But back to that young lady from Bryn Mawr. While there’s no transcript of the tea party, let’s just say the student remained at Bryn Mawr and went on to have a very successful career. While it might be a stretch to say the brownies themselves were responsible, certainly they made a sweet contribution to her story. This tale perfectly illustrates Hepburn’s top three principles for a successful life, as chronicled by Liz Smith in her book Dishing: 1. Never quit; 2. Be yourself; 3. Don’t put too much flour in your brownies.
Katharine Hepburn Brownies
ENJOY YOUR OWN TASTE OF SWEET SUCCESS with these easy-to-make brownies. They are in no way fussy, and the simple recipe yields fantastic results. And few brownies come with such a great story.
Makes sixteen 1-inch brownies
¼ cup all-purpose flour
¼ teaspoon salt
2 ounces unsweetened chocolate, finely chopped (about ¼ cup)
½ cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, cut into small pieces, at room temperature
1 cup sugar
2 large eggs, lightly beaten
½ teaspoon vanilla extract
1 cup chopped, toasted walnuts (pecans or hazelnuts also work well)
1. Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F. Grease the bottom and sides of an 8-inch square baking pan.
2. In a medium bowl, sift together the flour and salt. Set aside.
3. In a large saucepan over low heat, melt the chocolate and butter, stirring to make sure the chocolate doesn’t stick or burn.
4. Once melted, remove from the heat and add the sugar, stirring until fully incorporated. Add the eggs and vanilla, beating by hand with a wooden spoon until fully incorporated.
5. Using a wooden spoon, stir in the flour mixture until fully incorporated. Fold in the walnuts.
6. Spoon the batter into your prepared baking pan. Bake for 35 to 40 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out mostly clean; it is better to err on slightly under—rather than overbaked—this will ensure a chewy texture.
7. Cool completely. Cut into 16 squares and serve.
IT’S A LEGENDARY SORT OF COOKIE, dotted with two types of chocolate—morsels and grated—and packed full of nuts and oats. And like the cookie, the tale behind it is the stuff of gossip columns, a fine urban legend indeed. It’s a Robin Hood tale of sorts, a cautionary tale of recipe rights.
After the legend started circulating, you can bet your bottom dollar they got themselves a cookie recipe. Yes, indeed—they hired a recipe developer to create a cookie in response to the demand created by all the hubbub.
As the story goes (and there are many variations), a woman and her daughter are keeping up their energy while shopping at Neiman Marcus in Dallas, Texas, by snacking on a cookie in the luxe department store’s café. Impressed, they ask for the recipe; they’re informed that it will come with a “two-fifty” charge, which will be put on the mother’s account. Not bad for a good recipe, right? But as it later turns out, the amount billed is $250, not a mere $2.50. Incensed, Mom photocopies the recipe and shares it with her friends, urging them to share it with their friends, so that the store will never make another penny off this cookie—and, more altruistically, so that its deliciousness might be enjoyed by all.
Well, as fun a story as it might be—the little guy giving “Needless Markup” the what-for—well, it’s just not true. For one thing, it’s a tale that has been circulated before: it’s famously associated with the Waldorf Astoria hotel and their red velvet cake; also, a variation of the same cookie legend has been attached to Mrs. Fields cookies (much to their chagrin, I’m sure).
Here’s the real clincher, though—before the emergence of this legend, the department store didn’t sell their own chocolate chip cookies, much less have a recipe to share. But after the legend started circulating, you can bet your bottom dollar they got themselves a cookie recipe. Yes, indeed—they hired a recipe developer to create a cookie in response to the demand created by all the hubbub. Neiman Marcus has published the recipe in one of their cookbooks (which, by the way, retails for less than $250) and has also shared it on their website.
With the advent of the Internet, the tale has also gone viral via an e-mail titled “Cookie Revenge.”
