• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar

Edible Garden

  • Popular Categories
    • Dal Recipes
    • Chicken Recipes
    • Egg Recipes
    • Indo-Chinese Recipes
    • Mushroom Recipes
  • Kerala Recipes
  • Chocolate
  • About
  • Navigation Menu: Social Icons

    • Facebook
    • Instagram
    • Pinterest
    • Twitter
You are here: Home / Brownies & Bars / Tribute-to-Katherine-Hepburn Brownies Recipe

Tribute-to-Katherine-Hepburn Brownies Recipe

December 1, 2015 69 Comments

These brownies are gooey, fudgy, and extremely chocolate-y. I am going to pretend I am posting a step by step brownie recipe as my first recipe this year not because I am out of anything else to post, but because its auspicious to start with sweet stuff. You play along, ok?
I am going to be honest with you and admit these brownies are not going to cooperate if you have weight loss resolutions. What they will do is transport you to chocolate heaven and back with each bite, this I promise.
Here’s a sneak preview of the final product.
Now, let’s get started with 1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder. I use Cadbury’s which I brought from India. I am weird that way. I take back Hershey’s for my relatives and bring back Cadbury’s cocoa powder.


I can’t find the picture of the butter I took so imagine 1/2 cup butter here. At room temperature please.

Now, to get what you see below, bring a pan of water to boil, place another heat proof bowl in it and add the butter. When it melts, add the cocoa powder and 1 tsp instant coffee powder. Don’t worry, your brownies won’t taste like coffee, its just to enhance the chocolate flavour.
Set aside to cool.


This recipe is very chocolate-y and uses very little flour. All we need is 1/4 cup all purpose flour or maida. Yep, that’s it.
Add 1/2 tsp salt to this and mix well in a bowl. You can add a pinch of powdered cinnamon to this if you wish (I didn’t).

Once the chocolate-butter mixture has slightly cooled, add 2 eggs, mixing well for a minute after each addition.


Now its time for the sugah. Throw in one cup after you are done with the eggs but please don’t be like me – use white sugar. Add add 1 tsp vanilla extract to this.


Mix mix mix until well incorporated. Be gentle, don’t over do it.

Now add the flour and fold in until just blended.

Now come the good stuff (not that anything we added so far is not good, but still).
We need 1/2 cup (4oz) bittersweet chocolate, chopped into small pieces and 1/2 cup walnuts. I am not a huge fan of walnuts so I added lesser than what the recipe calls for. You can add up to 1 cup.
Add these to the batter and fold in.

There we go, that’s our super chocolate-heavy batter. Lick a little. Go ahead.

Pour in a buttered, floured brownie tray (or any tray you have).

Use the spatula to just level the top of the batter before you stick it in the oven.
Bake in a preheated 325F/approx 160C oven for 30-35 mins.


Cut into squares before serving. I think my walnut pieces were too big so I didn’t get perfect squares but I couldn’t care less. If was dense and yummy. If you have a nicer oven, you will get a crust like you see in professional brownies. My oven doesn’t do that, unfortunately, but it was still awesome.

The recipe is from Dorie Greenspan’s Baking from My Home to Yours, all in one place.
Tribute-To-Katherine-Hepburn Brownies
What I Used:
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon (optional)
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup (8 tablespoons) unsalted butter
1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
2 teaspoons finely ground instant coffee
2 large eggs, preferably at room temperature
1 cup sugar
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1 cup broken or chopped walnuts or pecans
4 ounces / 1/2 cup bittersweet chocolate, coarsely chopped
How I Made It:
1. Center a rack in the oven and preheat the oven to 325 degrees F.
2. Butter an 8-inch square baking pan and grease with butter. Add some flour, tap on all sides and tap out the excess.
3. Whisk the flour, cinnamon, if you’re using it, and salt together.
4. Put the butter in a medium heavy-bottomed saucepan and place the pan over low heat. When the butter starts to melt, sift the cocoa over it and add the instant coffee. Continue to cook, stirring, until the butter is melted and the cocoa and coffee are blended into it. Remove from the heat and cool for about 3 minutes.
5. Using a whisk or a rubber spatula, beat the eggs into the saucepan one at a time. Next, stir in the sugar and vanilla (don’t beat anything too vigorously — you don’t want to add air to the batter), followed by the dry ingredients, nuts and chopped chocolate. Scrape the batter into the pan.
6. Bake for 30 minutes, at which point the brownies will still be gooey but the top will have a dry papery crust. Transfer the pan to a rack and let the brownies cool for at least 30 minutes. (You can wait longer, if you’d like.) Turn the brownies out onto a rack and invert onto a cutting board. Cool completely before cutting into 16 squares, each roughly 2 inches on a side.
Enjoy and here’s wishing you all a wonderful 2010, again.
This recipe goes to Mahimaa’s Cakes and Cookies Roundup.
Share This Recipe
  • Facebook0
  • WhatsApp
  • Pinterest1
  • Twitter
  • Google+0
  • Email
  • Print
1

