
Katharine Hepburn‘s brownie recipe is one that certainly intrigues classic film fans. When I first encountered the recipe in a cook book, I immediately wanted to get a “taste” of classic film history and indulge in this recipe from a confident and celebrated classic film star.

The steps to this recipe are as follows:
- Heat oven to 325 degrees.
- Melt butter in a saucepan with cocoa and stir until smooth. Remove from heat and allow to cool for a few minutes, then transfer to a large bowl. Whisk in eggs, one at a time. Stir in vanilla.
- Combine sugar, flour, nuts, and salt in a separate bowl. Add to the cocoa-butter mixture. Stir until just combined.
- Pour into a greased 8 x 8-inch-square pan. Bake 30 to 35 minutes. Do not overbake; the brownies should be gooey. Let cool, then cut into bars.
To ring in the new year (2021!), I decided to revisit this recipe. Inspired by Karie Bible’s Hollywood Kitchen take on the recipe, I followed her suggestion of mixing in one cup of fresh cranberries instead of the walnuts for which the original recipe calls. I also added about 1/2-3/4 cup of leftover semi-sweet chocolate chips I had on hand.




I highly recommend this delicious blend of tart and sweet flavors. Cheers to Katharine for this lovely and versatile recipe!