That version of the recipe differs from the official Neiman Marcus cookie invented by the store: I, in homage to the Cookie Revenge movement, have created a lightly adapted version of the people’s cookie. It yields a great cookie and a great number of them.
Urban Legend Cookies
IN ESSENCE, THIS RECIPE (which I guess I’ll attribute to “the Internet”) is an interesting riff on classic chocolate chip cookies—some would even say it’s an improvement, based solely on the fact that it calls for both semisweet and milk chocolate. What appears to be an alarming amount of chocolate in this recipe actually doesn’t come across as excessive in the final product, so fear not. You may just find yourself wanting to share it via chain letters … thus, continuing the legend.
Makes 4 dozen 2-inch cookies
2½ cups oat flour (available at specialty food markets)
2 cups all-purpose flour, sifted
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon baking powder
½ teaspoon salt
1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, softened
1 cup granulated sugar
1 cup packed light brown sugar
2 large eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
One 12-ounce bag (about 1½ cups) semisweet chocolate chips
6 ounces milk chocolate, grated (about 1 cup)
1½ cups chopped nuts (your choice)
1. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. Line 3 baking sheets with parchment paper or reuse pans.
2. In a large bowl, stir together the flours, baking soda, baking powder, and salt. Set aside.
3. In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream the butter and both sugars on medium-low speed until fluffy, 3 to 5 minutes.
4. Add the eggs, one at a time, pausing after each addition to scrape the sides of the bowl with a rubber spatula. Stir in the vanilla.
5. Add the flour mixture gradually, in 2 to 3 additions, scraping the sides of the bowl after each addition. Remove the bowl from the mixer and fold in the chocolate chips, grated chocolate, and nuts. Roll the dough into 1-inch balls and place them 2 inches apart on the prepared baking sheets.
6. Bake for 8 to 10 minutes, or until lightly browned. Let cool for a couple of minutes before transferring the cookies to a wire rack to cool completely.
7. Store the cookies at room temperature in an airtight container for up to 7 days, or store in the freezer for up to 1 month.
SOURCE
WhatsCookingAmerica.net
ChowHound.com
FoodTimeline.org
American Food by Evan Jones
History of Baking in America Volumes I and II by William G. Panschar
Rare Bits: Unusual Origins of Popular Recipes by Patricia Bunning Stevens
Doughnuts: An American Passion by John T Edge
Betty Crocker’s Cooky Book by Betty Crocker
Paris Sweets by Dorie Greenspan
A World of Cakes by Krystina Castella
A Baker’s Odyssey by Greg Patent
BIRTHDAY CAKE
The Folk-lore Journal, Volume 1 and Volume 11 (accessible at http://en.wikisource.org/wiki/Folk-Lore_Journal)
NewEnglandRecipes.org
RECIPE: I can’t tell you where this recipe came from—it’s a basic cake that has been kicking around in my repertoire forever, it seems. I’ve been using it for my personal birthday cake for years. The frosting is adapted from a version I learned about from my friend Alice Currah, who blogs at SavorySweetLife.com.
BOSTON CREAM PIE
Stern, Lisë. “Contest finalists and judges discover the value of pie.” Boston Globe, April 27, 2005
Omni Parker House Hotel
MALegislature.gov
You Know You’re In Massachuse
tts When … by Patricia Harris and David Lyon
RECIPE: Adapted from the original Omni Parker House Hotel recipe.
BALLAD OF BETTY AND DUNCAN AND ALL MIXED UP SIDEBARS (THIS PAGE, THIS PAGE)
Finding Betty Crocker: The Secret Life of America’s First Lady of Food by Susan Marks
Bowling Green Area Convention & Visitor’s Bureau
CARROT CAKE
Oxford Companion to Food 2nd edition by Alan Davidson
RECIPE: This recipe is an adaptation of a handwritten one I found in my friend Chris’s repertoire. I omitted the raisins (because I don’t like them) and added nuts.
