Chocolate brownie
A chocolate brownie is a fat, baked square or bar, sliced from a type of dense, rich chocolate cake.[1] Brownies come in a variety of forms. They are either fudgy or cakey, depending on their density, and they may include nuts, icing, cream cheese, chocolate chips, or other ingredients. A variation that is made with brown sugar and no chocolate is called a blondie.
Brownies are often served warm with ice cream, a combination that is known as brownie à la mode. They may also be served with whipped cream, especially as a dessert in restaurants. Brownies are typically accompanied by either milk or coffee.
Origins
Food historians have traced the first recorded recipe for a brownie to the 1906 edition of The Boston Cooking School Cook Book by Fannie Merritt Farmer. This early recipe produced a relatively mild and cakey brownie. The name "brownie" first appeared in the 1896 version of the cookbook, but this was in reference to molasses cakes baked individually in tin molds, not true brownies.[2].
A second recipe appeared in 1907 in Lowney’s Cook Book, by Maria Willet Howard and published by the Walter M. Lowney Company of Boston, Massachussetts. This recipe added an extra egg and an additional square of chocolate to the Boston Cooking School recipe, creating a richer, fudgier brownie. The recipe was named Bangor Brownies, possibly because it was created by a woman in Bangor, Maine.[2] According to the 1979 Betty Crocker's Baking Classics cookbook, brownies were accidentally invented by Maine home economist, Mildred Schrumpf when she served a chocolate cake that had collapsed in the oven.[3]
According to another story, the brownie was invented in Chicago by the chef of the Palmer House Hotel during the 1893 Columbian Exposition.[4] Bertha Palmer requested a dessert for ladies attending the fair that would be smaller than a piece of cake, and easily eaten from boxed lunches. These brownies feature an apricot glaze and walnuts, and are still being made at the hotel according to the original recipe.[5]
Cooking brownies
According to the chefs of America's Test Kitchen, chocolate deserts such as brownies should be removed promptly from the oven to retain the best chocolate taste. This is because many of the compounds that give chocolate its flavor are highly volatile and easily lost. The smell of brownies cooking is an indication that flavor and aroma are being released into the air. Because they will continue to cook for a few minutes from residual heat, it is best to remove brownies from the oven as early as possible, generally when a toothpick test still shows a few moist crumbs.[6]
See also
References
- ^ Webster's New World College Dictionary, 4th Edition, 2008.
- ^ a b The Origin of the Brownie Retrieved September 23, 2008.
- ^ The Perfect Desert Retrieved September 23, 2008.
- ^ "Extra Info on 190 North's April 8, 2007 Show". 190 North. 2007-04-08. Retrieved 2008-04-18.
- ^ Uncle Phaedrus Retrieved September 23, 2008.
- ^ The New Best Recipe (2004). America's Test Kitchen.