor has it the brownie recipe had actually appeared in print prior to that, in August 1975, when it was featured in The Ladies’ Home Journal. Since then we’ve also happened upon it in countless other places, including, quite frankly, too many blogs to enumerate. In the compilation of Saveur recipes known as The New Comfort Food, editor James Oseland describes the brownies as “incredibly chewy bars with a full but mellow chocolate flavor.” We concur—and, seeing as this simple one-pan recipe has charmed its way into the hearts, recipe collections, and bellies of countless Americans, it seems that you do, too.
Colwin’s original recipe is a rather prosaic piece of seeming stream of consciousness, informally written in a blissfully no-nonsense, unpatronizing manner that’s unfettered by a distinction between ingredient list and instructions. It lacks the highly stylized, precise formula common to most contemporary recipes, which only makes us—well, some of us—love it all the more. For those of you who simply must have their ingredient list separate from their cooking instructions, the more conventional—and arguably less soulful—rendition of the recipe that appeared in Saveur follows Colwin’s original recipe.
Katharine Hepburn Brownies
Laurie Colwin | Gourmet | February, 1992 | Makes about 12 brownies
“The best recipe I have for brownies comes from a friend who got it from a magazine article about Katharine Hepburn. It is, apparently, her family’s recipe. If there were no other reason to admire Katharine Hepburn, this pan of brownies would be enough to make you worship her.”—Laurie Colwin
1. Melt together 1 stick butter and 2 squares unsweetened chocolate and take the saucepan off the heat. [EDITOR’S NOTE: This hearkens back to the day when “baking” chocolate—all two or so brands—came in large bars that were scored into squares. Use whatever your preferred brand—squares or otherwise—knowing that each square equaled one ounce.]
2. Stir in 1 cup sugar, add 2 eggs, and 1/2 teaspoon vanilla, and beat the mixture well.
3. Stir in 1/4 cup all-purpose flour and 1/4 teaspoon salt. (In Hepburn’s original recipe, 1 cup chopped walnuts is added here as well.)
4. Bake the brownies in a buttered and floured 8-inch-square pan at 325°F for about 40 minutes. You can cut these brownies into squares, once they have cooled, and eat them out of the pan, but it is so much nicer to pile them onto a fancy plate.–Renee Schettler Rossi
LC Her True Calling Note
Who knew Katharine Hepburn was as agile at baking as she was acting? This brownies recipe make us think she missed her true calling. [Editor’s Note: It’s sorta interesting to us that Colwin clearly was not a fan of anything obscuring the chocolate in these gooey brownies, as she omitted the handful of walnuts that appeared in Katharine Hepburn’s original recipe. Given our druthers, we’d add ’em back in.)
Katharine Hepburn Brownies Recipe
Ingredients
- 1 stick (4 ounces) unsalted butter, plus more for buttering the pan
- 2 ounces unsweetened chocolate
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- 2 large eggs, lightly beaten
- 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1/4 cup all-purpose flour
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1 cup roughly chopped walnuts
Directions
- 1. Preheat the oven to 325°F (160°C). Butter an 8-inch square baking pan. Line the pan with parchment paper and butter the paper.
- 2. Melt the butter and chocolate together in a large saucepan over low heat, stirring constantly. 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 walnuts and stir until incorporated.
- 3. 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. Let cool on a rack. Cut into squares and serve.
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I’ve been baking these wonderful brownies for more years than I can remember having gotten the recipe originally in a Liz Smith column in The Daily News. It has to be 30+ years because I used to send them to my daughter who graduated from college 20+ years ago and we were eating them at home for years before. They will never be replaced by any of the thousands of recipes for brownies that have appeared over the years, even the ones called “Adult Brownies” and I have to admit having tried a good number of them and always reverting to Kate’s Brownies as we familiarly call them.
This has been my go to Brownie recipe for years, it always amazed me to get all the compliments when I served them, the are nice and moist, and they disapper really fast. Why buy brownies from a box mix when you can make this wonderful recipe.They are amazing.
Funny that I came upon this recipe in my Leite’s newsletter. I was just thinking about making a batch of these brownies, however, the one I was looking at is from Dorie Greenspan’s Home Baking book. Has anyone tried Dorie’s recipe for Katherine’s brownies? I’m interested in knowing about the taste and textural difference. I was thinking about combining certain elements from each of the recipes, but I may end up trying the one posted here because I’m not sure about the cinnamon called for in Dorie’s version. I like my brownies pure in terms of chocolate taste.
