CHOCOLATE BROWNIE

In American cooking, a 'chocolate brownie', also known as a 'brownie' or a 'Boston brownie', is a small, rich, chocolate, baked cake-slice, named after its brown color.
Brownies are sometimes covered with fudge and may contain nuts or chips (chocolate, butterscotch, peanut butter, etc.). The first known mention of a brownie is believed to be in the 1897 Sears catalog.^[1]
Brownies often have an icing, popular flavors being chocolate icing or a sugar based icing flavored with either vanilla or mint extract.

Contents

Origins

References

External links

Origins

The name “brownies” first appeared in the 1896 Boston Cooking School Cookbook, where it describes molasses cakes baked in small tins. The origin of the Brownie is thought to be American and is thought to derive its name from the brown color of the cookie. Folklore has its origin coming from a careless cook that forgot to put baking powder in the chocolate cake batter recipe. Another story reports that the brownie was invented at the Palmer House Hotel in Chicago during the 1892 Columbian Exposition.^[2]
Bertha Palmer requested a dessert to put in box lunches for ladies that would not get their hands dirty.
There are many different recipes for brownies, including some laced with psychoactive drugs. Simple versions of the classic brownie often serve as an introduction to baking, frequently being made from pre-packaged "brownie mix". A common malicious prank calls for the addition of chocolate-flavored laxatives to an ordinary brownie recipe and giving them away to enemies.
Brownies are often served hot with milk or ice cream (it is then commonly referred to as a brownie ) and sometimes whipped cream, especially as desserts in restaurants. Some drink coffee with the dessert.
The popularity of the brownie has grown, and they can now be found in many bakeries in Europe. Brownies are also sold in some restaurants in Japan as a novelty, usually in themed restaurants.
'Blondies' are brownies made without cocoa, and with brown sugar; they may contain white chocolate, chips, or nuts.

References

1. http://www.kitchenproject.com/history/Brownies/index.htm
2.

External links

Recipes & Origin information

★ Palmer House Brownie recipe With information about its origin

★ Including recipes for cake brownies and fudge brownies