How to Make the Original Palmer House Brownies

This super-rich brownie is a slice of food history.

Visitors to the World's Columbian Exposition in 1893 tasted the first brownie recipe in recorded food history. This chocolaty, buttery, fudgy confection topped with walnuts and apricot glaze was created by the Palmer House Hotel in Chicago — and now you can recreate it in your own kitchen using the original recipe (it's more than 100 years old!).

MasterChef alum, Elise Mayfield — aka Smart Cookie — will guide you through this vintage recipe step by step, and share some (mostly) fun facts along the way.

Get the recipe: The Palmer House Brownie

"This recipe goes way back, like 1898 back, when the brownie was first recorded into existence at the Palmer House Hotel in Chicago. Don't rely on the traditional stick test for doneness in this recipe; the brownies will continue to be gooey even after baking. For easier cutting, place glazed brownies in the freezer for 3 to 4 hours." — Smart Cookie

Smart Cookie's Top Tips:

1. With just half a cup of flour in the recipe, these dense brownies lean more towards fudge than cake.

2. After you mix the melted chocolate with the flour and sugar, be sure to stir and cool the mixture before adding the eggs so they won't scramble from the heat.

3. Because these fudgy brownies are moist and dense, you won't be able to rely on the toothpick method to tell if the brownies are fully baked. Your toothpick will come out with chocolate on it! So, how will you know if the brownies are done? Look at the sides of the pan. Do you see crispy edges with the brownie pulling away from the sides? They're done.

Watch the video to see it all come together:

Want More? See all our brownie recipes.