Katherine Hepburn's Brownies

Cribbed and adapted from here.

Preheat oven to 325. 

In large bowl, melt

1/2 c cocoa powder, or a little more

1/2 c butter (1 stick)

and stir until smooth. (I use the microwave, about 2.5 min); let cool. 

While that's cooking and cooling, toast

1 c pecans (or walnuts, but pecans are better

in a cast iron pan and then chop or break up into pieces no more than about 1/2" in size.

Place and 8 x 12 piece of buttered parchment paper over the bottom and sides of an 8x8 baking dish, butter side up. Butter the visible sides of the baking disk.

Whisk in (once the cocoa mixture is cool enough not to cook the eggs!) 

2 eggs

one at a time, and 

1 t vanilla extract

(You can also put in up to 1/4c of the sugar from below to help cool the chocolate mix).

In another bowl, combine

1/4 c flour

1 c sugar, or a little less

pinch of salt

the pecans

and then add to the cocoa-butter mix and stir until just combined. Pour into the prepared baking dish and top with 

a light dusting of Maldon salt flakes

Bake 30 - 35 min (for a metal baking dish) or 29 min (glass). They're done almost as soon as you can smell them. 

Optional: add 1/8t of espresso powder to the mix.