CUPCAKES
American Cookery 1796 2nd edition by Amelia Simmons
Scientific American magazine, September 2009
RECIPE: This is a coconut cake recipe that I changed slightly to work in cupcake form. The frosting is a coconutty adaptation of the version found in my first book, CakeSpy Presents Sweet Treats for a Sugar-Filled Life.
GERMAN CHOCOLATE CAKE
Baker’s Chocolate (a division of Kraft Foods)
WhatsCookingAmerica.com
RECIPE: This is an adaptation of the version popularized as a back-of-the-box recipe. This version is slightly more tender owing to cake flour, plus I’ve upped the vanilla for a more flavorful end result and topped it with a chocolate glaze.
NEW YORK CHEESECAKE
New York Times articles
On Food And Cooking: The Science and Lore of the Kitchen by Harold McGee
RECIPE: This is an adaptation of a widely circulated recipe entitled “Lindy’s Cheesecake,” which I believe was first “outed” in the New York Times in the 1960s. Every version is a little different. This version is quite simple, but true to versions of that era.
DOUGHNUTS
Donuts: An American Passion by John T. Edge
A History of New York by Washington Irving
RECIPE: This recipe is based on one I photocopied from a women’s magazine long ago (I’m sorry; I forget which one!). The original was a spiced doughnut recipe, but I prefer it plain. Through the years I have adjusted the proportions, so it is quite different from the original, and proof that one of the most joyous parts of a recipe is how it adapts over the years!
PINEAPPLE UPSIDE-DOWN CAKE
Dole Company
Hawaiian Pineapple as One Hundred Good Cooks Serve It (accessible at http://www.amazon.com/PINEAPPLE-contributed-magazine-reading-practical-Pineapple/dp/B003ATN3O8)
RECIPE: For this recipe, I consulted recipes both old and new. This is a sort of middle ground between them, with a cake that has an increased caramelly quotient thanks to brown sugar and an extra egg.
RED VELVET CAKE
Stella of BraveTart.com pointed me in many of the right directions for this one.
AdamsExtract.com
RECIPE: I started with a recipe I found a few years ago, but tinkered with the ratios and food- coloring amount. The boiled milk frosting is adapted from Warren Brown.
SMITH ISLAND CAKE
Mrs. Kitching’s Smith Island Cookbook by Frances Kitching and Susan Stiles Dowell
RECIPE: Adapted from the recipe in Mrs. Kitching’s Smith Island Cookbook.
BLONDIES & BROWNIES
FoodTimeline.org
The Encyclopedia of American Food & Drink by John F. Mariani
The Oxford Encyclopedia of Food and Drink in America, edited by Andrew F. Smith
CHOCOLATE CHIP COOKIES
The Wakefield Cookbook Collection, Framingham State University Library
New York Times articles
Ruth Wakefield’s Toll House Tried and True Recipes by Ruth Graves Wakefield
Betty Crocker’s Cooky Book by Betty Crocker
RECIPE: Adapted from the original Toll House recipe.
PEANUT BUTTER COOKIES
Claiborne, Craig. “The Fork and the Cookie.” New York Times, April 2, 1979.
Schenectady Journal, 1932.
How to Grow the Peanut and 105 Ways of Preparing it for Human Consumption by George W. Carver
RECIPE: Adapted from the one my mom always made while I was growing up!
PUFFED RICE TREATS
Kellogg’s company timeline (KelloggHistory.com/timeline.html)
Mildred Day obituary. Baltimore Sun, June 14, 1996.
RECIPE: Adapted from the original back-of-the-box recipe on Rice Krispies.
WHOOPIE PIES
New York Times articles
PaDutchCountry.com
Labadie’s Bakery
RECIPE: Adapted from a recipe by Judith Fertig.
APPLE PIE
The American Century Cookbook: The Most Popular Recipes of the 20th Century by Jean Anderson
Food and Drink in Britain: From the Stone Age to the 19th Century by C. Anne Wilson
RECIPE: Adapted from a recipe from the 1912 Boston Cooking-School Cook Book by Fannie Merritt Farmer.
