Palmer House Brownies

For this month’s installment of The Secret Recipe Club, I was assigned to the blog, Fran’s Favs which is a wonderfully eclectic blog that has a simply charming design and is a delightful mix of food, family, and fun.

After perusing through tons of Fran’s recipes, I finally settled on her recipe for Palmer House Brownies first and foremost because I live in the Chicago area where the extremely opulent Palmer House Hilton is located, and secondly because her recipe just sounded too darned good to pass up.

When Fran made her Palmer House Brownies she made a slight adaptation to the traditional recipe by leaving off the apricot glaze.

When I made my adaptation from Fran’s recipe, I chose to add some caramel bits and a light sprinkle of salt to the top to finish them off.

I can’t imagine there is really anything you could do to mess up the flavor of these brownies because the “bones” of the recipe is a structure that lends itself well to any sort of decor. Timeless in flavor no matter how you dress it up (or down).

If you are the type of person who loves your brownies all soft and fudgy, then these are the brownies for you!!! Of course, you can choose to chill them before serving… but where’s the point to that? LOL

PALMER HOUSE BROWNIES      {PRINT THIS RECIPE}


1 cup cake flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
7 1/2 ounces 60% bittersweet chocolate
1 1/2 ounces unsweetened chocolate
2 sticks of butter
1 1/3 cups granulated sugar
2 large eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla
1/2 cup chopped walnuts
1/2 cup caramel bits
1/8 teaspoon salt to finish

-Preheat your oven to 350 degrees
-Prepare an 8″ square baking pan by lining it with 2 cut-to-fit sheets of parchment paper (see photo)
-In a small bowl whisk together the flour, baking powder, and salt. Set aside.
-In a medium saucepan over medium/low heat, melt the butter and add the chocolate. Stir occasionally until all the chocolate is completely melted and smooth.
-Remove the pan from the heat and allow the chocolate to cool slightly.
-In the bowl of a stand mixer (or a large bowl with a hand mixer), whip together the eggs, sugar, and vanilla.
-Slowly add about 1/2 cup of the melted and slightly cooled chocolate mixture into the sugar/egg mixture and blend to combine.
-Add in the remaining chocolate mixture and mix until well blended.
-Switching to a wooden spoon or spatula, stir in the flour mixture until well incorporated.
-Pour the brownie batter into the prepared parchment-lined pan.
-Top the brownie mixture with the chopped walnuts.
-Bake for approximately 30 minutes and then sprinkle with the caramel bits and salt.
-Bake an additional 10-15 minutes or until the center of your brownies are firm but not overly cooked.
-Remove and allow to cool to room temperature.
-To remove from the pan, pull up on the parchment strips and your brownies should come out like a dream.
-Remove the paper and cut the brownies into pieces using a sharp serrated knife.
-Savor every bite!!!

I agree, these brownies look amazing but nowhere near as amazing as the inside of the Palmer House Hilton lobby. Here’s a quick peek inside to set you to drooling…

Sheesh, I don’t know if I’ll ever have the opportunity to set foot inside such a grand establishment (let alone stay there) but at least with this recipe, I’ll be able to savor a little bit of their good taste! Get it?  🙂

Until we eat again,