I’ve made a lot of brownie recipes in my lifetime. I’m always chasing that one from-scratch recipe worth the extra effort compared with a boxed mix.

Don’t get me wrong: I am certainly not opposed to the boxed-mix type. The problem, actually, is that I usually like the results from a boxed mix at least as well as the homemade kind.

I am nothing if not a pragmatic cook. If from-scratch results don’t offer significant cost savings or taste benefits, I’m not going to bother making the recipe.

Obviously, for most recipes there are health concerns to consider. But with brownies? Nah. Not so much.

This one might be it, though – the recipe that beats the box. It offers the crackly top so many folks can’t resist (though I can live without it).

More important, it delivers my Achilles’ heel: a fudgy, chewy texture I’ve found difficult to achieve without a mix. The chocolate flavor is richer than the usual boxed version, which I consider a major benefit.

(I hope you consider it a benefit, too. If rich chocolate flavor isn’t what you’re looking for in a brownie, I’m not sure brownies are the dessert for you. May I interest you in something more along the lines of a lemon square?)

The internet calls these “Audrey Hepburn’s brownies,” claiming the recipe came from her.

Look, I’ve seen photos of the lovely Ms. Hepburn. She was a tiny slip of a thing, and I have a hard time believing she ate brownies at all.

But if she did, I have no trouble believing this was her recipe of choice: decadent, rich and an instant classic.

Audrey Hepburn’s Brownies

Ingredients:

2 ounces unsweetened baking chocolate

1 stick (1/2 cup) butter (salted preferred)

1 cup sugar

2 eggs, beaten

1 teaspoon vanilla

Pinch salt (about 1/8 teaspoon)

1/4 cup flour

Optional: 1 cup chopped pecans or walnuts

Directions:

• Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Oil an 8-by-8-inch baking pan. Line the pan with parchment paper and oil the parchment as well. (This may seem excessive, but I promise it will be worth the effort.)

• Place chocolate and butter in a glass mixing bowl. Microwave for no longer than 30 seconds, then stir. Continue microwaving in 30-second intervals, stirring each time.

• If you grow impatient and microwave too long, the chocolate may seize and turn lumpy. If that happens, there’s no rescuing it — so be patient. Stop microwaving when the chocolate is almost melted but small bits remain, then stir until the residual heat melts it completely.

• Add sugar to the chocolate mixture and stir well. Add eggs and vanilla and whisk thoroughly. Stir in flour and salt. If using nuts, fold them in.

• Pour batter into the prepared pan. Bake about 40 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted near the center comes out clean.

• Allow brownies to cool completely before cutting. (If you can manage that, you’re a better person than I am.)

Amelia Plair is a mom and high school teacher in Starkville. Email reaches her at [email protected].

Amelia Plair is a Starkville resident who writes occasional food columns.