Tuesdays with Dorie: Tribute-to-Katharine-Hepburn Brownies
July 7, 2009 at 1:09 am | Posted in cookies & bars, groups, sweet things, tuesdays with dorie | 42 Comments
As a child, there were a few movies I was a bit obsessed with…so you don’t think I’m too demented, I won’t mention that as a six-year-old I could recite lines from The Elephant Man or pretty much the entirety of Mommy Dearest. Instead I will tell you that I’ve seen On Golden Pond, starring none other than Katharine Hepburn, more times than I can count. So for years I’ve known what a wonderful actress she was, but until Lisa of Surviving Oz chose Tribute-to-Katharine-Hepburn Brownies for TWD, I did not know that she was also an accomplished brownie-baker. (By the way, our guest hostess Lisa designed our fantastic new TWD logo, which you can see over there in my sidebar.)
These dark, deeply chocolate brownies are made with cocoa powder and lots of bittersweet chunks. They’re on the thin side, and since they have very little flour (one of Miss Hepburn’s tips for good brownies), they are really fudgy. I know that some people fervently oppose nuts in brownies, but I’m a die-hard with-walnuts fan, so I was glad to see them here. I also liked the strong hit of coffee from the espresso powder in the recipe, but I left out the suggested cinnamon so I wouldn’t have too many competing flavors. After reading a comment from Caitlin, I cut back on the butter by a tablespoon, and they were still wonderfully rich. A half-recipe baked up nicely in a loaf pan, although these were so good, we could easily have polished off a full batch!
The recipe, of course, is in Baking: From My Home to Yours by Dorie Greenspan, but she also has it here on NPR’s site, and Lisa of Surviving Oz has it as well. Don’t forget to check out the TWD Blogroll!
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a whisk and a spoon 
wow! you temptress!! these look sensational – and i can’t have one! boo!
Comment by Meeta— July 7, 2009 #
Wow these look yumm 🙂
Comment by Nags— July 7, 2009 #
Wow – fantastic photos – love the addition of nuts. I would have added, but no one I know likes them (in brownies in particular). Also loved the espresso kick in mine as well. Glad they turned out for you and that you enjoyed them
Comment by mikejdunlap— July 7, 2009 #
Yeah, I am now the proud owner of this baking book. It’s in my sights. I’ll have to try this. I LOVE BROWNIES!
Comment by Julia @ Mélanger— July 7, 2009 #
These were so good, all my coworkers loved them as did I! I also cut back the butter and I used a bit more flour. I prefer pecans in my bronwies, but still had some walnuts laying around that needed to be used up, so I added those: Yum!
Comment by Marthe— July 7, 2009 #
I ADORE those films!! Great tribute with the brownies.
Comment by VeggieGirl— July 7, 2009 #
Today I’m no longer sure who I’m a bigger fan or – Hepburn or her brownies. Your photo is awesome!
Comment by Clivia— July 7, 2009 #
Your brownies look great! Nice picture. I loved these, too.
Comment by isabelle— July 7, 2009 #
Gorgeous brownies! I am a no-nuts-in-brownies kind of girl, but your photo is making me rethink my stance!
Comment by Teanna— July 7, 2009 #
Yours look so dark, rich and nutty. Great job!
Comment by peggy— July 7, 2009 #
Oh, your brownies look so good. I skipped the cinnamon and the walnuts, but yours look perfect. Great photo!
Comment by Amy— July 7, 2009 #
These brownies were the bomb! I’m trying not to have one with my coffee even as I write this. Yours look fab!
Comment by Beryl— July 7, 2009 #
I loved these guys! Good to know these work well with less butter. I love KH, too, and am so glad to have tried her amazing brownies.
Comment by Erin— July 7, 2009 #
They look amazing! I love how you cut them in wedges. I didn’t find the cinnamon made too many competing flavors, instead, I thought they harmonized together to make something incomparably great.
Comment by Leslie— July 7, 2009 #
Look gorgeous. I wish I had omitted the cinnamon. I love walnuts in brownies too. Something about the crunch. Yummy.
Comment by Kim— July 7, 2009 #
I love you photo and the brownies look so yummy!
