Brownies are a beloved treat enjoyed around the world. It is a classic American dessert that has been enjoyed for generations. It is a simple but delicious treat found in many households throughout the US.
Brief History and Origin
The history of brownies dates back to 1893 when Bertha Palmer, a Chicago socialite, requested a small cake-like pastry for the World’s Columbian Exposition in Chicago. The pastry was called “palmer’s brownies” and was made with chocolate, butter, eggs, sugar, flour and baking powder. This recipe became popular across the United States and is still used today as the original brownie recipe.
The first published brownie recipes appeared in 1906 in Fanny Farmer’s Boston Cooking-School Cook Book and Lowney’s Cook Book by Maria Willet Howard. These recipes differed from Palmer’s original recipe by using melted chocolate instead of cocoa powder.
Brownie – The Recipe
- Preparation Time: 25 mins
- Cooking Time: 35 mins
- Additional time: 45 minutes
- Total time: 1 hrs 45 min
- Servings: 8
Ingredients
- 185g butter, cubed
- 185g dark chocolate, cut into small pieces
- 85g all-purpose flour
- 40g cocoa powder, unsweetened
- 50g white chocolate, chopped
- 50g milk chocolate, chopped
- 3 large eggs
- 275g white granulated sugar
- ¼ tsp. salt
Instructions
- Add butter cubes and dark chocolate pieces in a bowl, cover with plastic wrap and place in a microwave oven; heat for 2 minutes or until everything melts. Remove from oven and leave until gets to room temperature.
- Prepare oven and preheat to 160 degrees C. Also, prepare a shallow square tin by lining the base with parchment paper. Sieve flour and cocoa powder in a separate bowl, then mix and set aside.
- In a large bowl, crack 3 eggs, add sugar, and beat for 5 to 8 minutes using an electric mixer until creamy and thick. Add the chocolate-butter mixture and fold gently into a figure of eight using a rubber spatula. Continue folding gently until the color turns mottled dark brown.
- Now sieve the flour-cocoa powder mixture from side to side over the eggy mousse-chocolate mixture, and cover the surface evenly. Fold again in the figure of eight until the mixture looks fudgy and gungy.
- Finally, add chopped milk and white chocolate and fold gently. Transfer the batter to the prepared square tin and level using a rubber spatula.
- Place in preheated oven and bake for 25 to 30 minutes or until the top has a papery and shiny crust and the sides have started to come away from the tin.
- When ready, remove from oven, allow to cool completely, take the brownie out of the pan by lifting parchment paper, slice and serve.
- You can also transfer the brownie slices to an air-tight container and place them in the refrigerator for future use.
Popular variations
Here are a few ways you can change this basic recipe to adjust it to your liking:
- Marshmallow Swirl Brownies: The fudgey brownie, topped with gooey marshmallows, is a decadent dessert for you to try!
- Chocolate Walnut Brownies: Chocolate and walnut is a widely enjoyed combination and are a great way to add more texture to a brownie.
- Raspberry Cheesecake Brownies: Try this recipe if you love raspberry cheesecake and brownies equally. It is a product of two delicious desserts.
- White Chocolate Brownies: If you love traditional brownie recipes, wait till you try white chocolate. The sweet white chocolaty flavour is just right!
- Matcha Brownies: Matcha is known for its earthy flavour. Adding it to brownies gives your brownies a unique colour and flavour.
