Welcome to our series featuring Food Holidays: December 8th, 2022. Today is National Brownie Day. I don’t know about you but I wouldn’t mind having a Brownie or two. How about you?
If you will excuse me I am off to pick up a box of Brownies to make for dessert this evening. Before you ask me if Charlie couldn’t make homemade Chocolate Brownies in his Homemaking class he could but his head it bothering him and I don’t want to bother him.
NATIONAL BROWNIE DAY
Every year Brownie lovers come from far and wide to celebrate National Brownie Day. Which could be a Chocolate or Blondie Brownie the perfect dessert. Indulge in Brownies and let the real world melt away with you for a delectable moment.
HISTORY OF NATIONAL BROWNIE DAY
Legend has it that the creation of Brownies hales from the Palmer House Hotel in 1893. 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.
Bertha Palmer 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.”
NATIONAL BROWNIE DAY STATS
2 billion 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 of Brownies, and with so many ways to customize and create your “perfect Brownie”, there’s endless ways to enjoy Brownies without getting tired of this dessert!
60% of people go Nutless
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. The magical thing about Brownies is no matter how you eat them, 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!
36% love those corners
A little resistance in your Brownie doesn’t hurt. What better way to get that magical texture than by biting into a deliciously baked end piece? We don’t want the entire Brownie to have that texture. There is such thing as too much of a good thing. Saving that small bite of something special for the end of your Brownie consumption is definitely the way to go!
NATIONAL BROWNIE DAY ACTIVITIES
- Take the day to try new kinds of Brownies that you’ve never tasted.
- Spread the word that today is National Brownie day by posting your pictures on Social Media sharing the Brownie or Brownies your having today.
- There are a variety of Brownie recipes our there. Invite your family over for a night of Brownie taste testing. Create a Brownie bar featuring different Brownies including Double Fudge, Oreo, 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.
- Aren’t baking Brownies a blast? Always remember, preparation is key. Research recipes and pick up the ingredients and get to baking.
- 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! Chocolate releases the mood enhancing chemical, serotonin. Don’t cheat yourself, treat yourself to some Brownies!
Thank you,
Glenda, Charlie and David Cates
