Katharine Hepburn’s Chocolate Brownies
I was thrilled to find Katharine Hepburn’s chocolate brownie recipe in the 1975 issue of The Ladies’ Home Journal. It works a treat! This chocolate brownie recipe is everything a brownie is supposed to be: a light flaky top that audibly cracks as you bite in, gooey chocolate insides and crunchy salty walnuts that break up the rich chocolate goodness.

I’m sure there’s a rule against eating the whole tray of brownies yourself, but where’s the fun in that? As Katherine Hepburn said, “sometimes rules are meant to be broken”. I was thrilled to find Katharine Hepburn’s chocolate brownie recipe in the 1975 issue of The Ladies’ Home Journal. It works a treat! This chocolate brownie recipe is everything a brownie is supposed to be: a light flaky top that audibly cracks as you bite in, gooey chocolate insides and crunchy salty walnuts that break up the rich chocolate goodness.
KATHARINE HEPBURN’S BROWNIES
Makes: 9-12 squares Difficulty: Easy
EQUIPMENT:
Square baking tin, 20cm x 20cm
INGREDIENTS:
60g Dark Chocolate, finely chopped
115g Unsalted Butter
2 large Eggs, lightly beaten
110g Walnuts, roughly chopped
200g Caster Sugar
30g Plain Flour
½ teaspoon Vanilla Extract
1 pinch Salt
METHOD:
Preheat the oven to 160 degrees Celsius (140 fan-forced; 320 F). Line the base and sides of the baking tin with baking paper. Grease the paper as well with non-stick spray.
Add the butter and chocolate to a medium-sized saucepan. On low heat stir them together until fully melted. Stir in the caster sugar. Allow the mixture to cool to well below 60 degrees Celsius (144 F). You’re adding eggs next and if it’s too hot the eggs will cook and scramble in the pot!
Stir in the beaten eggs, walnuts, flour, vanilla, and salt until well combined. Pour the batter into the greased cake tin and smooth the top with a spatula.
Check the oven has reached the correct temperature. Set your kitchen timer for 35 minutes. Place the cake tin on the middle rack of the oven. The brownies are ready when a skewer inserted into the middle comes out clean. If not, add an extra 5 minutes to the timer and bake until done.
Remove from the oven. Let the brownies cool in the pan for 10 minutes before letting them cool on a wire rack. Cut into squares to serve.
BAKING TIPS:
- Baking time depends on how squishy you like your brownies to be in the centre. If you like them more cake-like in the middle then bake them for 45-50 minutes. Make sure you still check on them regularly.
- I’ve heard these work fine with a gluten-free flour as well.
- Brownies will keep well in an airtight container for 3-4 days.
Recipe adapted from Saveur.com
Servings | Prep Time | Cook Time | Passive Time |
12Brownies | 20mins | 35mins | 1hr |
Servings | Prep Time |
12Brownies | 20mins |
Cook Time | Passive Time |
35mins | 1hr |
- 60 g Dark Chocolate finely chopped
- 115 g Unsalted Butter
- 2 Eggs lightly beaten
- 110 g Walnuts roughly chopped
- 200 g Caster Sugar
- 30 g Plain Flour
- 1/2 teaspoon Vanilla Extract
- 1 pinch Salt
Ingredients
Servings: Brownies Units: |
- Preheat the oven to 160 degrees Celsius (140 fan-forced; 320 F). Line the base and sides of a 20cm square baking tin with baking paper. Grease the paper as well with non-stick spray.
- Add the butter and chocolate to a medium sized saucepan. On low heat stir them together until fully melted. Stir in the caster sugar. Allow the mixture to cool a little first. You’re adding eggs next and if it’s too hot the eggs will cook and scramble in the pot!
- Stir in the beaten eggs, walnuts, flour, vanilla, and salt until well combined. Pour the batter into the greased cake tin and smooth the top with a spatula.
- Check the oven has reached the correct temperature. Set your kitchen timer for 35 minutes. Place the cake tin on the middle rack of the oven. The brownies are ready when a skewer inserted into the middle comes out clean. If not, add an extra 5 minutes to the timer and bake until done.
- Remove from the oven. Let the brownies cool in the pan for 10 minutes before letting them cool on a wire rack. Cut into squares to serve.
- Baking time depends on how squishy you like your brownies to be in the centre. If you like them more cake-like in the middle then bake them for 45-50 minutes. Make sure you still check on them regularly.
- I’ve heard these work fine with a gluten-free flour as well.
- Brownies will keep well in an airtight container for 3-4 days.
You might our other brownie recipes like Traditional American Brownies, Snickers Brownies, Rocky Road Brownies and Rum and Raisin Brownies. If you love chocolate we have a whole section of baking recipes with chocolate too.
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You had me at Chocolate ;0)
They look fab … and who am I to argue with Sister Hepburn ;0)
Super yummy! Funnily enough I made something similar last week. As for the weird snack combo, when I was little I used to enjoy peanut butter and cheese sandwiches….not sure I could bring myself to eating it now.
How special to have this recipe!
What a gorgeous women she was. I will have to go and bake some brownies. Yummy!
I have seen a similar recipe in Dori Greenspan’s cookbook.
The brownies looks so tempting. I am huge fan of Ms. Hepburn
Very much enjoyed your post! Glad to know Katherine Hepburn liked brownies! Brownies will never go out of style, just like Sister Hepburn.
Chocolate and walnuts are such a winning combination. Katharine Hepburn, who would of thought she had time to cook! Is a must try recipe I think.
Oh, yum! I’m always looking for new brownie recipes to try. Will add this to my file!
Beautiful! And the brownies too of course ;) I do love one-pot (saucepan) recipes!!
I laughed at ‘My eyes look like this when there’s chocolate involved too.’! Brownies look very moreish.
I’ve been meaning to try these for the longest time. Thanks for the reminder! I love brownies and I absolutely adore Katharine Hepburn. Thankfully, even though I haven’t baked them myself, I haven’t done without. The lovely bookstore/coffee shop down the street from my house features them once a week and they are delicious.
I could go a whole pan of brownies right now… It’s past 12!!
I would do anything for brownies! And I have to agree with you that brownies taste even better the day after and the days after that – although I think the day after would be the latest that my brownies will be seen, teehee ;)
Weird snack combo? Hmm, let me see… I like eating raw tomatoes with Coca-cola? I’m not healthy, I’m so sorry! Is that weird enough?
My eyes would look like that too with chocolate brownies in sight!
These look amazing! Love Katherine and I’m sure I’ll love these too. I used to eat lettuce and sauce sandwiches too! But my favourite thing to do was whenever we had ravioli, agnolotti or gnocchi (gnocchi was -always- the best for it though), I’d wrap each piece of pasta in a lettuce leaf, fill it up with sauce, then pop the whole thing in my mouth!! So so good. There’s definitely something perfect about any sauce/lettuce combo. Just remembering how good they were with the pasta is making me drool now…
i made these last week and they were gone within half an hour haha! absolutely delicious, hands down best recipe for brownies i have ever tried (especially as i cook completely gluten free and with the gluten free flour they still worked out amazingly). thank you on behalf of me and my friends! :)
Sometimes I wonder if there’s ever any reason to cook savoury food. I like that you noted how long it keeps – that’s theoretical, right? :)
Nice recipe. I love a simple brownie recipe which is easy for the kids :)
I also like the below brownie recipe.
http://www.wascene.com/food-drink/perfect-chocolate-brownie-recipe/
Thanks for sharing,
Jane
this is the best thanks :)
Just made this – what an easy recipe with such scrummy results!!
thanks for sharing :-)