Katharine Hepburn's Famous Brownies

I have read several places about Katharine Hepburn's "famous" brownies.  Supposedly these are the "best" brownies EVER!  Now I am intrigued.  So off to the Internet I went.  I found many recipes for her brownies, so I settled for the recipe on the Joy of Cooking website (it even has a video!)  These are really easy to make, though you might have to make a run to the grocery store for unsweeten baker's chocolate.  I did omit the salt in the recipe as I am pre-diabetic and I need to be "salt free."

Katharine Hepburn Brownies by Joy of Cooking

2 ounces unsweetened chocolate, coarsely chopped

1/2 cup unsalted butter (1 stick)  cut into pieces

1 cup  white sugar

2 large eggs, at room temperature

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1/4 cup all-purpose flour

1/4 tsp salt * (I omitted - see note above)

1 cup  chopped walnuts or pecans or 2/3 cup chocolate chips (optional) - I opted for the chocolate chips because my family is not big on nuts.

Directions

Preheat oven to 325 degrees F and place rack in center of oven.  Butter an 8 inch square baking pan and line the bottom of  the pan with parchment paper.  Melt the chocolate and butter in a stainless steel bowl placed over  a saucepan of simmering water.  (I just put my Kitchen Aid mixer bowl over a medium size pot filled  about 1/4 with water) Remove from heat and stir, or whisk, in the sugar.  Next, stir in the vanilla extract. Whisk in the eggs, one at a time.  Finally, stir in the flour, salt and chopped nuts or chocolate  chips (if using). Pour into the prepared pan and bake for about 30 - 35 minutes, or  until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out with a few  moist crumbs clinging to it.  Remove from oven and let cool on a wire rack. Then cover and  place in the refrigerator overnight. Serve at room temperature or  chilled.  These freeze very well. Makes 16 brownies. Entire Recipe: Katharine Hepburn Brownies by Joy of Cooking 2 ounces unsweetened chocolate, coarsely chopped 1/2 cup unsalted butter (1 stick)  cut into pieces 1 cup white sugar 2 large eggs, at room temperature 1 teaspoon vanilla extract 1/4 cup all-purpose flour 1/4 tsp salt * (I omitted - see note above) 1 cup  chopped walnuts or pecans or 2/3 cup chocolate chips (optional) -  I opted for the chocolate chips because my family is not big on nuts. Directions: Preheat oven to 325 degrees F and place rack in center of oven.  Butter an 8 inch square baking pan and line the bottom of  the pan with parchment paper.  Melt the chocolate and butter in a stainless steel bowl placed  over a saucepan of simmering water.  Remove from heat and stir, or whisk, in the sugar.  Next, stir in the vanilla extract. Whisk in the eggs, one  at a time.  Finally, stir in the flour, salt and chopped nuts or chocolate  chips (if using). Pour into the prepared pan and bake for about 30 - 35 minutes,  or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out with a few  moist crumbs clinging to it.  Remove from oven and let cool on a wire rack. Then cover and   place in the refrigerator overnight. Serve at room temperature  or chilled.  These freeze very well. Makes 16 brownies. ENJOY!!! Verdict: Were these the "BEST" brownies I have ever tasted?   Yes, they were good, but I won't exactly classify them as the  BEST brownies in the whole wide world, but they are pretty darn  gone good.  My resident expert, aka my husband, ate 3 or  4 when he got home from work!  That pretty much says it all!

Valentine Soft Batch Cookies

Well, in reality these are really soft batch chocolate chip cookies, but I thought with Valentine's Day coming up, I thought I would substitute Valentine colored M & M's instead of the chocolate chips.

I found this recipe on www.BakedbyRachel.com.  I have been looking for a good soft batch chocolate chip cookie forever!!  My husband is a chocolate chip cookie addict but always complains that my chocolate chips, while good (for a day), turn hard the next day and he has to nuke them to make them soft.

So I thought I would give Rachel's cookies a try.

Soft Batch Chocolate Chip Cookies by Baked by Rachel

Ingredients:

10 T  unsalted butter, softened
1/2 c white sugar
1/2 c packed brown sugar
2 eggs
1 1/2 tsp vanilla
3/4 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
2 c all purpose flour
1 1/2  semi-sweet chocolate chips or 1 bag of M & M's

Directions:

Using your mixer, cream butter with sugars.

Add the eggs and vanilla.

In another bowl, combine the baking powder, baking soda and flour. Add to the dough and mix well until all ingredients are fully incorporated.

Stir in chocolate chips/M & M's by hand. Cover and chill in the refrigerator for about an hour.

Preheat oven to 350°F.
Prepare a baking sheet with parchment paper.

Using a large soup spoon, roll the dough and place cookie balls at least 2 inches apart on prepared baking sheet.

Bake for 10-11 minutes. Allow cookies to rest on baking sheet for 2 minutes prior to transferring to a wire rack to cool completely.
 
Store cookies in an airtight container.

Entire Recipe:
  
Soft Batch Chocolate Chip Cookies by Baked by Rachel

Ingredients:

10 T  unsalted butter, softened
1/2 c white sugar
1/2 c packed brown sugar
2 eggs
1 1/2 tsp vanilla
3/4 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
2 c all purpose flour
1 1/2  semi-sweet chocolate chips or 1 bag of M & M's

Directions:

Using your mixer, cream butter with sugars.

Add the eggs and vanilla.

In another bowl, combine the baking powder, baking soda and flour. Add to the dough and mix well until ingredients are fully incorporated.

Stir in chocolate chips/M & M's by hand. Cover and chill in the refrigerator for about an hour.

Preheat oven to 350°F.
Prepare a baking sheet with parchment paper.

Using a large soup spoon, roll the dough and place cookie balls at least 2 inches apart on prepared baking sheet.

Bake for 10-11 minutes. Allow cookies to rest on baking sheet for 2 minutes prior to transferring to a wire rack to cool completely.

Store cookies in an airtight container.

Verdict:

These were good AND they stayed soft several days after they were baked.  I did store them in an airtight container which I believed did help.  My husband didn't like them with the M & M's in them but thought the cookie dough was good.  My son loved them and I thought they were good - so we got 2 votes out of 3 - LOL!  Next time, I will use regular chocolate chips, so this one is a keeper!