I have been making these brownies for years! I think they are the best. I got my recipe from the Pittsburgh Press.
Rose, yes, they’re definitely a favorite with everyone here. Glad you like them, too.
These are really delicious. Do not try to make a double batch, however. Also, try baking in a pie plate and cutting in wedges.
Many thanks, Diane. Love the pie plate approach. And yes, when baking, best not to ever double a recipe. Science can be weird like that….
Wonderfully delicious and EASY! I like the pie plate suggestion. Thanks!!
Exactly, Bianca. Methinks you’ll not find an easier or more enticing brownie recipe. Ever.
Love that you are referencing Laurie Colwin — miss her wonderful food writing and lovely spirit.
Candace, yes, she was a special woman and a lovely writer. Gotta keep the spirit of these wonderful folks alive.
I have actually been making these since the Ladies’ Home Journal article came out–not surprised it was way back in 1975! As I recall, the recipe wasn’t in the article, but in the editor’s column at the beginning of the magazine. Always loved Hepburn–even spelled my daughter Katharine’s name like hers! By far the best brownie recipe around. A sprinkling of powdered sugar is nice, and sometimes I add a quarter teaspoon almond extract and a few crushed amarettini cookies–delish! These brownies never disappoint!
Wow, you’re a longtime fan. On occasion, I’ve added a bit of cinnamon. Lovely.
I know!–makes me sound ancient, but I started baking when I was 2!…lol … Your blog sent me in search to learn more about Laurie Colwin, and I’m eagerly awaiting arrival of “Home Cooking” via Amazon tomorrow! Thanks!
Ooooooh, for some reason, I think you’re really going to thrill to Laurie’s sass and class. Her writings are timeless. You’re so very welcome, Patti. Looking forward to hearing which recipe from the site you try next…
These are so so so so so amazing! Chewy edges and corners, and gooey fudgy interior. My son declared these the best plain brownies he has ever had (i omitted the nuts). And we have tried tons of recipes in search of our favorite. Thanks!
NRS, you are more than welcome!
This was the exclusive brownie recipe of our home when I was a child. One of Katherine Hepburn’s instructions in the recipe I remember from the clipping, that is omitted above, is after adding the eggs and vanilla, to “Beat like Mad!” A testament to her brilliant humor! Thanks for bringing this recipe back to life.
How terrific, Kellie! Thanks for taking the time to let us know. I’d never seen that in any of the versions of the recipe that are attributed to her, but that certainly sounds like her. I shall think those words each time I make this recipe from here on!
At first I was surprised by how little flour these brownies have. Super delicious and chewy — Because these brownies were so sugary, they were kind of like the espresso of coffee — an intense zap of chocolate and sugar. As a chocoholic, it was an efficient and tasty way to shock my sweet tooth into remission for a little while.
Wow, you’re on a roll here with LC! So glad you like the recipe. It’s such a major indulgence, but oh, so worth it.
Can semi sweet chocolate be used in place unsweetened chocolate. And if so do I measure everything the same or do I have too add or take away from the recipe. Really love to know.
Diane, baking is a pretty exact science. We haven’t tested this recipe with semisweet chocolate in place of unsweetened so I can’t recommend that approach. The difference in fat content and sweetness would require a lot of tweaking in terms of butter and sugar and I don’t want to guess and lead you wrong. Trust me, the original recipe is so wonderful it’s well worth finding some unsweetened chocolate.
Thanks so much for this recipe.
These sound exactly like the brownies I grew up with in the 50s. I’ve been looking for this recipe for decades!
I can remember baking them. I remember melting the chocolate over a double boiler and constructing the batter in the bowl the chocolate was melted in. I remember the spare amount of flour. And I remember that thin cracked surface that was half the allure.
I am so grateful for the simple perfection of this recipe. I’ve had lots of variations but never anything that improved on what my mother baked.
You’re so very welcome, rainey. I’m incredibly pleased we could bring it back to you. I know what it’s like to have a recipe go missing and haunt you.
Thanks once again for this recipe.
I just made them to include in the filling of this gorgeous bread using the technique David Leibovitz describes for filling this babka. The bread is intended as a gift and I will present it with special pride and a warm spot in my heart for the special provenance of these brownies.
Wonderful, rainey!