Did you know that the earliest brownies didn’t contain chocolate? The first recipes for “brownies” were small, molasses-based cakes rather than the chocolaty squares we know today. Recipes for these early treats appeared in The Boston Cooking School Cook Book (1896) and were also mentioned in The Sears, Roebuck Catalogue (1897).

A competing origin story comes from the Palmer House Hotel in Chicago, where in 1893, at the instruction of businesswoman and socialite Bertha Palmer, pastry chef Joseph Sehl is said to have created an easily transportable chocolate dessert for the World's Columbian Exposition. Baked in a shallow pan with chocolate, walnuts, and an apricot glaze and cut into small squares, this treat is often considered the first modern chocolate brownie.

By 1905, chocolate brownie recipes began appearing in community cookbooks throughout the Midwest and New England, and over the following decade they evolved into the classic fudgy dessert.

In the United States, December 8 is celebrated as National Brownie Day.

2 sticks unsalted butter, plus more for pan
12 ounces bittersweet chocolate chips
4 eggs
1 cup granulated sugar
1 cup firmly packed brown sugar
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
½ teaspoon salt
1 cup flour

Heat oven to 350° F. Butter a 9"x13" baking dish. Line with parchment paper and butter paper. Set aside.

Combine butter and chocolate in a medium bowl and microwave for about 45 seconds. Stir and if not fully melted, return to the microwave for a few minutes more. Set aside. Do this in intervals to avoid burning the chocolate!

Whisk together eggs, sugar, brown sugar, vanilla and salt in a large bowl. Stir in chocolate mixture. Fold in flour.  

Pour batter into the prepared pan. Spread evenly and bake until a toothpick inserted into center comes out clean, about 45 to 50 minutes. 

 Makes 12 3-inch brownies

(Adapted from Nick Malgieri’s Supernatural Brownies)