Love Brownies? Know The Fascinating Story Behind Its Invention

Deepali Verma

Updated:Feb 05, 2024

All around the globe, brownies are a beloved treat. In case you were wondering where they came from, why they were named what they are, and how to bake your own, we've got you covered.

Love Brownies? Know The Fascinating Story Behind Its Invention

When it comes to desserts, brownies are versatile and, may we say it, among the best. Brownies will never go out of style since they are simple, delicious, and classic. Nearly every baker has a tried-and-true method for perfecting their baked goods. Every person's brownie preferences are unique. There are those who like their brownies fudgy and those who want them well-baked and crispier. Brownies come in many varieties; some people prefer them with chocolate filling, while others prefer red velvet, cookie and cream, or another variation. Because brownies keep cooking even after you take them out of the oven, they are also a difficult dessert to bake. If you like a gooey texture, it is essential that you avoid overbaking them.

The name "brownie" originates from Palmer Cox's stories. In The Brownies: Their Life, Cox describes brownies as "imaginary little spirits, who are supposed to delight in harmless pranks and helpful deeds," similar to fairies and goblins. While exhausted homes sleep, they toil and play, never letting mortal eyes see them.

The many brownie variants are mirrored in the wide variety of brownie origin stories and folklore. An old wives tale states that while making a cake, a woman from Bangor, Maine, neglected to add the baking powder. Her cake did not rise; hence, it was flat. She served it anyhow after ingeniously cutting it into little squares rather than throwing it away. According to another version of events, a new delicacy was born when a chef mixed melted chocolate with cookie dough. Another tale goes something like this: a bunch of folks were about to bake a cake, but they ran out of flour. They opted for making smaller sweets instead, and the final product was very similar to brownies.

Bakers at the Palmer House Hotel in Chicago came up with the idea for the brownie in 1893 for the World's Columbian Exposition, according to the most popular theory. Bertha Palmer, wife of hotel owner Potter Palmer, presided over the Board of Lady Managers, a nonprofit group that provided aid to those in need. She was requested by the event planners to create a dessert dish for the women who would be visiting the show. After she had an idea for a dessert, she contacted the pastry chefs at the hotel. She gave them the task of making a dessert that was both more manageable than a slice of pie and smaller than a cake. A treat resembling contemporary brownies, crafted from chocolate, walnuts, and apricot sauce, was what they had made.

Fannie Farmer's Boston Cooking School CookBook from 1896 contains the earliest published recipe for brownies, or at least the modern version of them. This makes it an innovative product with a short shelf life, and its enormous popularity around the world is evidence of how good it is. On the other hand, its recipe lacked chocolate. This happened because of two advertisements. Brownies were listed in an 1897 Sears and Roebuck catalogue. Additionally, chocolate brownies were mentioned in a Kansas City Journal edition from 1898. Fannie reappeared in 1906 with two revised cookbooks, one of which included blondie and the other brownie recipes. The word quickly spread across the United States of America about her recipes and others like them. Laura Shapiro's account shows that by the time Fannie Farmer passed away in 1915, the book had sold more than 360,000 copies and was still being printed regularly at a rate of 50,000 copies each.

Brownies are a dessert that is enjoyed all over the world now. Moreover, bakers and others who make brownie mixes are making every effort to ensure that brownies remain popular. You may get vegan, gluten-free, low-sugar brownies on the market, which is in line with the current health craze that many people are riding. Additionally, they are available in a wide array of novel flavours, such as caramel, peanut butter, white chocolate, blondie, and many more.