Life is funny David and I purchased #groceries last night and I picked up a Chocolate Cake with Chocolate Icing to make for Charlie today. Although, David kept asking me if I wanted #Brownies I said no, I wanted the Chocolate Cake because Charlie doesn’t care for Brownies that much.
I found out November 8th is National Brownie Day #NationalBrownieDay. I need to go back to the Grocery Store to pick up Betty Crocker™ Supreme Walnut Brownie Mix. My family can make once we finish the Chocolate Cake. Would you like to join us for Milk and #Brownies?
If Charlie was still #Homeschooling in his #Cooking class we could have prepared #Homemade Brownies and I’ve shared a recipe you could use below. Which with the #Holidays here my family make to give as #gifts. Would you like to join us and make Brownies for your friends and family?
National Brownie Day falls on December 8th every year when Brownie lovers come from far and wide to celebrate National Brownie Day. Brownies are warm, chewy, and rich, and they can be a nice Chocolate brownie (or Blondie) Brownie which is the perfect dessert to end your night with. Join my family and indulge in gooey goodness and let the real world melt away with you for a delectable moment.
Did you know legend has it that the creation of Brownies hales from the Palmer House Hotel in 1893. When Bertha Palmer, a prominent Chicago socialite whose husband owed the Hotel, asked a Pastry Chef for a dessert suitable for ladies attending the Chicago World’s Columbian Exposition.
She requested a Cake-like delicacy small enough to be included in boxed lunches. The result was the Palmer House Brownie with Walnuts and an Apricot glaze. The modern Palmer House Hotel serves a dessert to patrons made from the same recipe. The name was given to the dessert sometime after 1893, but was not used by cook books or journals at the time.
By 1907 the Brownie was well established in a recognizable form, appearing in Lowney’s Cook Book by Maria Willet Howard as an adaptation of the Boston Cooking School recipe for a “Bangor Brownie”. It added an extra Egg and an additional square of Chocolate, creating a richer dessert.
The name “Bangor Brownie” derives from the town of Bangor, Maine, which legend states was the hometown of a housewife who created the original Brownie recipe. Maine food educator and columnist Mildred Brown Schrumpf was the predominant proponent of the theory that Brownies were invented in Bangor.
While “The Oxford Companion to American Food and Drink” refuted Schrumpf’s premise that “Bangor housewives” created the Brownie, “The Oxford Encyclopedia of Food and Drink in America” said it had discovered evidence to support Schrumpf’s claim, in the form of several 1904 cookbooks that included a recipe for “Bangor Brownies.”
Brownies can be consumed on any occasion, and making brownies at home is only part of the fun. 1988 knew what they were doing when they gobbled down 2 billion Brownies, and with so many ways to customize and create your “perfect Brownie”, there’s endless ways to enjoy Brownies without getting tired of the Chocolatey goodness!
Whether it be a Nut allergy, an aversion to Nuts, or simply being a Brownie purest, 60% of Brownie lovers prefer their Brownies Nut free. I can take Brownies with or without Nuts but I prefer Walnuts although i also like Pecans. What about you?
The magical thing about Brownies is no matter how you eat Brownies, they’re always delicious. If you like Brownies purely gooey and chewy, or if you prefer a little crunch in your munch, you’re doing the right thing by eating a Brownie. The only way you can be wrong is by not liking Brownies at all! But those people don’t exist…right?
A little resistance in your Brownie doesn’t hurt, and what better way to get that magical texture than by biting into a deliciously baked end piece? Of course, we don’t want the entire Brownie to have that texture, there is such thing as too much of a good thing. But saving that small bit of something special for the end of your Brownie consumption is definitely the way to go!
National Brownie Day Activities
- On National Brownie Day we should stuff our face which would be our go-to choice. In all honesty, what else would you expect for a day dedicated to something as amazing as the Brownie? Take the day to try new flavors of Brownies that you’ve never tasted, and don’t forget Milk!
- Spread the word that today is National Brownie day by pictures of Brownies on Social Media and inspire your followers to get out there and try new Brownies for themselves.
- There are a variety of Brownie recipes our there take the time today to invite your friends and family over for a night of Brownie taste testing and create a Brownie Bar featuring different Brownies like Double Fudge, Oreo, Mint, Walnut and Caramel Brownies.
Why People Love National Brownie Day
- Brownies are rich in flavor and definitely a guilty pleasure of ours. No matter hot or cold, Brownies are delicious. Don’t believe us? We dare you to tell us otherwise.
- brownies are fun to make just watch me whip up a bath of Brownies then watch the Brownies bake. Aren’t Baking brownies a blast? Always remember, that preparation is key.
- Think about those movie scenes of dealing with break ups by eating Chocolate. Why do you think that is? It’s because Chocolate makes us happy! And, Chocolate will release the mood enhancing chemical. Serotonin. Don’t cheat yourself, treat yourself to some delicious Brownies!
Recipe for Homemade Brownies with Walnuts
Ingredients
- ¾ cup all-purpose flour
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- ¾ cup unsweetened cocoa powder
- ½ cup packed brown sugar
- ½ teaspoon baking powder
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- 4 ounces bittersweet chocolate, coarsely chopped, divided
- ⅓ cup milk, 2% or whole
- 6 tablespoons butter
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- 2 large eggs, lightly beaten
- ½ cup chopped walnuts, divided
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Coat an 8- or 9-inch square baking dish with nonstick cooking spray.
- Combine the flour, sugar, cocoa powder, brown sugar, baking powder and salt in a large mixing bowl. Set aside.
- Place half of the bittersweet chocolate and the milk in a small saucepan and place it over LOW heat. Cook and stir for a minute or two and then add the butter. Continue cooking over LOW heat, stirring constantly, until the butter and chocolate have completely melted. Remove the pan from the heat and stir in the vanilla.
- Pour the melted chocolate mixture into the flour mixture in the mixing bowl and stir until slightly combined. Add the eggs, remaining bittersweet chocolate, and ¼ cup of the walnuts (reserve remaining nuts for later) to the flour mixture and stir to combine.
- Pour the batter into the prepared baking dish and sprinkle with the remaining ¼ cup walnuts.
- Bake until a wooden pick inserted in the center comes out with moist crumbs clinging, approximately 20 to 22 minutes for 9-inch baking dish or 22 to 26 minutes for a 8-inch baking dish. The edges should seem solid but the center will appear somewhat soft and will continue to set up as the brownies cool. Ovens can vary so I recommend setting your kitchen timer for a couple of minutes shy of the recommended baking times and watching them closely towards the end. Remove from the oven and cool completely in the baking dish before cutting and serving.
Thank you,
Glenda, Charlie and David Cates
