Cybersecdn– The city of Chicago People in the US love cookies. Every year, people across the country eat about 1.5 billion brownies. But did you know that brownies were one of the famous things that people came up with in Chicago?
Along with the Ferris Wheel and towers, Chicago is where the brownie came from.
Bertha Palmer invented brownies for the Chicago World’s Fair in 1893
In 1893, Bertha Palmer (wife of hotel owner Potter Palmer) needed a tasty dessert that could be boxed up and served at the Chicago World’s Fair. Bertha, a socialite, philanthropist, and politician, was married to hotel owner Potter Palmer.
She was chair of the Board of Lady Managers for the World Fair, and she directed the pastry chef, Joseph Sehl, to create a dessert that was sweet, cake-like, and portable.
The first reference to the brownie in America appears in the Sears Catalog published in Chicago in 1898.
At the direction of Bertha Palmer to be served at the Columbian Exposition World’s Fair in 1893, the brownie was created in the Palmer House Kitchen in the late 19th century. pic.twitter.com/EZcGljwZVX— Chicago History ™️ (@Chicago_History) March 3, 2019
This is how the brownie came to be. However, it wasn’t called a “brownie” until the Chicago Sears Roebuck catalog used that word in 1898.
The brownie became a popular treat in the United States and has stayed that way ever since.
You can try Bertha’s first brownie today at the Palmer House Hilton. If you want to make it yourself, though, the method is simple.
Bertha’s original recipe can be found on this page from Palmer House. You can also look it up below.
Read More
The Palmer House Brownie Recipe
Ingredients:
- 5.25 ounces of 60% dark couverture chocolate (Note: couverture chocolate is a high-quality chocolate rich in cocoa butter. It is sold from chocolate distributors or Amazon.)
- 2-1/2 sticks of butter
- 1-3/4 cups granulated sugar
- 5 eggs
- 3/4 cup all-purpose flour
- ⅛ tsp baking powder
- 8 oz chopped walnuts
Glaze Ingredients:
- 1 cup water
- 1 cup apricot preserves
- 1 teaspoon unflavored gelatin
Directions:
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
- Melt chocolate and butter. You can use a double boiler or melt in the microwave. If using the microwave method, heat in a microwave-proof bowl at 30-second intervals, mixing each time until melted and smooth.
- Mix the flour, sugar, and baking powder in a large bowl.
- Combine the melted chocolate with the flour mixture and stir for about five minutes.
- Add eggs one at a time and continue mixing.
- Pour the mixture into a greased 9″ x 12″ baking pan.
- Sprinkle chopped walnuts on top. Press down on them gently with a spatula or your hand.
- Bake for approximately 35 minutes. Brownies are done when they have risen about 1/4″ and the edges begin to crisp and pull away from the sides. (Brownies should remain gooey in the center when you insert a toothpick or they will be dry.)
Glaze Directions:
- Mix water, apricot preserves, and unflavored gelatin in a medium saucepan.
- Bring to a boil for two minutes, stirring continuously.
- Brush hot glaze on warm brownies.
