Katharine Hepburn’s One Bowl Brownies

Dessert

Sixteen of these are about 140 calories each.

Ingredients

  • 1 4-oz. stick butter, salted
  • ½ cup cocoa powder, compacted (a scant 2⁄3 loose)
  • 1 cup white sugar
  • 2 eggs
  • 1 tsp vanilla (or more to taste)
  • ¼ tsp table salt
    • Double if using unsalted butter
  • 2 tbsp molasses, any type
  • ¼ cup flour
Notes

Submitted by Trista Robichaud, research assistant in the Department of Molecular Virology & Microbiology

“I got this recipe back from the New York Times in September and have been rather obsessed with it since. (The recipe that) follows is a somewhat streamlined method from the original with the addition of molasses to prolong the softness / shelf life and improve the flavor (in my opinion).

At present, I can find 8-x-8 square Nordic Ware pans at Kroger for $10. I’ll also include a bake time for 9-x-9, but I like the height of the 8-x-8 mixture more. I like to use baking parchment to speed cooling and cleanup.” — Trista

Original source: The New York Times

Directions

  • Preheat oven to 325 degrees Fahrenheit
  • Put the butter stick in a large microwave safe bowl, and heat at 50% power in 1-minute increments until melted. (Half-power will prevent the butter from splattering.)
  • While the microwave is going, put the eggs in a bowl of sink-warm tap water for 5 minutes to take the fridge chill off. Spoon out a ¼ cup measure, and put the flour in a bowl for later.
  • Once the butter is melted, add the salt, sugar, eggs, vanilla and molasses into the bowl.
    • Use the cocoa powder bag to crush the powder into the ¼ cup twice for the cocoa powder.
    • Do this last so you can use the ¼ cup for other tasks.
  • Whisk for 30 seconds or until it’s smooth-ish. It will appear grainy at this point. Stall a little bit, and let the sugar dissolve.
  • Set a timer for 5 minutes, then return and whisk for 30 seconds. Set a final timer for 5 minutes and whisk for 30 seconds more – the batter should appear smooth and shiny now. Clean whisk into bowl and get a rubber or silicone spatula to fold in the flour, and mix until incorporated.
  • Pull off a sheet of parchment paper big enough for your dish, and set it on top of the dish. Add the batter in a mound on the dish so it presses the paper down.
    • Use scissors to cut diagonal slits in the paper just to an inch before the bottom corners of the square dish, and push the paper into the corners.
    • Use the spatula to smooth the batter into the dish, letting the extra paper stick up. Put the whole thing into the center shelf of the oven.
  • For an 8-x-8 dish, cook at 325 degrees Fahrenheit for 30-35 minutes; try to err on the side of gooey underbakedness.
    • For a 9-x-9 dish, check it at 22 minutes – it will probably need 25, but it’s best to not overbake.
  • Once you pull the pan from the oven you can pull the brownies out easily by holding two opposite diagonal baking parchment paper corners at the same time, and set the square on a baking rack to cool. It will cut best when it’s cooled completely.
  • Enjoy!