By nags Filed Under: Brownies & Bars, Chocolate, Uncategorized

logo
Food Advertising by

Subscribe

for your weekly recipe fix.

Previous Post: « Mushrooms Stuffed with Cheese | Mushroom Recipes – Quick Easy Snacks
Next Post: Pacha Andi Aviyal Recipe | Raw Cashewnuts Avial Kerala-Style Recipe »

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Poorni

    January 12, 2013 at 3:24 pm

    Hi! This brownie recipe looks great! However when I tried it, I had a problem. Aft I added 1 egg, the mixture looked curdled. The mixture also had some water. Can you pls tell me where I had gone wrong?

    Thanks in advance!

    Reply
  2. saummyia

    July 20, 2012 at 8:16 am

    I am going to try the condensed milk pound cake next…cant wait to see the golden crust on top….but only after a week's gap…else no point going to the gym :p

    Reply
    • Nagalakshmi V

      July 23, 2012 at 12:16 am

      haha that's great. so glad you liked the brownies. yes the pound cake is great too but if you want to try the lighter version, try my eggless butterless sponge cake recipe!

      Reply
  3. saummyia

    July 20, 2012 at 8:11 am

    The smell was divine…the taste was awesome but how much ever i cooled it…it was still gooey…we ate off half of it and i put the rest in the freezer last nyt and had a bite this morning and it felt SO good. tried it with chocolate coated brazil nuts…the pictures dun look great but the taste was perfect

    Reply
  4. saummyia

    July 19, 2012 at 4:23 pm

    I have a question…for a newbie at baking in the oven….what do u mean by peal away the paper? and I blindly followed the recipe and later realized I did not sift the flour…however i still went on and the batter is getting baked…waiting for the output…btw great great recipe….thanks for all the effort u put it

    Reply
    • Nagalakshmi V

      July 20, 2012 at 1:19 am

      peeling away paper is if you are using parchment or grease paper to line the tray which i didn't. that line is from the book, i should delete it 🙂 how did the brownies turn out?

      Reply
    • saummyia

      July 20, 2012 at 8:11 am

      The smell was divine…the taste was awesome but how much ever i cooled it…it was still gooey…we ate off half of it and i put the rest in the freezer last nyt and had a bite this morning and it felt SO good. tried it with chocolate coated brazil nuts…the pictures dun look great but the taste was perfect

      Reply
  5. saummyia

    July 19, 2012 at 4:23 pm

    I have a question…for a newbie at baking in the oven….what do u mean by peal away the paper? and I blindly followed the recipe and later realized I did not sift the flour…however i still went on and the batter is getting baked…waiting for the output…btw great great recipe….thanks for all the effort u put it

    Reply
  6. Nags

    December 12, 2011 at 5:32 am

    Susan, I think that's a question better suited for Dorie Greenspan. she is the one who came up with these brownies as a tribute to katherine hepburn. i think the idea was that katherine hepburn likes her brownies with very little flour and that's what she has tried to do here.

    Reply
  7. Anonymous

    December 10, 2011 at 5:07 pm

    Katherine Hepburn's original brownie recipe calls for melting squares of chocolate with the butter, doesn't use instant coffee or cinnamon and is delicious as is. I have been making them for years and years and everyone loves them, and always asks for the recipe. It doesn't even look the same.

    SUSAN

    Reply
  8. Operation Jam Jar

    October 11, 2010 at 2:08 am

    yummmmm i love brownies! i am a bit lazy though and never add any nuts or anything but chocolate and more chocolate

    I agree they aren't the best recipe if you are counting calories. but you know what – sometimes it is just worth it 🙂

    I just wrote about a brownie recipe on my blog too (they are a jamie oliver recipe) if you want to check it out

    http://operationjamjar.blogspot.com/

    Reply
  9. yarn_lady

    August 31, 2010 at 10:15 am

    thanks for the recipe ! I tried it and it got over in a jiffy! too good to be true! posted a link in my blog:)

    Reply
  10. Nags

    August 31, 2010 at 10:48 am

    So glad you liked the Katherine Hepburn brownies by Dorie 🙂

    Reply
  11. Anonymous

    June 27, 2010 at 8:43 am

    I just pushed this recipe into the oven…n now that i re-read it …just realized that i missed out the vanilla extract…i hope it wont hurt the taste or texture???

