Legend has it that the creation of brownies hales from the Palmer House Hotel in 1893. Bertha Palmer, a prominent Chicago socialite whose husband owed the hotel, asked a pastry chef for a dessert suitable for ladies attending the Chicago World’s Columbian Exposition.
Celebrated annually on every 8th December, National Brownie Day is observed to recognize the blonde treats that are as scrumptious as the popular chocolate brownies.
She requested a cake-like delicacy small enough to be included in boxed lunches. The result was the Palmer House Brownie with walnuts and an apricot glaze.
By 1907 the brownie was well established in a recognizable form, appearing in Lowney’s Cook Book by Maria Willet Howard as an adaptation of the Boston Cooking School recipe for a “Bangor Brownie”.
It added an extra egg and an additional square of chocolate, creating a richer dessert. The name “Bangor Brownie” derives from the town of Bangor, Maine, which legend states was the hometown of a housewife who created the original
brownie recipe. Maine food educator and columnist Mildred Brown Schrumpf was the predominant proponent of the theory that brownies were invented in Bangor.
While “The Oxford Companion to American Food and Drink” refuted Schrumpf’s premise that “Bangor housewives” created the brownie, “The Oxford Encyclopedia of Food and Drink in America” said it had discovered evidence to support Schrumpf’s claim, in the form of several 1904 cookbooks that included a recipe for “Bangor Brownies.”
It doesn’t certainly require a lot of work to find ways to celebrate and enjoy National Brownie Day! Eating brownies, baking brownies, and sharing brownies with others can all be incorporated into honoring and paying heed to this day. Try out some of these ideas to get started:
Maybe one of the reasons brownies are so popular is that they are quick and easy to make. Along the same lines of cake, but without the need for a fork or plate, brownies are even easier to make than cookies because they don’t have to be individually placed on the pan.
Also, the fact that delicious brownie mixes can be found at grocery stores and supermarkets, makes it just that much simpler! Add in some goodies such as nuts, candies, or frosting, and a basic brownie mix can become so much more.
Whether making them from scratch or embellishing a boxed mix, baking brownies at home is a fun event that can usually be accomplished in less than an hour. That just leaves more time for eating them!
Explore Unique Brownie Flavors For some, the classic brownie recipe is perfect and doesn’t need to be changed at all. For others, it’s a blank canvas upon which to create all kinds of spectacular flavors and complimentary concoctions. For the purists, that’s understandable–if it isn’t broken, don’t fix it, right?
But for those who won’t be satisfied with something basic, try out these unique ways to take brownie baking (and eating!) to a whole new level:
Raspberry Cheesecake Brownies. Imagine a base of brownies topped with a thick layer of cheesecake with fresh raspberries baked in. But don’t just imagine them, go ahead and bake them–and then eat them!
Zucchini Butterfinger Brownies. Looking for ways to make brownies healthy but still gooey and delicious? Use zucchini as a base! Topped with crushed Butterfinger candy bars, they’re a delicious and more nutritious departure from the standard.
Cookie Stuffed Brownies. Super indulgent, these are brownies that contain other delicious treats that are baked right in! They contain a layer of chocolate chip cookie dough, then a layer of store-bought cookies (Double Stuff Oreos, Natter Butters, or Milano’s work great) and finally a layer of brownie batter mixture poured over the top. It’s like a cookie-brownie extravaganza!
Since they’re baked in giant pans and then cut into smaller pieces, brownies are an ideal treat that can be shared with friends and loved ones! Head over to the neighbors to make a brownie delivery, or drop some off at the kids’ classroom to make the teacher’s day.
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