Celebrate national chocolate brownie day!

Today is National Chocolate Day! I’m a huge fan of this dessert myself, although rather than ordering them in restaurants, I prefer to bake my own (which I once did live, on-camera for KCPT-Channel 19 for some kind of cooking-segment fundraiser). I have to confess, though, that I have a secret weakness for the Brownie Fudge Sundae at Steak and Shake — even if it does have — gulp! — over 43 grams of fat!

I’ve always wondered who invented brownies. The first known reference to them is a box of chocolate candy (named for the characters in a Palmer Cox book) sold in the 1897 Sears & Roebuck catalogue. The first recipe for the dessert was in the 1906 edition of the Boston Cooking-School Cookbook.

I’ve been trying to think of a restaurant that has a really great chocolate brownie on its dessert list — and would be happy to take nominations from our Fat City friends. — Charles Ferruzza