The History of Brownies

Brownies are a sweet, chocolately treat with intense flavor! But have you ever wondered about the first kind of brownie?

Brownies or Blondies?

Before brownies were a thing, blondies existed. They were similar to a modern day brownie but with a molasses base instead of chocolate.

How it’s made

The first type of brownie was made by Palmer House in 1893, it was a molasses based blondie but had roasted walnuts and apricot spread.

I made brownies, then I baked walnuts into them. After I got apricot jam, I heated the jam in a microwave safe bowl then strained the chunks out and glazed it on the brownie.

Cookbook

In 1896, Fannie Farmer made a cookbook that includes the original Palmer House brownie recipe which helped popularize brownies.

Chocolate

Later in 1909, a cookbook was published that replaced the molasses with chocolate. This helped promote brownies that contained chocolate instead of molasses.

Modern Day Brownies

Today, brownies are made with chocolate. It’s rare to find a brownie with molasses. As tastes evolved so did brownies. People chose to remove the apricot jams and walnuts. People added toppings like sprinkles or chocolate frosting.

I made brownies then whipped up chocolate frosting and spread it on the brownie.

Which Tastes Better?

I tried both new and old fashioned brownies. Then I discovered some pros and cons.

Pros of modern brownie: Sweet, chocolatey, popular.

Cons of modern brownie: Sugary, oily, unhealthy.

Pros of old brownie: Good balance of crunch, fruity, the nuts add flavor.

Cons of old brownie: The apricot is a bit much, too sweet.

New or Old

After a lot of taste testing, I have decided that the old brownie is the best! The walnuts taste great and add a crunchy texture.