NUTTY CHOCOLATE PIE
Epicurious.com
Encyclopedia of Louisville by John E. Kleber
Pearl, Charlie. “Still Playing the Pie Game.” The State Journal, April 17, 2008. http://www.state-journal.com/local%20news/2008/04/17/still-playing-the-pie-game
850 F.2d 692. United States Court of Appeals, Sixth Circuit. http://bulk.resource.org/courts.gov/c/F2/850/850.F2d.692.87-6152.87-5852.html
RECIPE: Adapted from a recipe for a race day pie in Southern Living (I believe).
LEMON MERINGUE PIE
Mrs. Goodfellow’s Cookery As It Should Be by Mrs. Goodfellow
An A–Z of Food & Drink by John Ayto and Alan Davidson
HistoryCooks.com
RECIPE: Custard adapted from my mom; recipe is a mash-up of several classics.
PECAN PIE
Bok, Edward William and Louisa Knapp. Ladies’ Home Journal, Volume 15
The Southern Cook Book of Fine Old Recipes by Lillie S. Lustig
The Cambridge World History of Food by Kenneth F. Kiple and Kriemhild Coneè Ornelas
PUMPKIN PIE
America’s Founding Food: The Story of New England Cooking by Keith Stavely and Kathleen Fitzgerald
Eating in America by Waverley Root and Richard de Rochemont
RECIPE: Based on the famous back-of-the-label recipe from Libby’s canned pumpkin.
BAKED ALASKA
WhatsCookingAmerica.com
FoodReference.com
The Glutton’s Glossary: A Dictionary of Food and Drink Terms by John Ayto
RECIPE: The idea for the brownie base came from Catherine McCord of Weelicious.com
HERMITS
HistoryCook.com
NewEnglandRecipes.org
The American History Cookbook by Mark Zanger
Miss Parloa’s New Cook Book 1880 edition by Maria Parloa
Betty Crocker’s Cooky Book by Betty Crocker
RECIPE: Adapted and inspired by a combination of recipes found in Miss Parloa’s New Cook Book and Betty Crocker’s Cooky Book.
JOE FROGGERS
Weltner, Linda. “History of Black Joe.” Marblehead Magazine.
New England Cookbook by Eleanor Early
Marblehead Myths, Legends and Lore by Pam Matthias Peterson
RECIPE: Adapted from the historical recipe found on the Marblehead website (Marblehead.org).
JUMBLES
Hearthside Cooking: Early American Southern Cuisine by Nancy Carter Crump
The Accomplisht Cook by Robert May
Betty Crocker’s Cooky Book by Betty Crocker
Martha Washington’s Booke of Cookery by Karen Hess
Mrs. Beeton’s Every-Day Cookery by Mrs. Isabella Beeton
RECIPE: Adapted from Eliza Leslie.
TUNNEL OF FUDGE CAKE
Pillsbury archives
H. David Dalquist obituary. New York Times, 2005.
RECIPE: Pillsbury was generous enough to permit me to use this recipe.
WELLESLEY FUDGE CAKE
Wellesley College Staff
AmericasTestKitchen.co
m
Baker’s Chocolate (a division of Kraft Foods)
RECIPE: Adapted from an early 1900s recipe which appeared on Baker’s Chocolate boxes.
ANZAC BISCUITS
“Protection of Word ‘Anzac’ Regulations.” Australian Government: Department of Verteran’s Affairs. http://www.comlaw.gov.au/Series/F1997B02175
Fewster, Sean. “Subway dumps Anzac biscuit from the menu.” The Advertiser, September 22, 2008.
RECIPE: Adapted from a recipe in The Register New-Pictorial in the 1930s.
CHERRIES JUBILEE
White Truffles in Winter by N. M. Kelby
The Secret Lives of Baked Goods Page 15