Katherine Hepburn's Walnut Brownies

I sent these brownies along with the recipe to my son. He said, "I'm surprised that Katherine Hepburn cooked." Well, yes. Perhaps she doesn't seem the type, but this is a very easy recipe. Also, these are purported to be her brownies, but maybe this is the recipe she liked her cook to make for her. Anyway, it is clear that she liked walnuts, if you don't you can use another kind of nut, or skip the nuts and use chocolate chunks or butterscotch chips.

Katherine Hepburn's Walnut Brownies
Makes 16

Adapted from NYT Cooking

1/2 cup cocoa

1 stick butter (1/2 cup)

2 eggs

1 tsp vanilla extract

3/4 cup sugar

1/4 cup flour

1 cup chopped walnuts

1/4 tsp salt

Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Grease an 8x8" square pan.

Melt butter in saucepan with cocoa and stir until smooth. Transfer to a mixing bowl and let cool. Add eggs, one at a time, whisking after each. Add vanilla and stir.

In another mixing bowl combine sugar, flour, nuts and salt. Stir well and add to the cocoa mixture. Using a rubber scraper, mix until just combined.

Transfer the batter to the greased pan and smooth the top. Bake 25-28 minutes or until done on the edges but still gooey in the middle, or until a probe thermometer reads 180 degrees. 

Let cool in the pan, then cut into bars.