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One thing you may not know about me – after blogging for twenty years, you thought you knew everything about me, didn’t you? – was that the Hepburns were my neighbors growing up. They were extremely nice people, always smiling and very pleasant. While Katherine wasn’t in the ‘hood, it was her brother and his wife who lived just down the street.
If you grew up in suburbia in the 60s, this may seem unusual to you (unless you live in L.A.) they were “walkers.” While we drove past them in my mom’s station wagon, we’de give them a wave, they’d wave back, and we’d keep driving, thinking they were a little loopy. Then my mom stepped on the gas, and we drove away.
We didn’t see the most famous member of their family, as she lived down by the seashore. Perhaps it was a mixed blessing that she didn’t live close because she was reputed to be a handful at the neighborhood meetings, and was said to be quite sharp with a retort. But, as we used to say in New England, “High fences make for good neighbors,” and we all kept to ourselves. One thing I didn’t know at the time was that she had an excellent brownie recipe, which I never got to sample from her oven. Later in life, I met an elderly couple in Miami, who knew her for many years, and they told me “Kate” sent them a box every year at Christmas. Those lucky ladies!
When I explored the world of chocolate in The Great Book of Chocolate, I was looking for some recipes that used unsweetened chocolate (sometimes called bitter chocolate), known as 100% pure pâte de cacao in France, as it’s made only of ground cocoa beans and has no sugar. And I decided to include Ms. Hepburn’s justly famous brownie recipe since it fit that bill.
Years later, when I went to chocolate school in Belgium, I asked the chef instructor why unsweetened chocolate, which we frequently use in recipes in America (especially brownies), wasn’t used in Europe since it was so common in the States. (And in spite of the fact that we’re known to have a collective sweet tooth, unsweetened chocolate was the default chocolate in recipes for a long, long time.) Even later in life, I was searching for unsweetened chocolate in Paris. Some chocolate shops sell bars of 100% chocolate tablets, but they’re rather pricey for baking and since I use so much chocolate, I wanted more than a four-ounce rectangle of it.
I found my block of cent percent pâte de cacaoat G. Detou, which weighed in at eight pounds, and these super-chocolate brownies have been in my rotation ever since. One thing I forgot is that while many brownie recipes call for eight or ten ounces of bittersweet chocolate, because unsweetened chocolate is so strong, in brownies like these, you only use two ounces. It’s been a number of years, but I still am working my way through that block of chocolate. (Chocolate is high in antioxidants, so a bar made of pure 100% cocoa beans will keep for quite a while.)
I dubbed them Dave and Kate’s Brownies since in reality, and a little in my imagination, we share a few things in common, including a love of great brownies. I toggled Katherine Hepburn’s recipe a bit but didn’t want to incur the wrath of Ms. Hepburn, wherever she is. So for those who want to omit the nuts, reduce the sugar, use another chocolate, or mess around with it in any way, well…consider yourself warned.
Dave and Kate’s Brownies
Adapted from The Great Book of ChocolateFor those who live outside of the U.S., you can search for unsweetened chocolate at baking supply shops and well-stocked supermarkets. Often natural foods stores carry it. Lindt makes an Excellence bar that's 99% pure cacao, which are available in many countries. And that can be used.These are very traditional American brownies. They’re a cross between cakey and chewy, with the deep, dark flavor of chocolate. You should chop the nuts a little finer than shown in the post as it will make it easier to get cleaner slices. If you want to omit the nuts, you can. Just don’t tell Kate.
- 8 tablespoons (115g) unsalted butter, cubed
- 2 ounces (60g) unsweetened chocolate, chopped
- 1 cup (200g) sugar
- 2 large eggs, at room temperature
- 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 3/4 cup (75g) nuts, chopped
- optional: 1/4 cup (25g) roasted cocoa nibs
- 1/4 cup (35g) flour
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
Preheat the oven to 325ºF (160ºC.) Line an 8-inch (20 cm) square pan with a large rectangle of foil, leaving the overhang over the rim of the pan. Butter or spray the inside of the foil lining the pan with nonstick spray.
In a medium saucepan set over very low heat, melt the butter and the chocolate, stirring frequently, until the chocolate is melted and smooth. Remove from heat and stir in the sugar, then mix in the eggs and the vanilla extract.
Stir in the nuts and cocoa nibs, if using, then the flour and salt. Scrape the mixture in the prepared pan and bake for 30 minutes, or until the brownies feel just-set in the center. Remove from oven and let cool. Once cool, lift the brownies out of the pan by grasping the foil overhang, the cut the brownies into squares.
Notes
Note: For gluten-free people, I've made these with teff flour and they come out just fine. The baking time will be five or so minutes less, so check them before the end of the baking time. They will be a bit more crumbly, but perfectly delicious. You may also want to try my Gluten-Free Brownie recipe.
Dave and Kate’s Brownies
Adapted from The Great Book of ChocolateFor those who live outside of the U.S., you can search for unsweetened chocolate at baking supply shops and well-stocked supermarkets. Often natural foods stores carry it. Lindt makes an Excellence bar that's 99% pure cacao, which are available in many countries. And that can be used.These are very traditional American brownies. They’re a cross between cakey and chewy, with the deep, dark flavor of chocolate. You should chop the nuts a little finer than shown in the post as it will make it easier to get cleaner slices. If you want to omit the nuts, you can. Just don’t tell Kate.
- 8 tablespoons (115g) unsalted butter, cubed
- 2 ounces (60g) unsweetened chocolate, chopped
- 1 cup (200g) sugar
- 2 large eggs, at room temperature
- 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 3/4 cup (75g) nuts, chopped
- optional: 1/4 cup (25g) roasted cocoa nibs
- 1/4 cup (35g) flour
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
Preheat the oven to 325ºF (160ºC.) Line an 8-inch (20 cm) square pan with a large rectangle of foil, leaving the overhang over the rim of the pan. Butter or spray the inside of the foil lining the pan with nonstick spray.
In a medium saucepan set over very low heat, melt the butter and the chocolate, stirring frequently, until the chocolate is melted and smooth. Remove from heat and stir in the sugar, then mix in the eggs and the vanilla extract.
Stir in the nuts and cocoa nibs, if using, then the flour and salt. Scrape the mixture in the prepared pan and bake for 30 minutes, or until the brownies feel just-set in the center. Remove from oven and let cool. Once cool, lift the brownies out of the pan by grasping the foil overhang, the cut the brownies into squares.
Notes
Note: For gluten-free people, I've made these with teff flour and they come out just fine. The baking time will be five or so minutes less, so check them before the end of the baking time. They will be a bit more crumbly, but perfectly delicious. You may also want to try my Gluten-Free Brownie recipe.
Related Links
Gluten-Free Brownies
Altoid Brownies
G. Detou (Unsweetened chocolate in Paris)
Chocolate FAQs
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