Brownies are always linked to the USA. The treat is known for its rich chocolate flavour and crispy outside with a soft interior texture. Despite how popular they are, many people wonder where the brownie first came from. So much so, that people have put together compilations of mentions of brownies. Brownies are said to have first appeared in the early 20th century, more specifically, in of Fannie Farmer’s cookbook in 1896. The original brownies were very different from what we perceive as brownies today. They did, in fact, not contain any chocolate and were flavoured with molasses. The chocolate first found its way into the mix in 1898 when the Kansas City Journal mentioned them. From there on, chocolate brownies started appearing all over in advertisements and bakeries. The first mention of chocolate brownies in a cookbook was in 1899 in the Machias Cook Book. The there featured recipe is much more similar to the one we use today.
Recipe
Ingredients
- 100g Flour
- 200g Sugar
- 100g Brown Sugar
- 75g Cocoa Powder
- 100g Bittersweet Chocolate
- 80ml Milk
- 85g Butter
- 1/2 tsp Baking Powder
- 1tsp Vanilla Extract
- 2 large Eggs
- 75g chopped Walnuts (optional)
- Powdered Sugar (optional)
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 180ºC.
- Sift flour, sugar, baking powder, cocoa powder together in a large bowl. Mix in the brown sugar.
- Chopp the chocolate into small chunks.
- Melt half the chocolate and butter over low heat.
- Mix the milk and vanilla into the melted chocolate.
- Add the eggs, milk-chocolate mixture and the other half of the chocolate to the dry ingredients.
- Use an electric mixer to stir until obtaining a smooth batter.
- Mix in half of the chopped walnuts.
- Fill the batter into a squared baking pan and sprinkle with the rest of the walnuts.
- Bake for 20-25 minutes or until the pick comes out smooth.
- Leave to cool before removing from the pan.
- Cut around the corners with a sharp knife.
- Sprinkle with a bit of powdered sugar and enjoy!
Variations
If you are not a great fan of walnuts, you can either replace them with a different type of nuts or just leave them out.