Comment by Deanna— July 7, 2009 #
Your brownies look incredible!!!! Love your photos!
Comment by Lauryn— July 7, 2009 #
Your brownies look perfect!
Comment by Wendy— July 7, 2009 #
OH!! Those look fantastic.
Comment by teaandscones— July 7, 2009 #
“You old poop.”
I was going to write that somehow into my write up about the brownies, but feared no one would know what I was talking about. At least you’ll get it! 😉
I made these awesome brownies four times in the past week and LOVED all four of them. I did a round pan on one, too. Brownie wedges are just as good as squares! 😉 Yours look fab. I’m a nuts-in fan, too.
Comment by Katrina— July 7, 2009 #
They look great!
Comment by Jodie— July 7, 2009 #
These look wonderful! I love nuts in brownies, but sometimes I omit them so my husband will help me eat them.
Comment by Erin— July 7, 2009 #
I loved the fudginess of these too
Comment by Tammy— July 7, 2009 #
Your brownies look fabulous. I used pecans in my, but I’ll have to try walnuts next time. Yum!
Comment by theeclecticconnoisseur— July 7, 2009 #
Yum! I have a real brownie weakness so I will have to make these at some stage! Great photography.
Comment by Gab*— July 7, 2009 #
I love the loaf pan idea. Now I can make half batches when I really need an easy chocolate fix!
Comment by Holly— July 7, 2009 #
These were yummy!
Comment by Farah— July 7, 2009 #
I don’t think I’ve ever seen On Golden Pond (but do check out Philadelphia Story – it’s too cute).
Alas, I left out the nuts. But I’d recommend making them again with the cinnamon – it really didn’t compete flavor-wise and added a little heat.
Comment by Chris— July 7, 2009 #
Nice brownies. I made little mini ones!
Comment by Michelle— July 7, 2009 #
Spectacular photo of spectacular looking brownies! We loved these too and if I had another pan I have no doubt David and I would polish off the whole thing right now, but no nuts.
Comment by Carol Peterman— July 7, 2009 #
It is not the first time I will tell you, it sometimes scares me the things we have in common. Humpf… The elephand man craziness and Mommy dearest… are very familiar.
Okay, but I’m here for those wonderful brownies! Any left?
Comment by Vibi— July 8, 2009 #
Lovely looking brownies. I’m glad you left the nuts cuz I’m “nuts” over them too!
Comment by Eliana— July 8, 2009 #
Fudgy brownies and gorgeous photos…you’ve got one very hungry reader! Fantastic 😀
Comment by Lucy— July 8, 2009 #
I think that if anyone had to pick out the defining photo of what a brownie should look like, yours would win. Most excellent photo of what appears to be a most excellent brownie…Kudos to you! My fav K Hepburn movie is Philadelphia Story…have you seen it? Really, you should! And have some brownies while you watch it!
Comment by Kayte— July 8, 2009 #
Wow, your brownies are perfection! Glad you were such a big fan! They were perhaps too fudgey for me but others who tried them loved them.
Comment by Tracey— July 8, 2009 #
ohhh…yours look so delicious! Especially with the nuts!
Comment by Heather B— July 8, 2009 #
I’m glad that you enjoyed the brownies!
Comment by Michele— July 9, 2009 #
A fabulous batch of brownies Steph – it may be a good thing you went for only a half batch, because these were so good, I could easily have polished them off myself. I am partial to nuts in my brownies, but was too lazy to go and buy them on this occasion.
Comment by Cakelaw— July 9, 2009 #
Brownies for breakfast with coffee, yea that works for me. On my way to the gym anyway, right? Just throw in another half hour of cardio. It is so totally worth it.
Your KH brownies look amazing and I love walnuts in mine too. Your photograph is beautiful. Great job!
AmyRuth
Comment by Amy Ruth— July 9, 2009 #
some unique movie choices as a little one! Brownies look amazing!
Comment by Spike— July 11, 2009 #
Yes, my mother should have kept a better eye on me!
Comment by steph (whisk/spoon)— July 11, 2009 #
your brownies actually look thicker than most of the others. sorry, I am not a fan of nuts in brownies 😛 but glad you enjoyed them
Comment by Jaime— July 14, 2009 #