Katharine Hepburn Was Picky About Brownies - Tasting Table

"While most of us know Katharine Hepburn for her work on screen, she also had a strong passion for food and even published a few recipes. It's also no secret that she absolutely loved brownies but was particular about how she liked them. Not every brownie was up to her standards. They needed to be moist and chewy. Cakey brownies were not something she appreciated at all."

"Hepburn had a family recipe for rich and moist walnut brownies, and she often asked her cook to make them. The recipe called for just one tablespoon of flour, alongside one cup of sugar, two eggs, a quarter pound of butter, and two squares of Baker's chocolate. Hepburn requested her cook "keep these on hand to serve at home and to be ready to be packed up in tins to give to friends.""

"If someone else made brownies for her, and it was well known that Hepburn was a fan, she was not shy with an immediate critique. She would take a bite and tell the baker right then and there if it was chewy enough or had too much flour. She was also known to share her own recipe in the same breath, so having a pen and paper handy was a good idea."

"Katharine Hepburn's cooking was known to have some unusual twists, like her burgundy chicken recipe, which she topped with sliced mushrooms and small sour pickles. Her brownie recipe allowed for some flexibility. While her cook used a tablespoon of flour, Hepburn's original recipe called for a quarter cup but sometimes she'd use just a tablespoon and sometimes none. She occasionally used cocoa powder instead of Baker's chocolate, too. The key was to not over bake. They had to be gooey."

Katharine Hepburn loved brownies and insisted they be moist, gooey, and chewy rather than cakey. A family walnut-brownie recipe used minimal flour and rich ingredients: sugar, eggs, a quarter-pound of butter, and Baker's chocolate, sometimes substituted with cocoa. The brownies were served at home and packed into tins for friends. Hepburn critiqued others' brownies immediately and frequently shared her own recipe. Her approach to cooking included unusual touches, such as burgundy chicken topped with mushrooms and small sour pickles. The essential technique was not to overbake so the brownies remained fudge-like and gooey.

Read at Tasting Table