Bonus Dorie: Tribute to Katharine Hepburn Brownies

Some days, when you're trapped indoors with a three-year-old, there's only one solution: chocolate. Yesterday, that meant Tribute to Katharine Hepburn Brownies.

I picked these out of Baking: From My Home to Yours because I had all the ingredients on hand, the description was enticing (added cinnamon and espresso? Sure!), and I've always been intrigued by the spate of "Katharine Hepburn" brownies out there. No one knows which she really favored, but there are endless recipes floating around. When Miss Hepburn was still alive, my husband once hit a golf ball too close to her estate in Old Saybrook, which happened to border a public golf course a few miles from our home. She shook her fist at him. Now that is an enduring image.

These were wonderfully simple, one-pot brownies, with a shiny crust and gooey interior. I'll definitely make these again but (shocker) I'll probably drastically cut down on the instant espresso. The recipe specifies instant coffee, not espresso, but I don't keep instant coffee around the house. Still, I should have made the adjustment, but I didn't even think of it until after the fact. The espresso was a bit overpowering for me, and I'm a coffee lover. The cinnamon was barely perceptible, but if the espresso is cut down, I wonder if it will step forward a bit.