“If you obey all of the rules, you miss all of the fun”
- Katharine Hepburn
I’m sure there’s a rule against eating the whole tray of brownies yourself in less than 24 hours, but where’s the fun in that? Sister Hepburn got it right: sometimes rules are meant to be broken. Without changing the norm, who would know that goat’s cheese and watermelon are ace together? Balsamic and strawberries? Vegemite and cheese? Lettuce and sauce sandwiches? Ok, that last one might just be me. Strange little child was I.
Classics, however, like gooey Chocolate Brownies with crunchy walnut pieces, should stay the same. I was so thrilled to encounter this traditional recipe, from Katharine Hepburn no less. This Chocolate Brownie recipe appeared along with her interview in the August 1975 issue of The Ladies’ Home Journal. And ladies, it works a treat!!
My eyes look like this when there’s chocolate involved too.
This chocolate brownie recipe is everything a brownie is supposed to be: a light flaky top which audibly cracks as you bite in, gooey chocolate insides and crunchy salty walnuts breaking up the rich chocolate goodness. Sigh.
If you can stand to wait, the brownies taste even better the following day. Whether that’s from the flavours developing, delayed gratification, or a bit of Column A and Column B, who knows. Bottom line; they’re a little too easy to eat. Enjoy them the next day with a tall glass of cold milk on the side.
Well, I admit to enjoying the odd lettuce and sauce sandwich. Any of you got a favourite yet weird snack combo?
CHOCOLATE BROWNIE RECIPE
60g Dark Chocolate, finely chopped
115g Unsalted Butter
2 Large Eggs, lightly beaten
100g walnuts, roughly chopped
200g caster sugar
30g plain flour
1/2 teaspoon Vanilla Extract
Pinch salt
Heat oven to 160 degrees Celsius. Grease a 20 x 20 cm square baking tin with butter. Line the base and sides with baking paper and grease the paper as well.
Place the butter and chocolate in a medium saucepan. Melt together over low heat, stirring constantly to prevent burning. Once melted, stir in the caster sugar. When the mixture has cooled, stir in the eggs, vanilla, walnuts, flour and salt until well combined. Pour into the greased baking tin and smooth the top with a spatula. Bake for 40-45 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the middle comes out clean. The top will go nice and flaky, while the middle should be cooked but still moist. Let the brownies cool on a wire rack before cutting into 9 – 12 squares.
Keeps well in an airtight container for 3 -4 days at room temperature.
Recipe adapted from Saveur.com
