Use less, not more, of this one important ingredient.
Katharine Hepburn’s Fudgy Brownie Hack Is Pure Genius
Published on Apr. 09, 2025
As a culinary school graduate and former professional baker, I’ve made a lot of brownie recipes in my time. I’m constantly trying different techniques and ingredient ratios to bake up a truly perfect tray of the best brownies.
So, when it came across my desk that four-time Oscar-winning actress Katharine Hepburn, known for her roles in “Guess Who’s Coming to Dinner” and “On Golden Pond,” had a brownie hack of her own, that curious baker in me lit up.
It turns out that, true to her personality, Katharine was very particular about her brownies. When her neighbor paid her a visit after she was in a serious car accident, the neighbor brought Katharine get-well brownies. Katharine didn’t hold back her distaste, declaring there was entirely too much flour in them. So, Katharine gave her neighbor her very own brownie recipe.
Years later, one week after Katharine Hepburn’s passing, the neighbor’s daughter sent Katharine’s brownie recipe to the New York Times. The recipe was originally published in 2003 and has now amassed more than 12,000 five-star reviews, and it’s all due to one secret trick. What in the world have I been missing out on?
What is Katharine Hepburn’s hack for extra-fudgy brownies?
To Katharine Hepburn, the best brownies are moist, fudgy and not at all cakey. She accomplished this by using as little flour as possible!
Katharine Hepburn’s fudgy brownie recipe only has 1/4 cup of all-purpose flour. This is just enough flour to bind the ingredients together (along with the cocoa powder) without creating a cake-like structure. Such little flour keeps the brownies moist and lets the cocoa powder’s true chocolate flavor shine. In this case, the best cocoa powder is worth that little splurge.
If you decide to bake up a batch, the most important aspect here is to measure the flour correctly. Too much flour will make the brownies cakey, and too little flour will make them squidgy. Use the scoop and scrape method to get the flour measurement exactly right.
What else is important in her brownie recipe?
Another important step Katharine mentioned to her neighbor is not to overbake the brownies. Overbaking dries out the brownies, losing all that glorious, silky texture. The brownies should still be a bit gooey when you take them out. Let the brownies cool before cutting so they can finish setting up. This is a good time to invest in an oven thermometer to ensure your oven isn’t too hot and thus overbaking the brownies.
