How Brownies Were Invented?

In my series of brownie questions, one of the top questions was, “How Brownies Were Invented?”.

Brownies were likely invented somewhat by accident, like many other foods. The exact origins are a little gray, but there are a couple of theories:

One story claims that brownies were created in the late 19th century when a cook in Chicago forgot to add baking powder to a chocolate cake recipe. The result? A denser, fudgier, flat “cake” that became an instant hit.

Another tale suggests that a housewife in Maine was baking a dessert for her guests and decided to improvise by pouring chocolate cake batter into a flat pan, creating the first batch of brownies.

The first published brownie recipe appeared in the 1897 Sears Roebuck Catalog, but it wasn’t exactly the the same version of a brownie we know today. Early versions were more like a cross between a cookie and a cake, with less chocolate. It wasn’t until the early 20th century that chocolate-packed brownies made their debut.