Everybody’s had a brownie at some point in their life, but did you know that the iconic chocolatey treat was invented at a famous Chicago hotel?
You read that right, the Palmer House Hilton in the Loop is the birthplace of the brownie.
The story goes that Bertha Palmer, wife of hotel owner Potter Palmer, requested that the hotel kitchen create a dessert for women attending the 1893 World’s Columbian Exhibition, also known as the World’s Fair, in Chicago.
The kitchen staff concocted a cocoa-based, cake-like pastry that could be packed into lunch boxes and enjoyed by attendees as they toured the event.
The Palmer House brownie differs from modern interpretations of the treat, with less emphasis on flour giving its signature brownie a distinctly fudgy texture. The brownie also features a walnut layer with an apricot glaze, giving the treat a shiny veneer.
You can try the treat for yourself today at the Palmer House, while taking in the hotel’s gorgeous architecture. The hotel serves the original dessert along with other creative brownie-inspired treats like a brownie old fashioned and latte.
If you can’t make it downtown but have a serious craving, no worries—you can make the original Palmer House brownie right at home!
You can find the exact recipe below, originally shared on the Palmer House Hilton’s official website:
Ingredients
- 5.25 oz 60% dark couverture chocolate
- 9.75 oz butter
- 12.75 oz granulated sugar
- 5 eggs
- 3.5 oz all-purpose flour
- 1/8 tsp baking powder
- 8 oz chopped walnuts
- 1 cup water
- 1 cup apricot preserves
- 1 teaspoon unflavored gelatin
Directions
- Preheat oven to 300 degrees F (150 degrees C). Grease a 9 x 12-inch rimmed baking sheet.
- Place butter and chocolate in the top of a double boiler over simmering water. Stir frequently, scraping down the sides with a rubber spatula to avoid scorching, until chocolate is melted, about 5 minutes.
- Combine sugar and flour in a large bowl. Add chocolate mixture to sugar mixture; mix until well combined, 4 to 5 minutes. Mix in eggs and vanilla extract. Pour batter into the prepared baking sheet. Sprinkle walnuts on top, pressing them down slightly into batter.
- Bake in the preheated oven until edges start to crisp and brownies rise about 1/4 inch, 30 to 40 minutes.
- Make glaze: Mix together water, apricot preserves, and unflavored gelatin in a saucepan over high heat; bring to a boil. Cook, stirring occasionally, until thickened, about 2 minutes.
- Allow brownies to cool for 30 minutes, then spread a thin layer of glaze on top with a pastry brush.