Norma's Brownies

From Jeanne:  This recipe was a loose leaf sheet from the Wingold Cook Book (copyrighted by Elfrieda Von Rohr Sauer, June 1916, Winona, Minnesota) I have from my paternal grandmother, who I don't remember. She was born in 1895 and died when I was 1. The inscription reads:

To Norma

From Mother

May 30 '22

As in 1922, 101 years ago.

I'm not sure which mother (hers or her mother-in-law). Some of the slips of paper have dates from the 1930s and 1940s. A bunch was unclear so I went to social media and Jess the Dessert Geek found a very similar recipe from a history blog about Katharine Hepburn's brownies. She liked a more fudgy brownie so has less flour and uses melted butter instead of creaming the butter and sugar. I like cakey brownies.

NOTES

1. Tried it on 7/21/2023. It's very thin. Maybe double it next time? Or add baking powder? It's a little too fudgy for me.

2. Liz revised the recipe below by doubling the flour and adding 1/2 tsp of baking powder and 1/4 tsp salt to the dry ingredients. She also made a sling with parchment paper instead of greasing the pan but didn’t add vanilla since it was omitted in the typed up recipe. Maybe 1 tsp vanilla? Let the brownies cool about 10 mins to let the flavors meld. Jeanne liked these better.

3. Per Jeanne's suggestion, Liz added 1/4 tsp of espresso powder. It upped the intensity of the chocolate. Liz also replaced the vanilla extract with vanilla bean powder but the batter was a bit stiff, so she added 1/4 tsp extract. 

4. A half-recipe can be made in a 9x5 loaf pan.

5. Jeanne likes the revised recipe because it makes cakey brownies. Liz likes it because it makes fudgy ones, though not as fudgy-gooey as the original.

Ingredients - original

1 C sugar

1/2 C butter, softened at room temperature

2 oz dutch processed cocoa powder

2 eggs

1/2 C flour

1 C toasted walnuts

Ingredients - revised

1 C sugar

1/2 C butter (1 stick), softened at room temperature

2 oz dutch processed cocoa powder

1/2 tsp baking powder

1/4 tsp salt

2 eggs

1 tsp vanilla (or 1/2 tsp vanilla bean powder + 1/4 tsp vanilla extract)

1 C flour

1 C toasted walnuts

optional: 1/4 to 1/2 tsp espresso powder

Instructions

1. Oven to 350. Butter well an 8x8 baking pan or create a parchment sling.

2. Toast the nuts and set aside.

3. In a large bowl, cream the butter and sugar well, then mix in the eggs and vanilla.

4. In a medium bowl, mix together the flour, cocoa, salt, and baking powder; then sift it carefully into the butter/sugar/egg mix. 

5. Fold in the nuts and put thick batter into pan. Spread with a butter knife or small spatula. A big spatula may not be as effective. Batter will spread a bit as it cooks.

6. Put in the baking pan and bake for 20-30 minutes, until a toothpick comes out clean.