    Reply
  12. yarn_lady

    June 27, 2010 at 1:45 am

    do we have to melt the chocolate pieces before we put in the mix ? Thanks for a nice sweet recipe!

    Reply
  13. Nags

    June 27, 2010 at 1:49 am

    You could melt chocolate and butter together initially. But the chocolate bits along with the walnuts are added as chunks, no need to melt. Hope you like these brownies. Let me know if you try them 🙂

    Reply
  14. Sharmilee! :)

    April 1, 2010 at 1:07 pm

    Looks to me more like a chocolate….so tempting they look.Am sure to try this after my experiments with my new oven 🙂

    Reply
  15. hamsini

    April 1, 2010 at 1:07 pm

    Ohh heaven. Walnut brownies are the only thing I eat which has chocolate in it. I'm so gonna try this! Thanks! 🙂

    Reply
  16. Shama Nagarajan

    April 1, 2010 at 1:07 pm

    yummy yummy…

    Reply
  17. Deeba PAB

    April 1, 2010 at 1:07 pm

    Ooooh over the top indulgent Nags. Take a look at these…very very YUM!!Wonderful way to begin new year huh? I love such sweet beginnings. Have a great 2010!!
    BTW, have you tried Nilgiris cocoa? I love how dark & full the flavour is, and try to get some from Bangalore whenever any kind soul goes there.

    Reply
  18. Deeba PAB

    April 1, 2010 at 1:07 pm

    Ooooh over the top indulgent Nags. Take a look at these…very very YUM!!Wonderful way to begin new year huh? I love such sweet beginnings. Have a great 2010!!
    BTW, have you tried Nilgiris cocoa? I love how dark & full the flavour is, and try to get some from Bangalore whenever any kind soul goes there.

    Reply
  19. Lena Rashmin Raj

    April 1, 2010 at 1:07 pm

    i loved the first snap Nags…too tempting and mouth watering..awesome..

    Reply
  20. Happy cook

    April 1, 2010 at 1:07 pm

    As every year my new year starts with the thought od loosing few kilos, but i never seems to achieve them. How ever even if i am on a strict diet i don't think i can resist this super delicious looking brownie.
    Happy Newyear.

    Reply
  21. munchcrunchandsuch

    April 1, 2010 at 1:07 pm

    one look at ur pic and I was going NUTS ( pun intended).i Aint trying this one cos am on a weght reducing spree, but i seriously wanna take a bite

    Reply
  22. Sudeshna

    April 1, 2010 at 1:07 pm

    Nags,
    What lovely brownies, once I made the brownies with some ready to cook mixes. They turned out pretty well though my mom-dad complained those were too sweet :). Yours look so tempting, I could have had the whole brownie mixture.:P

    Reply
  23. Anonymous

    April 1, 2010 at 1:07 pm

    Made these on Saturday and they were fabulous…gooey on the inside and a nice crust on the outside…Thanks for the lovely recipe 🙂

    Reply
  24. Anonymous

    February 15, 2010 at 3:28 pm

    Made these on Saturday and they were fabulous…gooey on the inside and a nice crust on the outside…Thanks for the lovely recipe 🙂

    Reply
  25. Mahimaa's kitchen

    January 13, 2010 at 6:46 am

    brownie parcel please… sapdnum pola iruku 🙁 thx for sharing.

    Reply
  26. mittu

    January 11, 2010 at 6:01 pm

    Your brownies look very tempting.I am a choc-holic! and I would never ever have weight loss related resolutions!(cant imagine life without chocolate!!) :D. I'll surely try this out for the weekend 🙂
    – mridhu

    Reply
  27. my kitchen

    January 11, 2010 at 4:28 pm

    Excellent brownies,Want to taste right now

    Reply
  28. Sudeshna

    January 7, 2010 at 7:33 am

    Nags,
    What lovely brownies, once I made the brownies with some ready to cook mixes. They turned out pretty well though my mom-dad complained those were too sweet :). Yours look so tempting, I could have had the whole brownie mixture.:P

    Reply
  29. Mriganayani

    January 6, 2010 at 6:02 pm

    Ok. My resolution will start after I eat this! Droooolinngggg…I love it! I mean – what can go wrong here – or what's not to like? I want this…

    Reply
  30. meeso

    January 5, 2010 at 10:17 pm

    Yum, I had to bookmark this one! They look too good!

