Palmer House Hotel

The Palmer House is quite possibly the most famous and influential hotel in Chicago – and one of the most iconic hotels in America. It was founded in 1870 by business mogul Potter Palmer, and the current building, which opened its doors in 1925, is one of the most beautiful and historic buildings in all of Chicago. The Palmer House was the city’s first hotel with elevators and the first to offer electric light bulbs and telephones in every guest room. It also has another major claim to fame: It’s the birthplace of the chocolate brownie.

Potter Palmer’s wife, Bertha, asked the hotel’s pastry chef to create a dessert for ladies attending Chicago’s 1893 World’s Columbian Exhibition that could be handheld, smaller than a piece of cake, and easily packed in a boxed lunch. This was the result: a dense, fudgy, chocolatey confection topped with walnuts and apricot glaze. This is the original brownie made according to the exact same recipe as over 130 years ago and still served at the hotel, and now it’s shipping nationwide!