So where did the whole idea of making brownies begin? Is it a cake or a bar cookie? The legend is told that a Chef in the early 20th Century added chocolate to a batch of biscuits he was baking by mistake. The result? Brownies. Then there is a story of a woman who was making a chocolate cake, and forgot to add the baking powder. When the cake didn't rise, she served the flat cake (brownies) to her guests anyhow. There are many who report that the first brownie recipe was in the 1987 Sears Roebuck Catalogue. This must have been a very big deal back then. The brownie really does go way back.
Many food historians have traced the very first "brownie" to the 1906 copy of The Boston Cooking School cook book. This is a less rich, and less chocolaty version of the brownies we know today. In fact, its interesting to note , the first brownie contained no chocolate at all.
No chocolate at all? Really?
They've just gotten more chocolaty and richer over the years. The brownie didn't
become truly special till the roaring 20's, and to this day remains a divine sweet.
Just some food for thought.