    Reply
  31. MR

    January 5, 2010 at 7:58 pm

    wow
    so methodical

    Reply
  32. Nags

    January 6, 2010 at 2:15 am

    This is one of Katherine Hepburn's quotes: "Never quit. Be yourself. And don't put too much flour in your brownies." So Dorie picked on this and created a brownie with very little flour. That's pretty much the only connection I am aware of 🙂

    Reply
  33. Ann

    January 5, 2010 at 6:09 pm

    Happy Twenty Ten Nags! Hmm, I was wondering what the connection to Brownies was to Katherine Hepburn. KH seemed to be such a stern person. And Brownies are for happy people…=)
    Ciao,
    Ann

    Reply
  34. jayasri

    January 5, 2010 at 4:26 pm

    That's amazing!!!, and lot of sugar in it!!, that's my daughter's comment seeing your brownies, she and her father doesn't like much of my baking and think that i don't add lot of sugar in them and they are sweet!!, I tell them that i add sugar as the recipes require !!, well, I love to say it looks gorgeous, and of course no question about the pics, absolutely good

    Reply
  35. MmmCheese

    January 6, 2010 at 12:13 am

    What is the Katherine Hepburn allusion??

    Reply
  36. Mangala Bhat

    January 5, 2010 at 1:28 pm

    wow! My mouth stared watering …can i grab one ..! wow !beautiful pics!
    Happy New year!

    Reply
  37. FoodLovers

    January 5, 2010 at 5:28 am

    happy new year nags … great start for a new year

    brownies wow yummy to munch on dear

    Reply
  38. Arch

    January 5, 2010 at 5:18 am

    Happy New Year Nags…These look fantastic…Great start to the year…

    Reply
  39. Shri

    January 4, 2010 at 9:36 pm

    It definitely looks sinful and heavenly!And for ppl like me who are chocolate lovers, we can go bonkers abt this..

    Reply
  40. munchcrunchandsuch

    January 4, 2010 at 8:07 pm

    one look at ur pic and I was going NUTS ( pun intended).i Aint trying this one cos am on a weght reducing spree, but i seriously wanna take a bite

    Reply
  41. Indhu

    January 4, 2010 at 6:16 pm

    Happy New Year.. I have been meaning to make the Katharine hepburn brownies for a long time now… btw, can you actually taste the difference between different brownies? for me, everything tastes the same… yummy.. but same 🙂

    Reply
  42. Swathi

    January 4, 2010 at 5:53 pm

    This is first time in your blog. You have lot of good recipes Last Year I made a brownies end result it can be used as Football .we can give it to National Football Championship.Your brownies looks amazing and soft. I will try this.

    Reply
  43. Nags

    January 5, 2010 at 1:42 am

    Swathi, that's hilarious 😀

    Indhu – I can only tell differences in texture, like crumbly, dense, light, moist, etc. This one is sinfully dense and moist, especially if refrigerated and served the next day.

    Reply
  44. Prathibha

    January 4, 2010 at 5:00 pm

    Happy New year..gr8 way to start the new year wid these sweet treats..and I have taken some weight reduction resolution this year…but seriously these brownies look irresistable..

    Reply
  45. Soma

    January 4, 2010 at 3:56 pm

    Happy New Year Nags! That has to be one moist decandent looking brownie.. one of the best I have ever seen.. Yummmmm

    Reply
  46. sowmya.s

    January 4, 2010 at 11:38 pm

    they look so gorgeous..sinful indulgence!!

    Reply
  47. Madhuram

    January 4, 2010 at 3:34 pm

    Happy New Year Nags. That's a lot of chocolate in there. I wish I can taste the brownies immediately.

    Reply
  48. Parita

    January 4, 2010 at 3:21 pm

    Wow Nags thats sinfully delicious!!

    Reply
  49. Happy cook

    January 4, 2010 at 1:52 pm

    As every year my new year starts with the thought od loosing few kilos, but i never seems to achieve them. How ever even if i am on a strict diet i don't think i can resist this super delicious looking brownie.
    Happy Newyear.

