USA

Palmer House Brownie

The classic Palmer House Brownie has always been a favorite with the young and old. It's said Palmer House Hilton were the first to introduce the world famous pastry. This is the fudgy type of brownie.

Palmer House Brownie

Created in the late 19th century, it didn't go unnoticed by visitors of the Columbian Exposition World Fair in 1893. Much to the delight of Bertha Palmer, the alleged creator. I gave it my own touch without changing the recipe too much. 


Batter:

  • 80 g dark chocolate 70% or higher
  • 2 large eggs
  • 125 g butter (melted)
  • 60 g all purpose flour
  • 1 tsp vanilla aroma
  • 150 g icing sugar
  • 100 g walnuts (chopped)
  • Pinch of salt

Apricot glaze:

  • 5 tbsp apricot jam
  • 5 tbsp of water
  • 1 tsp sugar
  • 1 gelatin sheet
  1. Cut walnuts into fairly large to medium chunks.
  2. Butter a 19 cm/7 inch squared mold or 22 cm/8 inch round mold and cover with baking paper.
  3. Preheat oven at 170°C/325°F.
  4. Mix eggs and vanilla extract with sugar until pale yellow. Put it aside.
  5. Cut butter into small pieces and melt at low heat.
  6. Add butter (lukewarm or cold) to the egg mix, stir until homogeneous.
  7. Break chocolate into smaller parts and melt in a bain-marie with a pinch of salt. Add melted chocolate to the butter-eggs and whisk to mix.
  8. Add the flour with a sieve and combine with a spatula until homogeneous.
  9. Pour the chocolate batter in the baking mold. Carefully spread the walnut pieces over the batter. Do not press them in!
  10. Put it in the middle of the oven and bake for 20 minutes.
  11. Take brownie pastry out of the oven and leave to cool for 30 minutes on a cooling rack. 

TIPS

  • All ingredients at room temperature
  • Cut walnuts in large pieces
  • Whisk chocolate and butter-eggs immediately

Apricot glaze:

  1. Put gelatin sheet in cold water for 10 minutes.
  2. Warm up apricot jam with water and sugar. If there are chunks use a stick blender. Add the gelatin, stir until dissolved completely.
  3. With a pastry brush, cover the brownie pastry while the glaze is warm.
  4. Refrigerate for at least 2 hours. Cut the Palmer House brownie when it's cold. Warm will push walnut chunks into the pastry.


Tools used: Baking paper, spatula, whisk, metal bowl, squared or round baking mold.

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