One of the world's biggest hotels invented the brownie – here's where you can try it
It's hard to imagine a world without brownies, but this rich, chocolatey icon was only created in 1893 at Palmer House, a Hilton Hotel in Chicago. The genius invention is specifically credited to American businesswoman, socialite and philanthropist Bertha Palmer. As president of the Ladies Board for Managers for the World's Columbian Exposition (Chicago World's Fair), Palmer was tasked with creating a dessert for the Women's Pavilion that was easy to transport in boxed lunches. She enlisted Palmer House's pastry team to create something smaller than a cake or pie, but denser and more decadent than a cookie.
The result? The very first brownie – rich, fudgy, studded with walnuts and finished with an apricot glaze. The new invention wasn't called a brownie at the time, but after its debut at the World's Exposition, the decadent treat began appearing in cookbooks and bakeries around the world.
The OG brownie Palmer and the pastry team created is still on the menu at Palmer House in Chicago – and since then, hotels in Australia have reimagined the original recipe. For example, Hilton Sydney celebrated its 50th birthday in 2025 with a rich macadamia brownie, while Hilton Melbourne Little Queen Street once served up a cheeky Piña Colada-inspired version. But if you want to bite into the original, you'll need to book a flight to Chicago!
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