    Reply
  50. SJ

    January 4, 2010 at 12:27 pm

    Dorie…sigh…brownies…sigh…

    Reply
  51. Lena Rashmin Raj

    January 4, 2010 at 11:59 am

    i loved the first snap Nags…too tempting and mouth watering..awesome..

    Reply
  52. Home Cooked Oriya Food

    January 4, 2010 at 11:49 am

    Awesome brownies… Looks so chocolaty…
    Have a greta year ahead…

    Reply
  53. Deeba PAB

    January 4, 2010 at 10:58 am

    Ooooh over the top indulgent Nags. Take a look at these…very very YUM!!Wonderful way to begin new year huh? I love such sweet beginnings. Have a great 2010!!
    BTW, have you tried Nilgiris cocoa? I love how dark & full the flavour is, and try to get some from Bangalore whenever any kind soul goes there.

    Reply
  54. Deeba PAB

    January 4, 2010 at 10:55 am

    Ooooh over the top indulgent Nags. Take a look at these…very very YUM!!Wonderful way to begin new year huh? I love such sweet beginnings. Have a great 2010!!
    BTW, have you tried Nilgiris cocoa? I love how dark & full the flavour is, and try to get some from Bangalore whenever any kind soul goes there.

    Reply
  55. Deeba PAB

    January 4, 2010 at 10:54 am

    Ooooh over the top indulgent Nags. Take a look at these…very very YUM!!Wonderful way to begin new year huh? I love such sweet beginnings. Have a great 2010!!
    BTW, have you tried Nilgiris cocoa? I love how dark & full the flavour is, and try to get some from Bangalore whenever any kind soul goes there.

    Reply
  56. Deeba PAB

    January 4, 2010 at 10:52 am

    Ooooh over the top indulgent Nags. Take a look at these…very very YUM!!Wonderful way to begin new year huh? I love such sweet beginnings. Have a great 2010!!
    BTW, have you tried Nilgiris cocoa? I love how dark & full the flavour is, and try to get some from Bangalore whenever any kind soul goes there.

    Reply
  57. Sushma Mallya

    January 4, 2010 at 10:47 am

    looks delicious nags..

    Reply
  58. Shama Nagarajan

    January 4, 2010 at 10:26 am

    yummy yummy…

    Reply
  59. Swapna

    January 4, 2010 at 9:54 am

    Going to try this soon and let you know 🙂

    Reply
  60. Hb

    January 4, 2010 at 9:22 am

    And, that happens to be your first comment in this year. Will I get some brownie now?

    Reply
  61. Hb

    January 4, 2010 at 9:22 am

    Yay, brownies 😀 Give me some brownie everyday and I would be a happy happy person. Happy new year nags 🙂

    Reply
  62. reciperaaga

    January 4, 2010 at 1:47 pm

    wow..wonderful recipe..looks really yummy and your
    step by step method makes it look so simple.
    thanks for sharing this recipe..

    Reply
  63. Tina

    January 4, 2010 at 1:04 pm

    Wow perfect brownie dear..Really tempting and looks fabulous….

    Reply
  64. hamsini

    January 4, 2010 at 9:37 am

    Ohh heaven. Walnut brownies are the only thing I eat which has chocolate in it. I'm so gonna try this! Thanks! 🙂

    Reply
  65. Sharmilee! :)

    January 4, 2010 at 9:35 am

    Looks to me more like a chocolate….so tempting they look.Am sure to try this after my experiments with my new oven 🙂

    Reply
  66. Nags

    January 4, 2010 at 9:23 am

    You got it HB 😀

    Reply

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

Primary Sidebar

Hello!

I am Nags, the face behind Edible Garden, a food and recipes website for the busy (and sometimes lazy!) cook since 2007. My recipes are meant to be quick yet healthy and delicious - Nothing fancy, nothing too difficult. Follow Me On Instagram for real-time food and life updates.

ADS

logo
Food Advertising by

Popular Recipes

Instant Oats Idli Recipe with Rava, Step by Step
Kerala plum cake recipe
Butter Chicken Recipe, Indian Butter Chicken Masala Recipe
dosa recipe-how to make dosa
pressure cooker eggless sponge cake recipe (no oven cake)
vegetable pulao recipe
Eggless No-Bake Mango Cheesecake Recipe Step by Step
garlic pull-apart rolls recipe, eggless
paneer butter masala recipe restaurant style

Browse Older Recipes

Translate

Copyright © 2022