If you’ve been to Chicago, you know that we love OUR DINING IN THIS CITY Our vibrant neighborhoods are home to some of the best restaurants in the world, and we have a long list of popular cuisines that originated right here in the Windy City. Deep dish pizzathe jibaritoand malted milk shake There are examples – but did you know that Brownie Is it invented here? With connections to the 1893 World’s Columbian Exposition and Palmer House Hotelthe birth of the brownie has a very interesting story to tell.
Brownie History
I love history, especially the history of my city and how it came to be. I have read countless accounts of how the early days here were rough—people worked hard and living conditions were not good. Eventually, though, investors saw the potential and bought land to develop downtown Chicago, creating a thriving business space that attracted visitors who enjoyed theater and museums as well as shopping. And enjoyed the food. Palmer House was a popular place to live. A magnificent hotel given by Potter Palmer to his wife Bertha Honor Palmer as a gift on their wedding day. The original hotel opened on September 26, 1871, only to burn down thirteen days later. But with Bertha’s encouragement, Palmer rebuilt the hotel, and the second Palmer House opened just two years later in 1873.
Bertha Palmer was a socialite and philanthropist who often hosted events at her hotel. Her love of the arts and her social activism led to her appointment as chairperson of the Board of Lady Managers for the 1893 World’s Columbian Exposition.
She was instrumental in securing money for the Woman’s Building, which will showcase the creations, work and inventions of women over the centuries. During one of his meetings, he asked the pastry chefs at Palmer House to create a dessert suitable for box lunches. She didn’t want pie, which could be messy. Instead, she asked for a hand-held and chocolate, not quite a cake, more like fudge, but not gooey.
The result was the brownie (which wasn’t named until a few years later). Palmer’s version was buttery and rich, with a hint of walnut and apricot. It was perfectly sweet and easy to eat.
How to Make Palmer House Brownies
Many iterations of Palmer’s brownie recipe can be found in cookbooks and on the Internet. Here at Allrecipes, us too We have one of our own! This is a simple 7-ingredient brownie recipe with a 3-ingredient apricot glaze.
When you visit the Palmer House in Chicago and buy a brownie, you’ll be enjoying the same dessert that was invented 125 years ago.
The brownie has become so popular and coveted that the hotel now sells the popular dessert in its Lockwood restaurants. If you can’t make it to the Palmer House Hotel to sample one in person, don’t worry, the brownie is now available to order. Gold Belly.
Try our recipe.: Palmer House Brownies