While chocolate has been enjoyed since ancient times, the brownie was born in Chicago in the late 1800’s.
Pretty much the entire world is crazy for chocolate in all its delicious forms, like the brownie. Ancient civilizations in Central and South America were preparing chocolate beverages around 1900 B.C. Columbus was introduced to the cacao bean on his fourth excursion to the Americas in 1502 and took the beans back to Spain, where the Spanish friars introduced the royalty to chocolate. The exotic confection spread across Europe and the globe and ever since then we’ve been hooked.
The chocolate brownie is an American invention. It was created in 1893 by a chef at The Palmer House Hotel in Chicago at the request of Bertha Potter Palmer. She asked the chef to create a new chocolate baked good that could easily be packed into lunches for ladies to eat at the upcoming Columbian Exposition. These first brownies were of course made with chocolate, as well as lots of butter, sugar, eggs and flour. This is the typical recipe of brownies today, although the original version was topped with walnuts and an apricot glaze. They are still served today at The Palmer House.
At Gunther Toody’s in Denver we’re honoring this classic American treat in our chocolate brownie sundae, topped with ice cream, chocolate sauce, whipped cream, and Butterfinger candy. We can’t think of a better way to enjoy a brownie!
Enjoy a chocolate brownie sundae at Gunther Toody’s.